Worship Dialogue

In our worship you are likely to hear our worship leaders say things unique to Christian worship and to our congregation. Some may sound a little dated or passé, but these connect us in a unique way with our spiritual ancestors and with Christians around the world. In FirstLight we try to project everything someone in the congregation needs in order to participate in worship; in our 11 AM service we try to get everything in print in the Guide to Worship. These elements happen so fast and often so spontaneously that we felt the need to give a brief description here. Below are a couple of possibilities, with suggestions for how to respond to them.

Following a Bible reading, the reader might say something like, “The word of the Lord.” A good response to this is a hearty, “Thanks be to God!” On some special occasions you may hear after a reading from one of the gospels, “The gospel of our Lord.” The response to that is, “Praise be to you, Lord Christ.” The exact wording is not as important as the listener giving their assent to what they have heard.

At almost any moment you may hear “The Lord be with you.” The customary response is, “And also with you.” What follows may be a prayer or simply an announcement. A friend once called this exchange the “holy attention-getter!” (Actually Debi T. called it the "holy shut-up," but that was in the context of dealing with 170 second- third-, fourth and fifth-graders at summer music camp!!) Another friend described her experience of trying, while eating, to mumble her response, in “mid-munch.” Finish your bite or sip if it comes to that! There's no such thing as a "holy spew!"

At almost any time one of the leaders may say, “Praise the Lord!” The best response to that is a loud, “Amen!” Learn to do that on a dime, and your evangelical and charismatic church-y friends will be amazed!

We've not tried this one at BMPCNC, but it's common in African-American congregations:
Leader: God is good.
Everyone: All the time.
Leader: All the time.
Everyone: God is good.
I've been tempted to try that with our congregation, and may yet. But if ever find yourself at worship with African-Americans, you're liable to hear that exchange.

When passing the peace, greeting each other, one person may say something like, “The peace of Christ be with you.” The other person responds with something along the lines of, “And also with you.” Handshakes and hugs are very common with this exchange, but are certainly not required.

Your involvement in our worship is vital; it’s what makes worship come alive. Your worship leaders hope these tips will help you feel more at ease with what takes place during worship, and enable you to participate to the fullest.

Lenten Observance: Alleluia

For years I have, as musician, followed the tradition of suspending or at least reducing use of the word "alleluia" in worship music during the season of Lent. No one generally except perhaps the choristers knew it was happening. However, during Lent the congregational songs and the choral music did not include the word "alleluia" at least in its most festive expression. It would return with renewed vigor on Easter Day.

It's certainly not a part of Presbyterian tradition nor even of the larger Reformed tradition. However, this suspension of the use of "alleluia" does connect us with parts of the larger Christian tradition and can deepen our appreciation of the nature of the Lenten season.

There are a couple of links ( here and here) that give great detail about the history of the liturgical act of suspending "alleluias" during Lent. From the United Methodist and Lutheran traditions these can be helpful for us Presbyterians to understand this aspect of our worship in the upcoming season.

This Sunday in our worship, there will be many "alleluias" said and sung. With the help of our children, we'll pack them away near the end of the service. We'll have some home-made banners and a box to help us pack away the alleluias. They'll be back at Easter!

Worship Music 27 January 2008

This week in worship we will be lifting up our Stephen Ministers. Those folks have designed the whole liturgy with an emphasis on the ministry of care-giving in our congregation and beyond.

Music at FirstLight will include “He knows my name;” the traditional hymn “Be thou my vision;” “Purify my heart;” “We fall down;” and “You are worthy of my praise.” Our closing song will be Dan Schutte’s “Here I am Lord.” The Prophets will sing an arrangement of the spiritual “I have decided to follow Jesus.”

Music at 11 AM will include congregational songs “Be thou my vision,” (SLANE); “Amazing grace,” (NEW BRITAIN) and “Here I am, Lord” (HERE I AM). The choir will be singing a new song by prolific collaborators Mary Ann Keithan and John Horman, “There is a need for shepherds in this place;” this song is found in their collection “Come Away With Me.” Organ music will include Mendelssohn’s “Prelude and Fugue in G” and Healy Willan’s setting of “Slane.”

