John Leach, a long-time Grove author, has just written a new title in the Worship series with his son Paul. It explores the often-neglected question of who am I as a worship leader—what persona do I project, have I reflected on that, and is it helpful? I interviewed John about it, and the interview is embedded below. Here I offer the early chapters from the booklet, which you can find at the Grove website here.
Introduction
This is not a book about how to lead worship. It is about who leads worship. In his guide to worship leading Robert Hovda begins by stating that
a guidebook on presiding in liturgy cannot commence with the “practical” details of techniques and mechanics…These pages are concerned, first of all, with a spirit, a consciousness, an awareness.
Who am I as a worship leader, and why do I choose deliberately to be that person? Or do I choose deliberately? Have I ever even thought about it?
Perhaps it would be helpful first of all to define the term ‘worship leader,’ since it is commonly used in different ways. What this book has to say will be applicable to anyone who functions up front in a public worship setting, whether behind a lectern, altar/table, guitar or keyboard. It will particularly have much to say to preachers, and even to those who might from time to time lead intercessions or read Scripture. So the term ‘worship leader’ must not be limited to just one of these functions, or understood purely in terms of a liturgical or musical leader in church, and certainly not limited to ordained ministers.
Persona is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘The aspect of a person’s character that is displayed to or perceived by others.’ This is an interesting definition, as we shall see, but in this context it concerns how we come over when we are up front in a worship setting, and to what extent that is how we actually want to come over. For those of us who have been led in worship, perhaps for many years and by several different people, it is not difficult to identify a few different personas which we might have encountered. Do any of these sound familiar?
‘Welcome to worship on this glorious summer’s day!! God is good, all the time, and today it is such a tremendous privilege to be invited to meet with our wonderful God!!! Today is going to be so awesome, and I just know what a wonderful time of worship we’re all going to enjoy…’
‘Hello everyone! You’ll never guess what I did this morning! Before I came out I couldn’t find the cat anywhere! I looked high and low, and then I suddenly had a vague memory of something in the kitchen, and you’ll never guess—I’d put the cat in the microwave! What am I like? Anyway, let’s come to God in worship. Now where did I put that Banns book…?’
‘Good morning everyone—I hope you’ve had a better week than I have. I’ve really struggled these past few days, so I hope that I’ll manage to hold it together this morning as I lead you in worship. Please forgive me if anything goes wrong…’
‘The Lord be with you!…I didn’t hear that—let’s try it again, with enthusiasm. THE LORD BE WITH YOU!! Our first song has got some actions, so I want to see you all standing up and joining in! That includes you dads too—don’t try hiding behind the pillars! Everybody on your feet, hands in the air…’
‘Welcome to our service this morning, and well done for making it, unlike many others I could name who haven’t bothered, or who are off to the beach or something. Don’t know why I bother really, but we’d better get on with it. Hymn 276…’
‘We’re going to keep a period of silence before we move on, but don’t worry, it won’t be a long one…and now hymn no 237. I know not all of us will know this, as it’s new to us, but we’ll have a go and do our best…and now I’m afraid it’s time for our offering…’
You get the idea, and although these are, of course, caricatures, you may recognize some of them and may even have made up your own names for them—the Eternal Optimist, the Jaded Cynic, the Pantomime Animateur, the Apologist and so on. They are all personas adopted by worship leaders, consciously or unconsciously, and, in accordance with the definition above, they may be deliberately displayed to the congregation, or they may be perceived by them, sometimes without the leader realizing.
As I began to think about this subject, I realized that I had never read anything about how worship leaders come over, deliberately or accidentally, and I also realized that the area raised some important questions, theoretical, theological and personal. Is the adoption of a persona a good or bad thing, or is it just neutral? What is the relationship between persona and personality? Is it, as the OED suggests, just one aspect of personality? Are there any theoretical backgrounds or frameworks which might helpfully shed any light on these questions? And perhaps the biggest question: how do I come over as a worship leader? Is that how I want to come over? And how can I know how I come over? This links it to the whole issue of emotional intelligence, another area which is seldom discussed in worship-leading manuals, but which we will touch on shortly.
