Music in Worship - Part II

Wow! I just arrived home from a truly wonderful, musical, worshipful day … it was called a Retreat in Song and Sacrament, held Friday, June 26, 2009 at Broadway Presbyterian Church in New York City. Broadway PC almost seems part of the Columbia University campus. The flyer advertizing the event read, “All are invited to be a part of a spiritually enriching workshop about new ways to worship with music.” The retreat was lead by Professor Patrick Evans, Associate Professor in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School and Artist-in-Residence at Broadway Presbyterian Church. Spiritually enriching it was. Anyone, regardless of music talent, knowledge or experience would have had a joyful time.

Patrick (Professor Evans) had us singing Christian music from all over the world. We sang in two part, three part, four part and six part harmonies. We sang in rounds and we mostly sang without accompaniment or music in front of us. We didn’t sit according to bass, tenor, alto and soprano. It was beautiful. I’ve been singing in the choir for most of my adult life and I’ve learned more about singing in the last three years than I did the first forty. I certainly learned a lot yesterday at Broadway PC.

For Presbyterians who feel that Presbyterian hymns from the Presbyterian Hymnal are all we should sing, Patrick read from the Book of Order, W-2.2008, which talks about other forms of proclamation. We read, “Drama and dance, poetry and pageant, indeed, most other human art forms are also expressions through which the people of God have proclaimed and responded to the Word.” I would urge you to look it up and read it for yourself. He also read from W-1.2005, regarding authentic and appropriate language. Read both of these to the worship committee of your church. The Book of Order doesn’t limit our worship to a narrow corridor of music, language, expression. Generally, whatever we think is Presbyterian is usually whatever we grew up with in our local church. If there was liturgical dance in your Presbyterian church then liturgical dance was Presbyterian and if there wasn’t then how dare they bring that into the church. Of course, not everyone agrees with everything in the Book of Order. Some local churches purposely did things different in order to distinguish themselves from other denominations in town or the church across the street.

We sang songs from South Africa, Brazil, Pakistan, Ghana, the Iona Community, Peru, Korea, Argentina, America and other parts of the world. We sang in English, Spanish, Korean, and Zulu. We sang African American Spirituals, some classical songs, some of just about everything spiritually musical.

During the retreat Patrick had us all hum the same note. Then he had us put our fingers in our ears for a few moments and take them out again. He asked us what we felt with the fingers in our ears and with them out. With our fingers out, we felt joined together. With our fingers in, we felt separated … alone. Music joins us together when we are singing or dancing to the same music. Singing together, we actually touch each other. We are one. He talked about how much better it is when we sing facing each other as in Sacred Harp Singing as opposed to singing in church where we sing to the back of someone’s head while someone else sings to the back of out. Patrick suggested that everyone can and should sing. Sadly, there are those who come to worship every Sunday and don’t sing. They are missing out on a significant part of the worship experience. “Give up the idea that your voice is less than the voice of an angel. Sing to the Lord a new song.”

There was a large variety of music resources, from the African American Heritage Hymnal to Lutheran Book of Worship to the Presbyterian Hymnal to references from the Iona Community to Sacred Harp Singing. All are appropriate for worship in the Presbyterian Church … in any church of Jesus Christ for that matter. Personally, I think every Christian should worship at two or three other churches during the year. Participate in the worship and focus on what you have in common.

Recently, PBS presented a program called, “Music Instinct: Science & Song.” Except for the science part, it was remarkably similar in many ways to what we experienced first hand at Broadway Presbyterian Church.

We ended the day celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion which also included a lot of music. What I have just read from me doesn’t do the event justice. You had to be there. You really had to be there! I met new friends and renewed old friendships. Broadway’s Pastor, The Reverend Krystin Granberg, promised this or a similar retreat will be presented again. Stay tuned. <>