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Continuing our series on helping congregations sing, here are some practical thoughts and ideas when it comes to song selection, introducing new songs, and musical decision-making:
Select songs strategically and purposefully
Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty. (Psalm 104:1)
In all human life, there is a consciousness of a supreme power. Even the most primitive savage is a religious being as he attempts to fulfill his duties to the invisible powers he senses about him. Since the beginning of time, music has always had a unique association with man’s worship experiences.
When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. (Matthew 27:29-30)
The text of this deeply moving hymn is thought to have its roots in twelfth-century monastic life. It is taken from a lengthy, medieval poem (Rhythmica Oratio) in seven parts, with each part addressing various members of Christ’s body as He suffered on the cross: His feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, and face. This specific hymn text is from the seventh portion of the poem.
I have loved you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
This hymn is generally considered one of the best-loved hymns written during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The writing of this thoughtful and artistically constructed text is even more remarkable when it is remembered that it was authored by one who was totally blind and who describes the writing as the “fruit of much mental suffering.”
This hymn, considered one of the grandest in the whole realm of English hymnody, is a paraphrase of Psalm 90, a psalm of Moses:
Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.
It is more than a metrical version of this Psalm; it is a grand commentary on the whole subject of time, which is the theme of the Psalm.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
Horatio Spafford was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son from pneumonia. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)
Ruth Caye Jones, known as “Mother Jones,” reportedly found inspiration to write “In Times Like These” during the fearful days at the height of World War II when she was moved by reading the words of 2 Timothy 3:1: This know also that in the last days perilous times will come. As she read those words, inspiration for the song came, and she jotted both music and lyrics down on a small notepad she had in her apron pocket.
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. (John 20:18)
Austin Miles (1868-1946) was a pharmacist turned hymn writer and church music director. He was also an amateur photographer. One day in March, 1912, while in his dark room waiting for film to develop, Miles had a profound spiritual experience in which he saw an incredible vision of Mary Magdalene visiting the empty tomb. He saw her leave the tomb and walk into a garden where she met the Master and heard Him speak her name.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:3)
The hymn How Great Thou Art traveled a long road before it ended up a favorite edition to English hymnals. The beloved song dates all the way back to 1885, when Swedish pastor Carl Gustav Boberg was caught in a thunderstorm. It was a thunderstorm that, according to legend, struck fear into the heart of Martin Luther and extracted from him a vow to become a monk. Pastor Boberg, on the other hand, was filled with awe at the grandeur of the storm, the rainbow, and the brilliant light and bird songs that followed the storm.
“Alleluia, He is Risen!” Alleluia, He is Risen Indeed!”
If you and I had been living during the early Christian era, this undoubtedly would have been our greeting to one another, as believers, on Easter Sunday. For the past century, however, many churches have celebrated this triumphant day and have been inspired anew, with the singing of this beloved Easter hymn, written and composed by Robert Lowry in 1874.
Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel! (John 12:13)
This traditional Palm Sunday processional hymn was written around 820 A.D. by Bishop Theodolph of Orleans, France, while he was imprisoned at the monastery of Angers. Theodolph was well-known in his day as a poet, pastor, and beloved bishop. He was also a close friend of Charlemagne, the emperor who tried to revive the Roman Empire in the eighth century.
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power. (Psalm 145:10-11)
This inspiring expression of praise found in nearly every hymnal was originally written in 1225 by one of the most interesting figures in all of church history. Giovanni Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi, was a mystic, medieval monk who spent his lifetime as an itinerant evangelist, preaching and helping the poor people of Italy.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)
The great reformer, Martin Luther, is often recognized as one of the most significant and prolific hymn writers to have ever lived. Among his voluminous works, Luther wrote some 36 hymns. Of these hymns, “A Mighty Fortress” is by far the most well-known and frequently sung.
“Though maybe misunderstood, regularly a bone of contention, and often under-practiced, congregational singing is one of the greatest and most beautiful tools we have been given to declare God’s “excellences,” strengthening His Church and sharing His glory with the world.”
from Keith and Kristyn Getty’s Sing! book
This quote perfectly sums up both the beauty and the challenges of congregational singing. Truly, there is great power and beauty in a congregation that sings together with confidence and energy. Most of the time, however, this is something that may not come naturally—it should be taught, practiced, and inspired. As those involved in music and worship, we have a holy responsibility to help our congregations express their worship to our eternal Father by singing better together. What are some ways that we can do this and how can we fulfill this calling?