The Unexamined Persona
Why do we need to consider our persona when thinking about our worship leading? Could it even be manipulative to try to convey a crafted character? Dishonest, inauthentic perhaps? Perhaps the most helpful starting place for this conversation is a principle that I have previously taught many businesses, brands and individuals—that you already are conveying a persona, whetheryou mean to or not. Failing to examine or notice the persona that you portray is not the same as not portraying one—rather, you are portraying it by accident, and often with undesired outcomes. The art is applying conscious thought to persona to ensure that you are deliberate in what you convey.
Of course the ability to choose appropriate personas for different settings is a vitally important skill for anyone up front. It would be profoundly unhelpful to lead a vigil for those who were killed in yesterday’s riots in the city in the same way as one might lead a wedding. Even within funeral ministry there might be a great difference between leading a service for a teenage suicide and for an old saint who had gone peacefully to their reward at the age of 98. We do of course choose to behave in different and appropriate ways for different settings, and we do so consciously and deliberately. If you want to see this principle in action, just watch a TV newsreader who has to switch instantly. Having just reported on an earthquake somewhere which killed thousands of people, they turn to another camera and say, ‘Finally, a cat in Stockport has just passed his Grade Eight Bassoon with Distinction.’
In our regular weekly worship, though, it can be assumed that we need not think about this, and just behave normally. The problem is, though, that sometimes our personas can wear a bit thin. One of John’s lecturers at college presented a ‘poor me’ persona, and began every lecture with an apology about how difficult life had been for her. Initially this inspired sympathy, but after a while it lost this impact and just became annoying. Similarly the ‘harassed and helpless’ perpetually overworked persona eventually makes people want to say, ‘Sort your life out and plan your work better, for goodness’ sake!’ The weak jokes of the ‘loveable clown’ begin to inspire groans, and the compulsory joy of the ‘eternal optimist’ can simply anger those who are currently going through the mill.
Emotional Intelligence
An important piece of thinking here is that on emotional intelligence, often called EQ (as opposed to IQ). This emerged from work on ‘multiple intelligences’ by Howard Gardner who suggested that instead of defining intelligence merely in academic terms we should think of people as being intelligent in different ways, such as linguistically, mathematically, spatially, musically and so on.2 While Gardner initially identified eight different intelligences, other forms of intelligence are available, with two scholars, Danah Zohar and Ken O’Donnell, independently coining the term ‘spiritual intelligence’ in the same year.3 But Gardner’s work was most famously developed by Daniel Goleman in the direction of emotional intelligence, which is defined as ‘the ability both to manage your own emotions and to understand the emotions of people around you.’
You will probably have encountered the archetypal person of low emotional intelligence (whom we might well describe as needy) when they pinned you to the wall at a party and bored you stupid with a 20-minute monologue about the recent holiday in the Seychelles or somewhere, whilst completely failing to notice that you were frantically looking around for someone to rescue you, or even yawning. Had their emotional intelligence been higher they would have realized that a conversation, in order to be anywhere near interesting, should be a dialogue, and they would have been looking out for signs that you were desperate to escape. If as worship leaders we are boring people, embarrassing them or even annoying them, it would be useful to be able to perceive that so that we can stop it and behave more helpfully. There are all sorts of tests and information pages online concerning emotional intelligence, if you would like to know more about how you fare, and if you enjoy questionnaires. But you might well agree that when leading people into the presence of God we need to avoid as much as possible our own lack of ability in handling ourselves and them.
Persona and Personality
Personality has been described as the unique way in which someone is wired up, how they think, feel and behave, and although obviously we grow and change through life, it is pretty much a given. Two ways of looking at personality commonly used in Christian circles are the Enneagram and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), information about both of which are widely available online. Myers-Briggs aficionados talk in terms of how we prefer to function. Extraverts, for example, are much happier in the company of other people, from whom they gain energy, while introverts prefer others in small numbers and short doses, and will need some solitude in order to recharge their batteries. ‘Thinkers’ prefer to tackle problems with thought and logic, while ‘Feelers’ prefer to go much more with their emotions, and what they feel would be the right way to proceed. Of course we are not purely to be identified with any one of the 16 MBTI types, and the unique combination of our different preferences, and the degree to which we prefer them, makes us who we are, much as a sound engineer will create a unique mix with the set of sliders in front of her.
