Choral Praise

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!” I Chronicles 16:23 & 24

“For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.”   Nehemiah 12:46

With 55 Psalms written to the Choirmaster or Director of Music, it’s obvious that Choral music has long had a place in accounts of Biblical worship.  

Much of the Biblical information that can be found concerning worship, the singing of praises, or any kind of reference to choral music is fairly vague.  We know more about the content of what was sung (from the Psalms) and less about any kind of form or model for worship.   Though it is clear that focused worship times with groups of people included such familiar elements as prayer, music, reading of scripture, preaching, giving, and testimony, it is less clear exactly what a “typical” service of worship should contain, and in what order.  The omission of specifics causes us to search the scriptures for the information that is there.  More importantly, it forces us to rely on God’s direction through His Holy Spirit in the planning of worship.   In my own opinion, the omission of specifics allows services of worship to be tailored to very specific circumstances, times, cultures, and groups of people.   The worship time shared by Paul and Silas in jail was very different from the worship time on the Mount of Transfiguration or from the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

 

Worship practices vary for many reasons, including differences in region, national identity, culture, denomination, ministerial staff, make-up of the congregation, and even the events taking place in the community or area.  The format of a service may contain the same basic elements, but they can be expressed in very different ways.  As long as God is worshipped and glorified, these differences will not matter at all in eternity.  Whether worship leadership includes a choir and orchestra or just a praise band, the purposes of the service of worship are still to bring glory and honor to God, to edify God’s people, and to focus on our relationship with God through musical praise, giving, prayer, message(s) of God’s truth and testimony, and Bible study.  So, the purpose of this blog page is not to say that every church worship service should include a choir.  Rather, we will look at specific scriptures which mention choirs and worship.  We will also list some reasons why choral praise can still be relevant and meaningful in the church of today and examine some information about the history of choirs in worship.    

As the writing and research for this page continues, there will be continued revisions and additions.  Any element of worship is a very important topic, and it is important to take the time necessary to share the results of Bible study on this subject with clarity.  As a result, this page is a work in progress.   The intent is for this page to be a comprehensive opinion piece concerning choral praise and its place in worship.   When research is complete concerning all of the Biblical references to choral praise in worship as well as some historical information and current trends, this page will be updated fully and will hopefully function both as a useful resource and as a helpful perspective piece.

If you have anything to contribute to the development of this page, please add your information or opinions as a comment.

Thank you, C. Boyd

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Here’s a link to a great sermon by Scott Tyra that compares the cooperation needed by a Choir in joining their voices together for the glory of God to … the body of Christ as we work together to serve, worship, and love others for His glory.  http://www.lvrj.com/living/preaching-to-ok-about-the-choir-130010848.html?ref=848

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Here’s a link to a very comprehensive and well written article about the choir as worship leaders which explores every facet of choral leadership.
http://www.experiencingworship.com/articles/general/2001-7-The-Choir-As.html

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Here’s a link to a good article about choirs by Mark Condon.  http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Do-we-still-need-choirs-or-are-they-a-thing-of-the-past-.html?soid=1100364957229&aid=Z4MYmiJydg8

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Here’s a link to an article about the impact of participation in Children’s Choir on the lives of children as worshipers.
http://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/children-s-choirs-shape-worship-habits/

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Here’s a link to a BBC report about how choir members actually synchronize heartbeats.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23230411

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