Music for worship 1/20/08

FirstLight worship will include a liturgical dance choreographed by two high school students, Caroline P. and Kelly P. Dancing as part of our prayer time, they have set “Prayer for a friend” as performed by Casting Crowns. Learn more: under the album "The Altar and the Door," click on the song title to read more about the song. Home on Christmas break one more morning, we were able to tap the talents of Lauren P. to sing at the offering “Do they see Jesus in me” written by Joy Williams, from her self-titled album .

Worship at 11 AM will be special in that we are hosting the congregation from Montreat PC(USA) this Sunday. That congregation will be sharing liturgical leadership as well as music leadership. Members of their choir will join our choir in the anthem, and their music leader (and all-around go-getter) Margaret N. will perform a piano-organ duet with Mike Barker. This piece is a new work by Joel Raney, a stirring medley of familiar hymns. The choir anthem will be Claude Bass’s (b. 1935) classic “Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts.” The text has been around for centuries and here receives an incredibly lush treatment, reminiscent of Gabriel Faure in its harmonies.

Organist Concert

Many talented musicians have led the music ministry at BMPCNC over the years. On Sunday afternoon March 2 at 430 PM we will bring a few of them together for an afternoon of organ music! Scheduled to appear are Vince (Ted) Crist (who helped secure the purchase of the Reuter instrument in 1980), Sharon Carleton Boone, Carla Sperry, Noah W. Allen, III, and Michael Barker. Each organist will perform a segment of music of their choosing. This promises to be a wonderful afternoon of music, performed by dear friends of our congregation. Keep checking back: I'm going to try to post pictures of everyone involved utilizing some finely preserved archival photos! I'll also be posting repertoire in this space. Mary Kells, another of our musicians was scheduled to appear but has had to withdraw due to some family matters in Florida. Though you can hear her play Celtic harp this week at TNL, we'll have to get her another time at the organ!

Music Scholar Ministry

The Music Ministry received endorsement recently to implement a Music Scholars Ministry. The Music Scholars Ministry of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church seeks to glorify God by reinforcing the music ministry for corporate worship. Specifically this ministry seeks to engage local college students to be members of the Chancel Choir or contemporary music ensemble, Prophets of Praise, during academic terms and compensate those students with funds deposited directly to their college accounts for the payment of tuition, fees, room and board. Funding for this new initiative in 2008 is coming from the Imagination Fund and Imagination Matching Fund.

At the beginning of each semester a team appointed by the music director will publicize the scholar ministry and interview interested students. They will then recommend a group of as many as five students, one each Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass to be part of the chancel choir and a fifth instrumentalist or singer to be part of the contemporary music ensemble. The music director will interview each student directly and in consultation with the Worship and Music Ministry make final decisions and report those to the Session. Once selected, students will be contractually bound to certain performance requirements including rehearsal and Sunday worship participation. Upon completion of the term of service, funds will be directed to the appropriate department at the student’s college to pay that semester’s expenses. Funds will not be paid directly to the student.

The Music Scholar Ministry has several benefits for both student and our church:

-- Fosters good relations with local institutions of higher learning.
-- Adds depth to the volunteer personnel participating in our music ensembles
-- Assists student in a very tangible way
-- Allows students to hone musical skills in the context of a vital and vigorous music ministry
-- Fosters inter-generational relationships
-- Helps the church maintain its standards of high quality music presentation for worship and
special events

With Heart and Voice: it's not about the song

I read this article at the end of the year. It says so well so much of what I am about in music ministry that I have reprinted the whole thing here. Several folks at church subscribe to The Christian Century, so I know others have already seen this. But it says just the right things on many levels. Please enjoy the whole article, and visit the Century or their blog, Theolog

by Lisa Lynne Mathis
Never mind all the times I'd heard the hymn sung by a congregation, or by a children's choir, or as a solo during communion—this time it was as if I was hearing "They'll Know We Are Christians" for the first time. The singer stood absolutely still, her eyes closed, her head tilted back. With open-hearted simplicity she crafted each phrase as if she were proclaiming an essential, God-given message. She did not perform the song but gave it as an offering, a gift, as if the song were an extension of her innermost thoughts. I noticed several worshipers nodding their heads yes with their eyes closed. Some worshipers were bent over in prayer, and a few were rocking to the music. There was no sound other than the singer's voice, yet on a sticky summer night an eclectic, diverse bunch of people were one in the Spirit.