Persona is different, in that we can choose to show a particular way of behaving. Whilst personality is innate, persona is a projection of that personality, which we choose to highlight in how we present ourselves to others. Imagine yourself in an empty room with a light that you can move around you. The shadows on the wall change as the light moves, and you can choose where to set the light to get certain different shapes and characteristics to the shadow. Akin to the ‘Did you get my good side?’ question so often asked of photographers, we might think of it as which sides of ourselves we choose to put front and centre.
In that sense, the two will not always be completely unrelated: someone who is innately funny and amusing might choose in different circumstances to over- or under-promote that trait (indeed, that is a highly useful ability), but someone who does not have a well-developed sense of humour or fun will struggle to play the clown, and will be unconvincing if they try.
We are aware, of course, that some people and some Christians find any kind of personality typing unhelpful or even dangerous. That is why MBTI uses the term ‘prefers.’ We both may prefer curry to salad, but that preference does not define us, and of course we can eat salad if the occasion demands, hopefully rarely. Some may prefer curry to salad very strongly, while others only just. So personality typing is not about pigeon-holing people; it is about helping them to understand more closely how they like to live. Others find the ances- try of some psychological thinking disturbing, for example Jung’s links with Hinduism and mythology. This is felt to invalidate it, and presumably also invalidates anything without an impeccable Christian pedigree, although we note that such Christians rarely have such antipathy towards non-Christians in other disciplines, such as doctors or dentists. But for both of us, it has been very helpful to learn from the insights of modern psychology, even if at times a careful discernment is required.
The booklet then goes on to explore models for different personas, reflect on their impact in enabling people to engage in worship, discover the truth about God, and grow in their discipleship. It then offers some challenging exercises to allow us to reflect on what persona we wish to present, and how well we do that.
You can buy the booklet for £4.95 post-free in the UK, or as a PDF e-booklet, from the Grove website here.
Come and join Ian and John as they discuss the issues the booklet raises here:
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The most important thing to think about as a worship leader is: ‘It is not about you’.
Exactly!
Precisely. Worship leaders are servants of the congregation. They should be heard and not seen, and should not stray beyond leading worship.
If only!
Can one ‘ lead’ worship rather than a ‘ service ‘ that then allows or encourages people to worship themselves – just wondering of the top of my head.
David – that’s what happens when you don’t say anything about sin, God’s redemptive plan, what it is and why it is necessary (incidentally I didn’t see anything about the central gospel message in the article).
That’s because the article was about something else.
Steve V – exactly!
By ‘ worship themselves’ I meant offer their own worship to God in the context of a ‘ service’ including gratitude for forgiveness of sin…
I presume that do not mean “worship themselves”, like the self-made man who worshipped his creator. Perhaps, “encourages people to give themselves in worship.”
I once came across someone who described themselves as a ‘worship consultant’. Made me wonder if they have such individuals in heaven.
I am afraid l have a rather poor view of worship leaders having sat through numerous services where the individual enjoyed being the centre of attention at the front. The only way to stop them is to pull the plug on their amplifier.
The same may apply in days of yore with organ and choir.
Just who does performative praise, praise and worship.
Further, preaching, seems to be seen as a stand alone talk, rather than an act of worship.
Where is the presence of God to be found?
And ‘unction’ seems to no longer have a function.
at least with organs they tend to be just that which supplies the music, rather than the centre of attention. But I agree re choirs, where it often appears the congregation are singing to the choir! But I suppose it’s all about your own personal mindset. You can try to consciously sing the words to God, effectively ignoring whats going on at the front.
Peter, PC1, I have some experience of domineering organists.
Your last sentence is spot on.
At our church, hands in the air is common. During worship we glorify our Jesus. Someone asked me why do you worship so enthusiastic? I replied because this is when mountains are leveled. There are people in in our congregation believing for a miracle, lets help them believe. Tears, emotions and excitement in worship is encouraged, David danced before the Lord with all his might.
