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At this site, we will explore the variety of music available for services and you will have a chance to try your hand at selecting music for different settings. But before we jump in, a little background regarding my philosophy of authentic worship may be helpful.
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Authentic Worship
Reflections by K.S. Morrison, Music Director
It is the nature of people as a whole to reach for something beyond the human experience that can give a sense of order to the process of living. This innate yearning toward something beyond us is the genesis of religion, but religion itself is a purely human concoction. Worship is not defined as those activities within religion that are designed by humans to bring us closer to the divine. Properly speaking, worship is a natural state of longing and the expression of reverent awe for the divine. This state can occur in church, temple, or mosque, but it more often is recognizable in everyday situations.
One day I was caught in a traffic jam when I was already late for work. Looking impatiently at the endless line of cars to the east, I saw the sun gilding the trees as it rose. Noticing the halo above the trees, time seemed to stand still.
In Judaism, there is a prayer for almost every common occurrence (such as a sunrise) that is to be said at such times. This prayer serves as a trigger to prolong the worship experience of seeing something that brings on a feeling of awe. But the prayer is not worship; authentic worship is a response to the natural and often unexpected event.
The job of the church as an institution is not to provide a worship experience for the congregants. It is, instead, to provide a space wherein worship may be shared.
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The Role of Music
It follows that if the job of the church is to provide a space for the sharing of worship then the job of music is to provide one aspect of this space. The selection of color scheme for the physical space -- walls, carpet, upholstery, kneelers, etc. -- is an admittedly difficult choice. Choosing the layout and furnishings for the room is even more difficult. And these things are not in any way dictated by liturgical convention. Altar cloths and accoutrements must be selected according to guidelines established by custom, history, and ecclesiatical authority. Rather than making this easier, these dictates can make appropriate selection even more crucial. We want these things to reflect the personality of our specific church community, but we also want to be sure to comply with dictates.
Choosing music for a service is much like choosing altar cloths. There are certain guidelines within which we operate. Within those strictures there are many choices that help personalize the experience for a particular congregation. But although individual taste has a bearing, it is not the sole deciding factor. Some congregants prefer the taste of a dry wine, some prefer sweet, and some prefer juice. Personally, I prefer the taste of soft drinks. But Diet Coke would be a most unusual choice for sacramental wine. I would find this most unsuitable; even though I don't like the taste of wine, I recognize its value in the sacrament of Holy Communion. With this in mind, we are ready to delve into the sometimes mysterious process of choosing music in worship.
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