Worship and Theatre #1

The greatest interest I have in the life of the church is in the worship life of the church. My combined interests in theatre and religion guide me in this journey. Where do rituals originate? What purpose do they serve? Are there rules or guidelines from Christian worship? Is there anything to mandate or anything to forbid? How are ways Christians have worshiped in the past and how do Christians in other cultures worship God? Over the next three years, I will occasionally be citing moments in my theological education when these questions arise, and I plan on reflecting on them here.


I had a small revelation in worship this week at Columbia Seminary. My Greek School small group was in charge of planning and leading worship for the week, and have planned services that utilize the many gifts of our group. On Monday, our musical selections were of a wide variety. The congregation opened with a Call to Worship acapella and in four-part harmony. We sang a contemporary hymn to jazz piano, and we closed with a praise chorus with guitar and drums.

I was in charge of the Call to Worship song, a simple melody with the words, "Come all you people come and praise your maker. Come now and worship the Lord." I learned this song from Rev. John Bell at the Montreat Worship and Music conference several years ago. He taught the congregation four parts to this song by lining out each part, having that section practice, and then he built up the song one voice part at a time. I followed his example when I taught and led this call on Monday, and with a willing congregation and a acoustically live chapel, it was a wonderful means of focusing our attention on worshiping God.

Our hymn was a somewhat complicated tune that was unfamiliar to most of us, but our capable pianist quickly realized this, and on the first verse simply played the melody in octaves, and with each verse he added more of a jazz style as the congregation grew more familiar with the tune.

The praise chorus, however, did not go as well. The piano, guitars, and drum sounded great, and we had the lyrics to the song in our bulletin, but with no microphone to amplify the singers' voices, it was difficult for the worshipers to engage with the music and take part in this form of worship.

Now I will admit my prejudice against praise music, but I think I gained a new understanding of why I have never particularly enjoyed singing it in worship. It is simply because I am uncomfortable with it. I don't know the tune, there is no music in front of me, there are difficult trills and slides in the leader's voice that are difficult to mimic, and I feel "left out" of the service. It is not that I feel the music is inappropriate or the words insufficient, but that it can be exclusive, just as traditional hymnody can exclude people who do not read music or are unfamiliar with the pattern and verses of hymns.

The conclusion and solution seem simple: we need to teach our music for worship outside of singing it in church. A simple lesson before a service begins, or practicing it during another gathering would be sufficient. This way we maximize who participates in worship and how well we perform for God. As Christians, we must always remember that our worship is a performance for God, to which we come prepared and bring our very best.