No I dont lead worship but I love worship at church and home. Well at work during a walk or wherever I am.
Indeed, why not, when God is so glorious.
I think it was Gordon Fee who coined the phrase, “fools on fire or scholars on ice”. He would have been pleased to see, scholars on fire.
I found the piece thought-provoking and helpful, but I’m not sure how the term “emotional intelligence” might relate to “neurodiversity.” I am trying to become more tolerant of people who may be trying to share and even empathise (I’m told) by monologuing.
Assuming the liturgy (of whatever form) is good and the choice of musical items is good, the job of whoever is leading worship is to be competent. And that implies preparation:
a) having discerned whether or not you are called to lead worship – which might be because of your own particular gifts or because circumstances have placed the task upon you
b) having long since applied the effort to understand and apply effective use of your voice (or musical technique if you are a musician)
c) understanding the doctrine and structure which drives whatever liturgical form you are using
d) having the written notes necessary – or having the essential good memory under pressure – to enable the worship to flow smoothly
e) the emptiness of self indulgence, and focus on God which comes from your individual walk with him
what I find particularly irritating is when the words, if they are placed on a screen for all to see, are not put up in time for the start of the next verse. Whoever is leading should ensure that is also done competently.
Praps you’ve found your calling, to work the sound and projector
That sounds like the person operating the slides/projection isn’t actually participating in the service in any way, which suggests you’ve loaded them up with too much to do. It’s tricky (this used to be one of my roles) – if you’re operating the sound and projection systems, you are definitely not participating in the way in which you would sat in the congregation, but if you get to the point of not participating at all you’ve probably gone too far.
Amen , brother…
How about phrases/sentences without punctuation…. so one has to try to work out the meaning when a song is the equivalent of a St Paul’s 65 border…
border? Worder!
( had to work hard to stop spell check changing that again)
There is a book still in print, -“stuff christians like”.
In it there is a bit about the ‘metrosexual music leader’.
The term “Worship Leader” is fixed in our minds and difficult to shake off. My wife and I are involved in “Sung Worship” with voices and instruments, and we refer to ourselves as “Lead Worshippers.” That could be applied to anyone leading at church.
The Holy Spirit then is the Worship Leader.
Can recall on holiday in N Uist attending a Sunday Service. The precentor struck a tuning fork and gave the first note, and off we went. No fancy pants or frocks.
Geoff – and I’ll bet that he struck that one note on the tuning fork with such panache that his whole persona shone through …… (I’m thinking of the Rev IM Jolly here).
Jock,
You are likely to know this better than I, but there is much on the internet with Precentors and acapella congregational singing of the psalms: marvellous, to the glory of God.
Makes much that passes today, including high church, look self -serving, affected.
Geoff – I agree – and would go much further. I confess that I had never heard the term ‘worship leader’ before I read the article. I had apprehensions about this new-fangled term and, on reading the article, discovered that its import was much, much worse than I had anticipated.
I always thought that the service – in its entirety – was an act of worship: the prayers, singing, bible reading and sermon. The *same* message convicts unbelievers of their sins and brings joy to those ‘in Him’ who have already been convicted of their sins and (on this basis) have come to believe in Him (since this is the only basis for believing in Him).
But if we expect this to be reflected in the role of ‘worship leader’ (which *should* mean someone who – at the very least – co-ordinates the prayers, singing, bible reading, sermon – so that they convey the central gospel message which is all about Him and what He has done for us – and why His atoning work was necessary) we’ll be sorely disappointed.
As Steve V pointed out further up, in a devastating critique of the article, ‘the article was about something else’. 2 Corinthians 11:6 springs to mind. Since it is all about projecting the correct ‘persona’, I’m sure that the Apostle Paul would have made a lousy ‘worship leader’.
You don’t get to decide to worship. Everyone worships something. The only choice you get is what to worship.
Timothy Keller. Tweet 18/03/23
This though a sinner I am safe. He pleads before the throne. His life and death in my behalf
And calls my sins his own.