“Though maybe misunderstood, regularly a bone of contention, and often under-practiced, congregational singing is one of the greatest and most beautiful tools we have been given to declare God’s “excellences,” strengthening His Church and sharing His glory with the world.”
from Keith and Kristyn Getty’s Sing! book
This quote perfectly sums up both the beauty and the challenges of congregational singing. Truly, there is great power and beauty in a congregation that sings together with confidence and energy. Most of the time, however, this is something that may not come naturally—it should be taught, practiced, and inspired. As those involved in music and worship, we have a holy responsibility to help our congregations express their worship to our eternal Father by singing better together. What are some ways that we can do this and how can we fulfill this calling?
This time that we live in has often been referred to as “the age of spectacle,” which seems very fitting given that our world offers us a feast of new multimedia on a consistent basis. Popular entertainment is now everywhere, and it never stops. Like no century before us, we are submerged into media. This digital, eye and image-focused reality poses significant challenges for parents, church leaders, pastors, youth leaders—anyone facing the inundation of media competing for the attention of the people that we love and are trying to serve. So how do we lead deeper into the faith those who are easily distracted and influenced by the spectacle?
This time that we live in has often been referred to as “the age of spectacle,” which seems very fitting given that our world offers us a feast of new multimedia on a consistent basis. Popular entertainment is now everywhere, and it never stops. Like no century before us, we are submerged into media. This digital, eye and image-focused reality poses significant challenges for parents, church leaders, pastors, youth leaders—anyone facing the inundation of media competing for the attention of the people that we love and are trying to serve. So how do we lead deeper into the faith those who are easily distracted and influenced by the spectacle?
Written by and posted with permission from several of our members, the music below can be downloaded and used in divine services or for moments of personal worship and devotion. Please note, however, that these songs may not be recorded or distributed without permission from the individual copyright holders. For more information, or to seek permission for recording or distribution, please email Music_Worship@NAC-USA.org.
The accompaniment tracks and lead sheets below have been created and made available to support congregational singing. We realize that some congregations do not have a regular accompanist, so it is our hope that these resources will be especially helpful to these congregations. They can also be used to support choir and solo singing.
The accompaniment tracks can be downloaded and played by connecting a device to external speakers, or by utilizing an existing speaker system. Many of the piano accompaniment tracks include introductions and interludes between verses, so the purpose of the lead sheets is to help the congregation follow along. They can be downloaded, printed, and distributed to the congregation where needed and/or used by the person leading the congregation in song. Note that guitar chords are also provided for a few of the hymns. All of these resources are also included on the individual hymn pages under Resources/Music/NAC Hymnal.
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When we first launched the new Music Companion website, we included an article on the site that provided important information regarding CCLI (“Christian Copyright Licensing International”). Since then, many of our congregations have requested and obtained a CCLI copyright license. In fact, almost 60 congregations in the USA district now have this license.
There has been some question, however, over whether or not each congregation that currently has a license actually needs the license. Given this, we wanted to take a moment to clarify the reasons why a CCLI copyright license would be needed.
Our children and youth are both the present and the future. The Lord Jesus made the importance of children clear when He brought a child into the midst of His disciples and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matthew 18:1-5).
Christ shows us here that we need to see our children as important today, not only ten, twenty, or thirty years from now.
Who is CCLI?
CCLI stands for "Christian Copyright Licensing International," and is an organization that enables real-time access to licensed Christian music and media while easing the burden of administration in the many complex issues related to copyright. They provide churches, organizations, and schools with the resources for rehearsing, performing and displaying the most inspiring audio and video, while at the same time, simplifying the costly administrative work involved in copyright licensing. In doing so, they honor the artists, labels, and studios who create and own this work by ensuring fair use receives fair compensation.
CCLI helps churches such as ours honor copyright law and the creative people who author these valuable works.
What does the CCLI license cover?
We wanted to take a moment to address the posting of copyrighted music to YouTube.
Please note that it is illegal for any of our congregations or members to post any music on YouTube that is under copyright without permission from the copyright holder(s). This also includes arrangements of copyrighted music. In order for copyrighted music to be posted on YouTube, permission must be secured from those who own the copyright, which can be a lengthy and often expensive process. For this reason, if music from our services and programs is posted to YouTube, it must be public domain music.
Our liturgy wonderfully summarizes the beauty and significance of the divine service: The divine service is an anticipated experience of the future fellowship with the Triune God to which we have been called through the rebirth, and is the focal point of the life in the congregation. Each time we gather in Jesus’ name and draw close to Him (and each other) through word and sacrament, we experience a foretaste of the kingdom of God. Together, we catch a glimpse of His overwhelming glory. It’s in the divine service that we see God most clearly, and that we experience His presence and love most directly.
Just as the divine service is the focal point of the life in the congregation, Holy Communion is the focal point of the divine service.
