Women directing Worship Team

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

No disrespect to anyone but shouldn't we be posting these that concern instruments on the otha thread?

Maybe a mod could move some of them?

 

[py3ak]

Music is movement and it is spatial. It moves the listener in time toward a goal and how it does it is its thesis. This is very difficult to explain, but it can be shown; music is a parable. Music is something you walk somebody through. Music can express depth, or superficiality, or loftiness in ways that words cannot. Words bring ideas down to people; music brings people up to the ideas. And if done well, it uplifts the heart to God.

Peter, it seems to me that your view necessarily implies two further propositions.

1. Music is a means of grace.

2. Some music is instrinsically holy or unholy.

Do you have Scriptural support for either proposition?

You see, I believe it would be much more accurate to say that to certain people, certain kinds of music can occasion them to lift their hearts up to the Lord, as certain outdoor views can again cause certain people to rejoice in God's creative activity. But that very same thing can leave another person cold and bored; or it can give them an ecstatic experience which has nothing whatever to do with God.

I think there is a hint of this in the book of James. Is any among you merry? Let him sing Psalms. It is an instinct with a lot of people to hum/whistle/sing when they are cheerful. A Christian directs (ought to direct) that cheerfulness Godward; a heathen whistles whatever tune he likes. Both are alike cheerful; however one's cheerfulness occasions praise, while the other one's does not. So the cheerfulness should not be confused with the praise. In the same way, I think the influence of music which can certainly be an occasion for adoration, ought not be confused with the adoration itself.

 

[Christusregnat]

By the by, we had our first Committee meeting Friday evening, and the women directing worship issue didn't come up, as we're dealing more with the overall liturgy.

Thanks for all of the input, and have a delightful Sabbath!

Godspeed,

 

[timmopussycat]

Third and fourth century church fathers are not Scripture and Scripture is clear. The Lord is to be worshipped with instruments; Ps. 150 being but one example. The practice is nowhere explicitly prohibited in the NT, nor is its abolition a necessary consequence of any NT statement.

That said, although instruments can be, and often are a distraction they need not necessarily be one. A wise use of them to ACCOMPANY worship is not only biblically commanded but can help quicken our spirits.

In an instrument discussion Psalm 150, In my humble opinion, is a non-sequitur. Why you ask since it is nothing but instruments?

1) The Psalm, given its context, has nothing to do with NT worship and everything to do with Temple Worship.

2) People who claim that this Psalm is proscriptive for NT worship do not use the instruments supposedly "commanded" in their own worship.

3) If Psalm 150 is commanded, why do you not dance or chant as these are commanded as well?

Temple worship is not mentioned in the psalm; praising God for his mightly acts and excellent greatness are. Only if praising God for his mightly acts and excellent greatness are abolished in the NT can we say this psalm has nothing to do with NT worship.

Some of us do use those instruments: we have a harp (the modern lyre) and trumpets on our worship team.

And we have been known to use liturgical dance on occasion.

If they are commanded to be done in worship should you not, to be consistent, use them all the time?

By the way what/where might be the "Praise God in His sanctuary" referred to in Psalm 150?

"Praise God in his sanctuary" may not refer to the temple. For if the psalm was written either by David or by one of the musicians of his day it may refer to the tent in which the ark was then kept. And do not forget the prophecy of Amos 9 quoted by James in Acts 15 that it was this tabernacle that would be restored not Solomon's temple.
Nor does "Praise God in his sanctuary" limit the location in which we are to praise God. It is only one location in which we are to do so, for the third line is "Praise God in his mighty expanse" i.e., everywhere.

 

[pilgrim3970]

A couple good points have been raised. One is that if a hymn book has already been approved by the Elders then the picking of the songs is already fairly delegated. But the matching point is that the songs normally are meant to complement the sermon, so why would a woman be involved in picking them on a normal, practical level?

In my church, the pastor has delegated that responsibility to me, because he admits he is almost clueless when it comes to choosing music, though from time to time he tells me he wants us to sing a particular hymn.

When it comes to music complimenting the sermon, the pastor tells me what passage of Scripture he is preaching each week, and I spend a lot of time in prayer and Bible study on my own before I choose the music. Then I send him a list of the songs and the words for his approval. This works well, and it is unusual when the music and sermon do not compliment one another.

And I see absolutely nothing wrong with that arrangement.