What wondrous love! What mysteries
In his appointed shire;
My breach of law are His,
And his obedience-mine-
John Newton
Quoted by Timothy Keller. Tweet 14/03/23
Praise (to God) is “inner health made audible”.
CS Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
Danah Zohar? good grief, author(ess) of three of the worst books I’ve ever come across, the quantum trilogy about bad analogies betwen quantum theory and aspects of spiritual life. Don’t buy them, don’t waste a second on them. Semi New Age twaddle.
I’m afraid I don’t understand this within the Church of England. The ‘worship leader’ is an ordained deacon or priest or licensed lay minister. We have limited authorised services and the principal service is the Eucharist. An ordained Priest must preside at that. And the script is prescribed. The only script that isn’t prescribed is the sermon. The preacher is not a worship leader. Others might read lessons or lead intercessions.
Likewise with Morning Prayer and Evening prayer – there is an officiant and those who assist in various ways. I presume this Grove book is intended for other denominations. There is no such thing as a ‘worship leader’ in CofE or Anglican terminology so far as I am aware.
Even in the CofE there is such a thing as an “Occasional Worship Leader “… with training provided by the Diocese.
However…in real life many CofE churches use other people to lead part of a service.
Well it’s ten years since I stopped overseeing the training roles here I admit but there was never anything called occasional worship leader, or any worship leader. We trained deacons, Priests and Readers.
In real life CofE churches can not use other people to lead part of a service unless they are licensed in some way, for safeguarding reasons. And what do you mean by ‘lead part of a service?’. The only leading roles are Presiding at the Eucharist or Officiating at MP or EP.
Yes you will only tend to find worship leaders, especially those leading hymns and praise of contemporary music with worship bands, in the most evangelical churches. High Anglo Catholic churches wouldn’t be seen dead with a prominent ‘worship leader’, their worship leader would solely be the priest in charge, with support from deacons and lay readers.
You might find lay members of the congregation leading family services in middle of the road C of E churches and bible readings and discussion and selecting the hymns but that is quite a loose definition of ‘worship leader’
Perhaps your definition is too tight….
“Well it’s ten years ….”
Things change… there is now…and Chester Diocese trains them
Thanks Ian. I can’t see that any other dioceses also do this but it’s helpful to see what it is about on the Chester diocese website.
“People who have trained as OWLs so far include those planning and leading worship in specific regular services (for example, monthly café church, Taize, Iona, etc), those who occasionally lead Morning or Evening Prayer on Sundays, or Churchwardens and others leading services during a vacancy. “
And they are clear it should be no more than once a month.
Hi Andrew… can’t fit this below your reply…
“And they are clear it should be no more than once a month.”
Yes. But this rather blows a hole in the Status Quo… once a month or Occasional Worship leader…. but maybe using a different one over 3 weeks of a month…plus a retired (PTO) once a month.
I do find it tempting to add to scripture a further commandment: Thou shalt not touch a guitar in worship unless thou canst play the strings individually.
Scripture has already foreseen this matter, Anton! Psalms 8, 81 and 84 require these songs to be sung ‘al gittith’ which I take to mean on a ten-stringed lyre. So a ten-string guitar played by a virtuoso would meet this standard.
I’m more bothered by being held captive to the individual predilections/knowledge of the musician – and the complete inability (or really, lazy disinclination) of most evangelical preachers to say anything about the Ascension and the Trinity. Some of the finest hymns, musically and lyrically, celebrate these doctrines, but most evangelicals never get to sing them.
Although I prefer the old hymns I don’t simply judge by date; a few of the modern songs are good, and many mediocre Victorian hymns have been weeded out so that they are never heard even in ‘traditional’ churches. It is illuminating to look at a 125-year old hymn book – you can find them in second-hand bookshops. A few thoughts:
1. Few churches mix old hymns and modern. I suspect that a church singing 100% modern songs has an unconscious contempt for tradition; and although human tradition is imperfect and under the authority of scripture (my own views on church hierarchies are anti-traditional), the idea that WE have it 100% right and THEY had it 100% wrong is a travesty. Victorian missionaries, suffering great hardship, took the gospel to half the world, whereas Western charismatics are retreating in the face of secularism in their own lands. Also, many Anglicans are moving to other congregations, and some traditional hymns help them feel at home. This need not go as far as the choirs and music masters of the great cathedrals, who provide worshippers with sumptuous concerts but scarcely reflect the priorities of Christ’s own ministry. (God has warned man of judgment to come, and all man does is to set it to music – EW Bullinger, Great Cloud of Witnesses, chapter on Enoch.)
