Worship Pastor / Composer Travis L. Boyd & wife, Cynthia, sharing faith, inspiration, & discipleship resources, plus music & more for worship ministry. * We also provide info about Worship Sounds Music, found at the links to our Publishers & Distributors ~ Choral Anthems * Solos * Orchestrations * Worship Songs * Accompaniment Trax (See blog sidebar)
What is needed for effective ministry from each member of the Worship Ministry Team?
Whether you serve in a Worship Band or Rhythm Section, Praise Team, Choir, Orchestra, or as an Accompanist, the essentials are the same:
In order to glorify the Lord, lead God’s people in worship, and allow the Lord to use your gifts to speak to the hearts of others through His Spirit, you need to apply prayer, passion, preparation, flexibility, clarity, commitment, faithfulness, and authenticity!
Here are 12 ways to become most effective
as a member of a worship ministry team.
1.Pray for your Worship Pastor and for all of your ministerial staff. Pray for their families. Pray for the congregation at your church (church family) to worship the Lord and serve Him with all of their hearts. Pray for your own testimony and spiritual walk. Pray for other worship ministry team members and for the worship ministry as a whole. Pray through the order of worship, and pray during the worship service. Be real (authentic) with the other members of your worship ministry team. If you are struggling in some area, ask for prayer.
2.Be faithful in attendance at rehearsals and in every congregational worship service. Unless your are too sick to go or out of town, be there. We all understand that seasons of life occur, such as when you are caring for a loved one who is ill. However, if there’s nothing keeping you from being there, please be faithful!
Your passion for the Lord and for serving Him through worship ministry is the thing that makes you a worship team member. Others sit in the congregation every week who could be an asset in worship ministry, and yet the lack of passion for serving in this way prevents them from making that commitment to the calling. If your passion has begun to wane, ask the Lord to revive it within you so that you may contribute week by week, worshipping with passion in spirit and in truth.
KEY TRUTH ABOUT FAITHFULNESS:
Your presence,
more than anything other than your prayers,
allows your worship ministry to effectively reach up to glorify the Lord
and reach out to encourage and inspire others.
Especially for Chor and Orchestra members:
Be aware that many churches are eliminating choirs and orchestras. If you want your church to still have these groups as a regular part of worship ministry leadership a year from now, 5 years from now… 10 years from now, make it your priority to be there!
If you say that you love singing in the choir or playing in the orchestra, love having these groups as a contributing part of worship ministry, and love the sound and the impact they can make, you need to be one who will be there faithfully. When the choir and/or orchestra suffers from low attendance week after week, the level of excellence suffers. The director has difficulty choosing what to sing or play, not knowing who may be there. The overall sound is less than it could be without you and others there. After weeks and weeks of low attendance and less than stellar sound due to the low numbers, how much support can we expect from church members and leaders for the continuation of choir and orchestra ? In other words, if you want to have a choir and orchestra , you MUST be committed to it.
3.Be spiritually prepared. Do all that you can do to walk closely with the Lord. Abide in Him. Spend time in private worship. Learn all that you can about Him and about what true worship really is. Listen to worship music often. Love the Lord and find joy in His presence.
4.Be musically prepared. Attend every rehearsal that it is possible for you to attend, and be on time if at all possible. It is great to have everyone in place with music ready and instruments and voices warmed up if possible (sing with the radio on the way there!). If that is not possible due to your work schedule or some other factor, please do the very best you can to arrive ASAP.
* Even if the choir or orchestra is going to be sharing music that you know well, your presence and participation can help others to learn the music. Having the full group present helps with things like balance, interpretation, and choral tone, as well as with division of parts, marking any changes in the music, and unifying vowel structure.
* If your director sends out an e-mail with links to the music you will be singing, spend 15 minutes listening to the demos a couple of times during the week.
* With new technology have come new tools for worship ministry. We can listen to demos on our computer and do so almost anywhere with wireless technology. We can look up sample pages to a choral anthem and even be able to see the music as we listen to a demo. We can hear several different versions of the same worship song at ccli.com or other sites. Many worship teams have their own website, facebook page, or blog to keep everyone informed. Sometimes e-mails are sent to worship team members with listening links. There are worship conferences, worship blogs, and “how to play” videos online. All of this means that we have more resources available than ever (and fewer excuses for being unprepared).
* For choir members: If you know there’s a part that you’re not getting during rehearsal, speak up and ask the director for help. Often, as your section (Altos, Sopranos, Basses, or Tenors) sings through a passage a couple of times, the re-inforcement of hearing your part played will help everyone.
If you have a piano and can play a tricky part yourself, take your music home to spend some time working on those hard to hear parts.
* For orchestra, praise band, or praise team members: If there is anything that you struggle with in rehearsal and are not confident about, spend some time working on your own before Sunday.
Speak up if something sounds “off” in rehearsal, even though it appears everyone is playing (or singing) what is written. Sometimes you may help to find a mistake in the music.
* For All Worship Ministry Team Members:
Remember that what we are doing is very important and sometimes very difficult. Patience is required in order to work up an entire “worship set” of music for congregational worship each week, often with very limited rehearsal time. We must all be as diligent as possible and patient with each other and with ourselves. We are confronted with our own humanity when preparing music; and there is no better time to thank God for His patience and grace with us, even as we choose to employ patience and grace with others (and with situations that are out of our control). You may be doing all that you can do and wish that others took their opportunity to serve as seriously. However, we always need to remember that we never know what others are facing and the challenges that may keep them from being as faithful or as prepared as they would like to be. We just need to pray for one another and employ a lot of grace, continue to be faithful, and encourage others as much as possible.
