Sacred Music Should Be Worthwhile Music-Part 4

Sacred Music Should Be Worthwhile Music-Part 4   

       Now let us discuss the word “rich”.  The dictionary defines one facet of the meaning of rich as being vivid, deep, and intense.  Banal religious music should be something that we, as musicians, should intensely dislike and avoid.  Philosophically, sacred musicing should never be a commonplace act of worship. Church musicians must realize that there is nothing commonplace about worshiping the blessed Trinity with music.  If we have had a fresh vision of our God as being “high and lifted up”, (see the sixth chapter of Isaiah) our musicing will demand “Vividness”. 

       The Hebrew word ruwa (7321), mentioned several times in the Book of Psalms, expresses shouting joyfully unto Jehovah.  This word connotes the necessity of great vividness when we music unto our God. Colossians 3:16 tells Christian musicians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto the Lord.” 

       Notice the term richly.  The word plousious (4146) means abounding in richness or may I say vividness of presentation.  The word plousious also connotes being crammed full which in this verse means to be completely saturated with the Word of Christ.  Again, the concept of vividness is included in this word’s contextual meaning since being crammed full of God’s Word will cause a Christian’s musicing to be expressed more vividly.  One thing made clear by this Bible discourse in the Epistle of Paul to the Christians at Colossae is that rich or vivid musicing is essential to efficacious musical worship.