2. Most hymns are about God in the third person. Some modern songs are to God, written about in the second person, making them corporate prayer set to music. That is fine, but the words should be corporate prayer not individual prayer, and the music should be appropriate in mood. Many of the modern tunes are about human response to God’s love, rather than actual worship, and use the word “I” incessantly. (“I long to worship you”… go on then, do it!) The aim of worship is to make God feel good about us rather than vice-versa. He returns the compliment many times over when we get it right, although ecstatic experience does not necessarily mean authentic worship. Many songs praise our Father more for his motherly qualities. Some of the words about ‘love’ have the feel of pop-song romantic love, eros rather than agapē, the Song of Songs instead of the Psalms, using visual rather than aural metaphors about God. They say things to Jesus that no man would say to another, things that no disciple said to Him (“You’re altogether lovely…”), and which make him sound more like the singer’s boyfriend (or girlfriend – just interchange “Jesus” and “baby”). Or they describe God the Father, sight of whom would shrivel the fallen flesh even of Christians, as “beautiful beyond description”. (Jesus didn’t look special – Isaiah 53:2.) To some extent music is of the heart and words are of the mind, although both involve each and a good composer will match words and music. (The traditional metrical rendition is inappropriate for the moods of many of the Psalms, for instance.) We should not be reticent at including hymns of corporate lament – when a church leader dies, for instance. In a fallen world, trust in God does not preclude misery. Regardless of their mood, people can sing hymns that speak of the truths of the faith, and people come to church in all moods; so it is not a betrayal of faith to come unhappy – if you have just been bereaved, for example. But modern songs are all in one mood, relentlessly upbeat.
3. When I became a Christian in 1990, I was astonished at the change from the hymns I had sung – enjoying the music but indifferent to the words – at school. Most modern songs are musically, theologically and poetically negligible. Many of the most banal came from a single pen, who at the time was viewed (to my astonishment) as the country’s leading Christian songwriter. Just 30 years later his songs are almost forgotten, although the style of charismatic music hasn’t changed. I came to believe that these things reflect a problem in the charismatic revival. Simple language is appropriate when we are talking to God (rather than talking about Him), appreciating his immanence rather than his transcendence; but what does the change say about the depth of the relationship?
4. I doubt that modern worship songs could come out of a persecuted church (which is a guarantee of strong faith). They are too lightweight for the great issues with which Christianity is concerned, and few show awareness that Christianity means service. Some are detached from reality: “Step by step we’re moving forward, little by little taking ground… strongholds come tumbling down…” is sung when “Change and decay in all around I see” is more accurate about our culture. I suspect that if our charismatic churches encounter persecution then many modern verses would feel inadequate and worship would change. I believe there would be a turning to the gravitas in the older hymns, and new ones might be written with a different feel to them. I noted the modern praise lyrics in The Heavenly Man written by Brother Yun, a man who has learned from personal experience that persecution is a blessing (Luke 6:22) and who sang for joy in prison (reminiscent of St Paul in Philippians). This is the warranted triumphalism of the overcomer. Does modern charismatic triumphalism come from a similar depth?
5. While the English language has the finest hymnal of any, and it is largely out of copyright and free to sing, congregations must pay royalties to sing many inferior modern worship songs. If God had given me the gift of writing music to his glory, I would take it as an honour for my music to be used in his praise. That was the attitude of the old hymn writers (not all of whom were in paid pastoral ministry). “Freely you have received; freely give” – Matthew 10:8. Tacking a chorus to be sung between the verses of a popular out-of-copyright traditional hymn is a slick little earner, and so is changing a few words to ‘update’ a popular hymn and then copyrighting it in a published collection.