Whether the woman had sung the song in a Baptist church in rural Arkansas, an Episcopal church in Boston, a Presbyterian church in Ohio, or an evangelical megachurch in Southern California, the impact would have been the same. When a selection of vocal music comes from a place of spiritual maturity, when it has a lyrical integrity and flows naturally within the liturgy of the worship, the music becomes a vehicle for the Holy Spirit. At that point all denominational and stylistic differences are transcended. Generations come together. Culture clashes are quieted, distrust and resentment dissipate as God uses music to bridge cultural divides.

Music is the glue of a service. From prelude to postlude, usually eight to ten different pieces of music are woven throughout the service liturgy. Music serves multiple purposes in worship; it says what words alone cannot. Music is prayer, praise, lament. Music brings scripture alive, encourages meditation, substantiates the heart of a sermon, brings us into focus and invokes the presence of the Holy Spirit. No wonder contention, disagreement and polarization surround the subject of music in worship.

We music directors stumble time and time again over the age-old conflicts because we are defined musically by our own upbringing, confined by the tastes of the senior minister of our church, and often restricted by the narrow parameters set by elders and lay leaders. We are still stuck in our trenches in the worship-music battle: Old Guard "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" vs. New Guard "Never Lose the Wonder"; Old Guard "How Great Thou Art" vs. New Guard "Here I Am to Worship"; Old Guard "Wade in the Water" vs. New Guard "Total Praise." We fixate on a particular genre of music and then clamp down, becoming entrenched in the music culture that best fits our personal preferences and musical tastes.

This warfare has led to organs no longer being placed in new churches—and fewer people knowing how to play the organ. The classically trained music directors who were raised on the Widor Toccata, who long for singers capable of handling Palestrina and Byrd and the opportunity to perform a Bach choral work, are understandably irate and panicked. They feel as if they are outnumbered by proponents of saccharine, theologically reductionist pop praise songs performed on synthesizer keyboards or by rock bands performing concert-style.

That perspective, of course, is matched by the disgust of churchgoers who are desperate for spiritual connection but haven't been raised on traditional sacred music. These people are weary of the same old hymns being plunked out on an out-of-tune piano and droned through by the person sitting behind them. They ache for someplace where they can belong and where God can be relevant to their life.

The struggle is no longer between historic stone chapels in town squares and the megachurches next to shopping malls. The changing tide of music in worship is touching almost every church in the nation.

Both camps stand on solid ground. Some contemporary Christian music is emotionally manipulative, poorly crafted and lyrically simplistic; and some contemporary music is thoughtful, provocative and easier to sing than older hymns. Some traditional music is powerful and timeless; and some of it is tired and clichéd and sung because it's always been sung. What I've learned, after years of leading and singing worship music in many worship contexts, is that it's not about the song itself nearly as much as we think it is. It's about whether the song invites the Spirit into the sanctuary.

I was raised singing traditional classical music in a large urban Methodist church. I developed a more personal relationship with God through Jesus while singing clappy praise songs in an L.A. Baptist church. I sang classical music at a historic Presbyterian church, then moved to New York and fell in love with gospel music. To further complicate the situation, I am currently a music director of a contemporary worship service, a member of an inner-city gospel praise team and a recording artist.

What I've learned from working in all these different contexts is that it's not the music style or genre that determines a song's effectiveness but its delivery, lyrical content and liturgical placement. The style of the song is irrelevant.

How a song is offered minimizes and often dissolves the issue of genre. When the singer sings with authenticity, vulnerability and deep faith, everyone in the sanctuary recognizes it. Often an insecure and ego-hungry soprano, insisting on her moment in the sun, screeches out a favorite aria, her eyes scanning the congregation as she looks for affirmation. Often a praise team is crowded with frustrated leads from high school musicals past who belt out their favorite praise song without regard for congregational participation, let alone accurate harmony. And too often, college kids who volunteer to play in the praise band are psyched to crank up the distortion on their guitars and release their teenage angst into the sanctuary.

In these situations, music performed in worship becomes all about the self; "my moment" in the service, "my ministry." Singers in particular often perform music in church for all the wrong reasons. We singers are profoundly transparent when we stand before God and before a congregation. We too easily forget that it is a privilege and profound responsibility to be a vehicle through which God can minister. No one will believe a word of what we are singing if our motives are self-serving.

