The Bridge in Plain Text
Issue To Be Used Any Time After
Oct. 1, 2006
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The Bridge
A monthly publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
Connecting the congregational, synodical, and churchwide expressions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Singing in the Church
All God’s people have sung
throughout recorded history. The Israelites sang after their deliverance
from Egypt. David sang in time of trouble and rejoicing. Mary and Simeon
sang songs of thanksgiving. John, on the island of Patmos, heard the
glorious songs of the angels in his vision. As Paul Westermeyer has said,
"The story is a song to be sung" (Westermeyer, p. 34).
Music serves both a mnemonic
and communal purpose. Music helps people who sing together remember their
story, and the repeated memory of that common story binds together members
of the group. Music helps people become one in identity and purpose. Because
of music's ability to form the community, it has been a vital part of the
Christian church over the centuries.
Music is God's creation. It is
a gift to God's people to use in praise and adoration and in prayer. In
Luther's words, music "comes from the sphere of miraculous audible things,
just like the Word of God. The Spirit sees nothing but God's benefits in the
world and therefore begins to sing" (Schalk, p. 35). Music communicates and
expresses faith in ways beyond mere words. For Luther, music was a practical
art closely tied to theology, to be used in the praise of God and in the
proclamation of the Gospel. When music is cultivated at the highest levels
of artistic excellence, the perfect goodness and wisdom of God are displayed
through the gift. That our Lord accepts even the humblest of our musical
gifts does not excuse musicians from always aspiring to grow in ability.
Seeing music as a gift from God provides the foundation for our
understanding of the role of music in worship.
Within the context of the
historical liturgy, music functions not as an ornament or entertainment, but
rather as an integral part of the liturgy, carrying prayer and praise and
illuminating the proclamation of the Word. The music of the liturgy invites
all–congregation, choir, instrumentalists and pastors–to participate.
Because each group is a part of the whole, each has its own role as it takes
a turn leading prayer and praise with the entire assembly. Music's most
important function is to illuminate the text that allows us to see Christ
and the action of God in our lives. Music that overshadows the text and
draws attention to itself violates its purpose. The music that we sing
should help us make common things holy, link our faith to the communal life
of the assembly, and move us to embrace the church at all times and in all
places. For that reason, our music is both old and new, familiar and
unfamiliar, and of many styles and ethnic roots. Effective music in worship
is varied but the best that each genre has to offer.
Exerpt from “Music in
Liturgy,” ELCA. To read the full article, go to www.elca.org/worship/faq/music/liturgical_music.html
Resources
-
Halter, Carl, and Carl
Schalk, ed. A Handbook of Church Music. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1978.
-
Schalk, Carl. Luther on
Music: Paradigms of Praise. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988.
Copyright © 2003
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Revised December 2002
Monthly Bible Verse
We are a synod joined in Bible study. This Bible verse was selected by
Harold Usgaard, bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, for everyone in
the synod to study.
“Worship the Lord
with gladness; come into his presence with singing.” Psalm
100:2
About Our Synod
The Southeastern Minnesota Synod is a faith community of 130,000 baptized
people in 184 congregations as well as related institutions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its geographic area includes
15 counties in the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
The Bridge is a monthly
publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. For more information,
contact the synod office:
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
1001 14th St. NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551
(507) 280-9457
www.semnsynod.org
This issue is designed to be
used any time after October 1, 2006.
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