6. I find modern worship by Jewish Christians very lively. Also, Charles Wesley wrote many hymns to popular tunes of his day; might we do the same by adapting those secular songs that have strong tunes? (Conversely, how would modern charismatic worship songs fare in the charts if they were given secular lyrics?) NB I regard modern instrumentation as fine provided that it is not too loud, is not used to induce a trance, and is clearly part of worship rather than performance. And nothing aids the last verse of a ‘build-up’ type of hymn or song like a trumpet.
7. Is modern charismatic worship in churches in, say, France and Germany, equally dire; or is this phenomenon unique to English-language churches?
Charismatic worship songs present too few facets of God’s personality. The Holy Spirit is vital – this is not a sector of the church but is the authentic church (e.g., John 3:5). Are we getting this right? Charismatics often suggest that the modern worship tunes are more ‘anointed’ or ‘inspired’ than conventional hymns. But it is people, not their works, who are anointed (or not).
Anybody who is drawn to write words for worship songs would do well to study the psalms, in all their aspects but especially as worship.
Well, Anton, a lot here and a lot I agree with. Actually hymns have been used for instructing congregations in the faith since at least Ambrose in the 4th century, who composed many quatrains in Latin that were easily memorised by largely illiterate congregations. Ambrose was a highly educated man, and it often takes great learning to write simply. William Cowper had this gift as well. My bete noire (well, one among several in the herd) is excessive subjectivity expressing strong personal emotions (‘I was this, I was that’ etc) or profound spiritual torment I’ve rarely felt, and not enough focus on the words and works of the Saviour. And the inability to write singable, original verse suffused with the Scriptures. But that’s a rant for another time.
James – agreed about the subjective element. In fact, it is precisely when a person does not experience subjective feelings of guilt that the person is actually condemned. I’m thinking of the beautiful Charles Wesley hymn, which is all about what God has done for us – and the line ‘Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.’ An objective statement of fact, beautifully expressed – and a great hymn. It’s precisely when your spirit is imprisoned, fast bound in sin and nature’s night, that you do not actually see the problem; something has to happen to convict you of your sins. Note: in this hymn, Charles Wesley does not express the subjective element of the profound spiritual torment that affects some people (but not others) when His eye does diffuse the quick’ning ray. In the hymn, he restricts himself to things that we can all agree on (all, that is, who are in Him and who have come to faith).
James – re: subjective element – I think that to some extent perhaps we do have to accommodate some of this. I’m thinking of my mother’s funeral, where we used the hymn ‘I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene – and wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.’ We used that one because it was one of her favourite hymns. Now, His love for us is an amazing thing, whether we personally are amazed by it or not, but the hymn is written in a subjective way. I was all in favour of using it, because it expresses clearly the basis of Christianity, that we are sinners, condemned, unclean – in short, that each and every one of us deserves, for our own personal sins, the crucifixion and death that Christ underwent. It isn’t one of my favourite hymns – precisely because of the ‘I”s that appear in it (too much of the personal subjective) – but it was great for the occasion – it was an expression of her faith and it was her favourite – and it was great for getting across to those present what the faith is all about. Another hymn that we used was ‘In the Sweet By and By’
https://hymnary.org/text/theres_a_land_that_is_fairer_than_day_an
which was another of her favourites.
I’ve waited some time to respond to this article and to the comments. Please can anyone find, anywhere in the New Testament, worship spoken of as the activity practiced by believers in their gatherings? Hmm, thought not.
Romans 12:1 – 2 firmly and squarely anchors worship as daily living offered to God: “Your spiritual worship.” A daily living that is renewed in the regular practise of Col.3:16f. the word dwelling richly: sung, taught, life moulding. All this leading straight into practical direction of daily living 3:18ff.
The focus on ‘the-Sunday-worship’ deprives folk from the glory of the ordinary. As George Herbert has it:
A servant with this clause / Makes drudgery divine: / Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws, / Makes that and th’ action fine.
This is the famous stone / That turneth all to gold; / For that which God doth touch and own / Cannot for less be told.
Eg.
Last Supper in the Upper Room..
Acts at the Temple ….
Ephesians… “Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Corinthians… “So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
Revelation….
Not clear what your point is…