I am not talking about ability or talent. I have heard Metropolitan Opera soloists knock the living daylights out of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," with every note in flawless tune, yet not be singing from that vulnerable faith place. I have heard famous gospel singers scream out "Go Tell It on the Mountain" until I want to run from the sanctuary and not tell a single soul that Jesus Christ is born.

Many times it's the slightly underpitch singer with an untrained ear who can bring a song into worship that surprises the whole church family. When a woman who has suffered, who has been on the prayer list a lot, who is walking each day in faith just to survive, stands before a congregation and sings "Jesus Loves Me," it is immediately clear that this song is coming from a place that is raw and real and that she is a vessel through which God is bringing a blessing. So she misses the high note—big deal. Members of the congregation hum that song all week long and remember her standing there, remember the way it felt to experience the power of her music and the presence of God in the moment.

Another crucial component of worshipful music is what the music says lyrically. A modern setting of an ancient hymn can be healing because worshipers raised on the traditional hymns feel valued, while younger generations hear the timeless melodies and the poetic language and feel that the song is meant for them too. The rock group Jars of Clay has a fantastic rendition of "It Is Well with My Soul" (and an album of hymns called Redemption), and Tim Hughes, a powerful force in contemporary Christian music, brought "When I Survey" into amphitheaters around the world with his version, "The Wonderful Cross." In both cases, the lyric of the hymn is clear and delivered with raw intensity, and the timeless melody of the hymn is set to a fresh arrangement—uncomfortable for a Bach lover but accessible to a 19-year-old who'd rather be anywhere other than in church with Mom.

Praise songs struggle to maintain lyrical integrity, and frequently they fail miserably. "Shine, Jesus, Shine" is on my list of cringe-worthy praise songs. While I appreciate the understanding of Jesus as the light of the world, shining his light onto the darkness in our hearts and in our world, the cumbersome, self-centered lyric doesn't align with the choppy, unsettling chord structure; the resulting awkwardness never ceases to frustrate me.

The placement of vocal music in the order of worship is important too. Traditional liturgies allow for very specific, deliberate placements of music. But more and more, particularly in evangelical churches, one finds a cluster of songs all lumped together toward the beginning and another cluster at the end. There's nearly always music during the offering too—music that's only 50 percent experienced because of all the activity of plates being passed and ushers moving through the aisles. By the time the congregant begins to focus on the song it's nearly done, the climactic moment having been diminished by the sound of a person nearby tearing a check out of a checkbook. I resist the notion of music being filler during an action of worship, yet I also see the value of maintaining a flow to the service. Music during communion, on the other hand, is usually powerful, meditative and centering for me spiritually.

One of the most essential song placements is for the music that sets the stage for the theological premise of the message, which includes the selected scripture. Whether it's congregational or a solo, that song can make all the difference in meaningful worship; it can bring the congregation into a place of concentration and set the minister up beautifully for the sermon. It can also be a total diversion from the intent of the message. The music in that moment can break the spirit, the flow, the mystery in the worship. Careful planning, good communication between ministers and musicians, prayer together and rehearsal of the flow of the worship are key.

I am humbled by what I learn in each worship service I participate in, whether in rural Maryland or inner-city Philadelphia. Recently I sang in a cathedral in New York. Two thousand people were probably expecting Mendelssohn, but I chose a piece by Christian singer/ songwriter Nichole Nordeman called "Every Season." It's a beautiful song, poetic but very modern musically. I took a chance. I'm sure a few folks didn't care much for it. But it was absolutely still in the sanctuary when I finished, and I'm hoping that I got out of God's way and let the beauty of the text be a sung prayer.

Every church has something unique and important to offer and is a part of the body, as we read in the 1 Corinthians 12 passages about spiritual gifts and the parts of the body working together, each with its own unique gifting. Are we brave enough to make ourselves available to be surprised and moved by a song that's "not our style"? Can we allow ourselves to be taken out of our comfort zones and brought into the presence of the Holy Spirit.


Lisa Lynne Mathis sings at Riverside Church in New York City and is the music director of Presence, a contemorary worship service in White Plains, New York. Her latest CD is Hancock Place (Garagista Music).

Copyright 2007 CHRISTIAN CENTURY. Reproduced by permission from the (December 25, 2007 issue of the CHRISTIAN CENTURY. Subscriptions: $49/year from P.O. Box 378, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. 1-800-208-4097

The bells! The bells!

Our Christmas Eve family service was a riot of tinkling, clanging bells! For those who forgot to bring bells from home, there were plenty available at the doors. These we rang during selected carols during the service, though there was a pretty constant murmur of bells (if you can call it that) throughout the entire service. Here are some photos taken after worship. Most of the Aerie Singers bolted rather than get photographed, so there are only four of them posing, instead of the 14 who were actually there. Something about needing to get home and get ready to got to bed and await Santa, or something like that! During Advent we had characters from the Bible light the Advent candles. For Christmas Eve, the characters were Mary and Joseph, describing their impressions of the birth of Jesus. Lauren Patton and Patrick Massey did a great job and managed to project above the din to deliver a nice message and light the Christ Candle in the wreath. Merry Christmas!

Welcome, Karen!

This is a special shout out to our new interim pastor, Karen Haak. We're mighty glad you're here! Welcome to Black Mountain! Cold enough for ya??!!

Worship Music 6 January 2008

This year Epiphany (January 6) falls on a Sunday, a nice opportunity to really let appropriate themes pervade the music and liturgy. This is the date traditionally related to the arrival of the magi to the Christ Child to offer their gifts. In many cultures Epiphany is the “bigger” celebration and the customary day for gift-giving: the gifts the magi offered Jesus are represented in the gifts we offer to one another. The span of twelve days between Christmas Day and Epiphany is what gave rise to the popular Christmas song “The twelve days of Christmas.” In some customs one serves a King Cake at Epiphany, either on the day of or on the night before. The King Cake has morphed in a couple of directions: it’s a part of Mardi Gras celebrations in some locales, and some Christmas celebrations include a “Jesus Cake.” All of these hearken to the King Cake as it was related to Epiphany. Musically speaking, songs related to the arrival of the Magi are appropriate, and also songs about the star which guided them from the East. Inasmuch as the magi offered their adoration and gifts to Jesus, I find it appropriate in the context of contemporary worship to sing songs of intense devotion to Jesus on this date.

FirstLight will begin this week with Laurie Klein’s classic “I love you, Lord.” We will follow that with the ever-popular “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” We will sing “Alleluia we are forgiven” at the time of confession. It being communion this week, the Prophets of Praise will sing the chorus, “Commune with me” at the offering. Our closing song will be “The First Noel.” This carol tells in poetic form of the appearance of the star to the shepherds, and the arrival of the magi at the manger to offer their gifts.

In addition to the aforementioned themes for this day, at 11 AM we will add one more: ¡ritmo! The choir will be singing Dave Brubeck’s “God’s love made visible” from his jazz cantata “La Fiesta de las Posadas.” Las Posadas is an Hispanic manner of celebrating Christmas, involving the search by Mary and Joseph to find a place for Jesus to be born. Brubeck’s song is in the odd-feeling 5/4 meter. Remember Brubeck’s famous hit “Take Five”? There you go! Even though it’s in 5, try not to tap your fingers or toes while you hear this song! (Betcha can't!) The words by Iola Brubeck help one understand the meaning of the birth of Jesus and it’s implications for the whole of creation. Here's a preview of a December performance in Yakima, WA; no specific mention of "God's love..." but you can get an idea of what others think of the complete cantata; and here's the composer's take on his music, at the publisher's website.

The adult handbell ensemble has been working for months on a nifty setting of “De tierra lejana venimos” (“From a distant home”). This Puerto Rican song tells the story of the magi with a distinctive Latino accent. Arranged by Michael Helman, the handbell piece employs the bells, plus chimes, and utilizes several specialized ringing techniques! The coolest has to be the “rolled bells” at the beginning; very, very cool! The choir will sing a stanza of this carol as the introit this week. We will be using the familiar Greatorex “Gloria patri,” and Marty Haugen’s “Three-fold amen” as our other service music. Congregational song will include “Arise, your light has come” (Festal Song) and “The First Noel” (The First Noel). Normally there are three congregational songs, but we dropped one this week in light of other liturgical activity that will be taking place. (The middle hymn was going to be “Become to us the living bread” (O filii et filiae); hence the offertory music on the tune by D’Andrieu.) The organ postlude will be my (Mike Barker’s) setting of the tune “Kings of Orient.” When I sent a complimentary copy to my first piano teacher after the piece was published, Betty wrote back asking if I was really serious about the tempo indication (quarter note = 144). “Of course,” I replied, “the magi were in a hurry to get there!”