5.Remember that every Sunday’s worship is important. The special programs can be a wonderful time of worship, but every Sunday needs to be just as important.
The Lord is the same year-round,
and
He deserves our best every week!
Give Him your best(in terms of commitment, passion, faithfulness, and effort). Make it a priority to be there, be prepared, pray through the service as you worship, and do your best to bring glory to the Lord in every service of congregational worship that you are able to attend. Pay attention when your director goes through the order of worship for next Sunday’s service during rehearsal. You can help with leading in worship most effectively when you are able to share with clarity because you know what is going on.
Never forget that God is the one who created music,
gave you musical gifts, saved you,
and gave you some incredible and eternally glorious
reasons to make musical praise!
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.” ~ Psalm 9:1 & 2
Never take the opportunity
to use your voice or instrument
(and your faithfulness and availability)
to glorify the Lord within the congregation
for granted!
“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.” ~ Psalm 107:31 & 32
6. Support the worship ministry through your own giving. You can give financially as well as giving of your time for rehearsals, personal prayer time, and worship times. You can give and redeem your time in worship ministry when help is needed in preparation for a special program, ministry opportunity, or mission trip. You can give time to working with worship ministry groups for children and youth, investing in the lives of these future worshippers and worship leaders.
7.Be well groomed. Here, I am not talking about the cost or name brands of your clothing. Just make sure that your appearance is well-groomed and not distracting. (Well-fitting clothing and well-groomed hair are a must.) Your own worship ministry may have additional requirements for appearance that are more specific.
8.Inviteothers to come to know the Lord, to come to church, and to attend services and special programs. Encourage the faithfulness of others through your own faithfulness (which is a silent witness) and through verbal encouragement, letting them know that you are glad to see them and that their presence is important.
9.Invite others to participate in approriate areas of worship ministry when you know that they have the special gifts to contribute both spiritually and musically. Take some time to talk with them about the blessings of serving in worship ministry and how much it means to you. When new members come, welcome them! Don’t be stuck in a rut as far as who you have to sit beside. Make sure the new member feels comfortable.
10.Don’t fossilize! Be flexible and open to change when it is needed.
* If a change in schedule (such as letting the choir leave the loft to sit with families after the musical worship portion or your service is over) allows more people to participate, be open to that change. This would include changes in rehearsal schedule. If you have an unavoidable conflict, let your Worship Leader, Director, or Music and Worship Minister / Pastor know as soon as possible. When you know that you will be out of town, please let them know your schedule. Advance notice of absences allows for better planning.
* When new music is introduced, be open to it. You will likely grow to love it! Even if a song is not your favorite, worship the Lord as you sing and/or play it! Be open to new styles and new musical techniques as well. It’s always a good thing to keep learning and growing as a musician and as a member of the worship leadership team.
* Be open to wearing robes or not wearing robes (depending upon what works best for all of the considerations at your church). You may be asked to wear a certain color. Please help your group to follow worship ministry leadership in this area by cooperating fully.
* Be willing to sit or stand anywhere that you are asked to be, in both the worship center and in the rehearsal room (unless you need to be seated for physical reasons).
* Be willing to let go of traditions and procedural routines that may no longer be effective.
11.Communicate visually as well as musically. Remember that only part of your worship team’s presentation of any song or participation in worship is the sound component of ministry. The other component that can be observed is visual.
* In order for the messages that you are proclaiming to be as effective as possible, choir members, praise team members, and others who sing need to communicate through their facial expression and posture as well. Even those who play instruments need to support the message of what is being shared through appropriate facial expression and/or posture. People want to know that you are authentic in your beliefs and that you are passionate about your beliefs and your relationship with the Lord… passionate about Him! Your face should reflect the message that you are singing or playing (especially for non-wind players). Your posture should not look stiff and formal.
* If your Director or Worship Pastor wants you to memorize a song in order to communicate it most effectively, do it! (Hint: being there at every rehearsal and listening to demos or working on your own a little bit helps!)
* If you are holding a music folder or looking at music on a stand, hold it high enough (or adjust your stand) so that you can see your director just over the top of the music. Get your head and your eyes up as much as possible. No one wants to look at the tops of everyone’s heads or at a platform full of worship ministry personnel whose eyes appear to be closed because they are looking down all of the time.
NOTE: Our choir sings from memory as often as possible so that we can communicate visually and musically with more effectiveness, and we have recently begun utilizing an on-stage monitor with lyrics. Although we have used screens at the back of the worship center for the lyrics to congregational music and anthems for many years, we can include information on the on-stage monitor that it not meant for the entire congregation to see. We utilize a different color of print for cues to the choir that precede a section of lyrics. These on-screen cues are often very brief and include: “Men” when only the tenor and bass are singing (could also use “TB”); “Women”; “Unison”; “4-part”, “2-part”, “2X”, “3X” or “4x” to show the number of repeats; and even cues for dynamics. Notes that are held for a long time can be indicated by using a line after the word (Example: “love___”)
Lift up His name!
12. Participate and worship in the entirety of the congregational worship experience. Remember that you are not there just to “perform” a “special” piece of music. You are there to worship! You are a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and and worshipper of Almighty God! Every song, scripture reading, testimony, and message is important! