Audience of One

Musical association

Music has this way of reminding us of things – ideas, places, people. On right now is the song “Trains”, by Porcupine Tree, and for a moment I was back in a hut near the Sipi Falls in Uganda. There was no electricity, no mosquito nets, and we did everything by torchlight. I would lie back in the dark, staring at the thatched ceiling, and listen to Porcupine Tree on repeat. We were only there for two days, but that one song particularly brings back memories.

It’s six years since I first heard the song and read the book, but Melt by Leftfield still reminds me of an occasion in my grandparents’ house, reading Heart of Stone by my uncle for the first time. I have an image of the limestone pinnacles of Madagascar, as if seen from a helicopter fly-by, with Melt playing in the background – and whenever I hear the song, I imagine the pinnacles as he described them.

Music can evoke emotion, create tension, and stick in your head longer than many visual images. It can create or heighten euphoria and drive people to despair. Music is a powerful medium for conveying a message.

Collosians tells us that as we sing as Christians, we should let the word of Christ live in us. We should be singing about Christ. We should be singing truth, because his word is truth. So music is a very powerful part of a church meeting! We need to get the words of our songs right, because we’re going to remember the lyrics far more easily than a Bible passage or clever talk illustration.

‘Tis hard to say if greater harm is done
When heresy is preached or when it’s sung,
But I will argue that the latter’s worse—
More virulent is heresy in verse.

…and sermons stay not long between the ears
But song words linger in our heads for years
The music and the metre make them stick.
You disagree? Go ask a heretic—
—Ask Arius who spread his lies through song
And like the piper led astray the throng,
Or ask the merchants, those who bait their snares
With music, and with jingles flog their wares.

(Braddon Upex, An Essay on Hymnody)

Writing, or selecting music for Christians to sing is a weighty task, and yet so often we let musical talent be the only factor in choosing someone to lead the singing and choose the songs. Music leading in church can be a form of pastoring or teaching. So let’s think as carefully about finding these guys as we would for a youth leader, or pastor! It’s a responsibility for me as a musician to think carefully not just about the music, but the words of the songs I’m choosing. The songs people sing are going to influence their thinking, their praying, their speaking. Choosing biblical songs means God’s word influences them, as they’re humming the tune on the way to work, or singing it while in the shower. Isn’t that a big part of pastoring – explaining God’s word to people so that they become more Christ-like? Isn’t that part of what we’re trying to do through songs?

(More to follow, perhaps. We’ll see where my thinking takes me.)

Matthew @ 23:53, February 15, 2008 to Discussions | Comments (1)