Music during the Lord's Supper?

Do you have music during the Lord's Supper?

  • The elements are distributed in silence.

    Votes: 18 39.1%
  • The elements are distributed with instrumental music.

    Votes: 17 37.0%
  • The elements are distributed with the congregation singing.

    Votes: 8 17.4%
  • The elements are distributed while the pastor reads/speaks.

    Votes: 3 6.5%

  • Total voters
    46
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markkoller

Puritan Board Freshman
Just curious to get some opinions regarding music and/or singing during the Lord's Supper.

Is it me or is singing while the elements are being distributed a little distracting? Do some churches encourage singing to keep the congregation from reflecting too much on the elements themselves?
 
Not a big fan and would agree with your assessment! Can't say why it is done but don't like it at all. :rolleyes:
 
Do some churches encourage singing to keep the congregation from reflecting too much on the elements themselves?

I thought the elements were pictures to remind us of our Saviour's suffering and death and therefore how could we reflect 'too much' on them? Because reflecting upon them, we are reflecting upon Him. Surely?
 
We celebrate communion each week. On a very odd occasion ie 3-4 times a year someone within the church may break into song which the rest will join in. Having been used to taking the elements in complete silence, I did not like this at first. However I have always found that the song has been appropriate and someone else may follow on with prayer. Rather than take away from the communion meditation I feel it adds to it as it is spontaneous and reflects what is in the persons heart.

However if it happened ever week I may need be so keen as it would then be a habit.
 
I thought the elements were pictures to remind us of our Saviour's suffering and death and therefore how could we reflect 'too much' on them? Because reflecting upon them, we are reflecting upon Him. Surely?

Good comment, Jonathan. Someone once said to me, "if you find you are [sinfully] making pictures of Christ in your mind, think of the elements". I found that was useful - the elements are the permissible and commanded visible picture of our Saviour.
 
It seems to me that instrumental music or silence allows for personal communing with our God. Singing occupies the mind in a corporate (focused) fashion. Although the words of the hymn may be appropriate, my personal worship is enhanced without singing.
 
In the congregation which I'm in the process of joining, one of the elder-elects and the pastor always reads and recites (respectively) relevant passages from the Scriptures. With regard to them being distributed, it seems there should, in any case, be some time to individually discern and prepare one's heart to seek God (as per 1 Cor. 11:28-29 and 2 Chronicles 30:18). But I can't see a principled justification for a objecting if there is also something else done during part of the distribution time as well, provided it is a biblical element of worship.

It seems to me that instrumental music or silence allows for personal communing with our God. Singing occupies the mind in a corporate (focused) fashion. Although the words of the hymn may be appropriate, my personal worship is enhanced without singing.

For the record, I am not opposed to the use of instruments in worship, namely as a circumstance to aid in the element of congregational singing. But simply put, instrumental music that does not accompany such necessarily becomes an element in itself, and is a violation of the biblically-commanded worship which defines the Regulative Principle. There are a lot of things that may "seem" to us as individuals to allow for more personal communing with God, but frankly, unless they fall under biblical guidance for worship, they are fruitless as means of grace and offensive as aspects of worship. I'm certainly not immune to that very type of error in subjective judgment on what truly *seems* "spiritual" (but is not), as someone who often felt emotionally moved by dramas, instrumental music, altar calls and a host of other things during worship growing up.
 
My (former) church had the piano play hymns during the distribution of the elements. I found it extremely distracting. I am a musician at heart, and I cannot ignore music. I can't sleep if music is playing because I'm listening. I can't pray when music is playing because I'm listening. The worst part about the piano playing during "quiet" times at church was when the song was a quiet song but the words, if sung, would not have been appropriate for the occasion.

I prefer silence.
 
I greatly prefer the historic Presbyterian method in which a psalm is sung as the communicants come to and seat themselves around the table and another is sung when they return to their seats. But as they pass the elements around the table there is silence. :2cents:
 
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We sing a psalm for each element. We call it a table hymn. It was the practice of the Lord Jesus to lead in singing psalms during the institution. Of course, I do not know it was DURING the Supper or not- but we have maintained the table hymns.

We often sing Psalm 23 and 103. But there are MANY that are appropriate for reflection on the Supper. I love the practice.
 
It is interesting to hear such a broad spectrum of responses.

One further observation is that there are many things that should occupy one's mind during the Lord's Supper. These many things are of course worthy of our discussion, but it would seem that music would only hinder the mind's consideration of these things. Even if we might prefer the worshipful nature of the music, we must admit the mind is hardly capable of focusing on several things at once.

Is the use of music during the Lord's Supper more common in Federal Vision churches? It seems these groups DO NOT want those partaking of the elements to think of themselves as worthy or unworthy. Focus on sin and or sinfulness seems to be unpopular to the Federal Vision crowd. Anyone else notice this?
 
It is interesting to hear such a broad spectrum of responses.

One further observation is that there are many things that should occupy one's mind during the Lord's Supper. These many things are of course worthy of our discussion, but it would seem that music would only hinder the mind's consideration of these things. Even if we might prefer the worshipful nature of the music, we must admit the mind is hardly capable of focusing on several things at once.

Is the use of music during the Lord's Supper more common in Federal Vision churches? It seems these groups DO NOT want those partaking of the elements to think of themselves as worthy or unworthy. Focus on sin and or sinfulness seems to be unpopular to the Federal Vision crowd. Anyone else notice this?

I was going to start a new thread, but I was hoping to get some comments on the Federal Vision question in connection with the poll. Anybody know if the FVers prefer singing during the Lord's Supper?
 
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