Musical and Social Meaning… Part 7

Musical and Social Meaning… Part 7

Because of this phenomenon, the onus probandi of how and what one musics unto God in the presence of others is placed squarely on the shoulders of the worship leader.  Ministers of music who lead music in worship are responsible for what the music ultimately has the power to do to the whole life of the listener.  Luke 17: 1-2 reminds us all of Jesus’ warning, “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”  It is foreign to many worship leaders in this century that what and how one musics in the context of public worship has the power to be spiritually offensive and to do damage to the worshiper and therefore can actually be responsible for the debauchment of public worship.  There is no doubt about it, we are constantly bombarded with social and spiritual offences caused by musicing, but these offences should never be caused by a musicer who is a Christian.

          As I have often said, “No worship leader musics to himself (in an artistic esoteric bubble) because it is impossible to do so in the context of public worship.” When one takes a careful look at Ephesians 5:19 it is very clear that as early as the time of St. Paul’s inspired letter to the Ephesians, the philosophical belief existed that all public sacred musicing should be done in community i.e. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” Also, Colossians 3:16 attests to the necessity of our worship musicing being done in community when it states, “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.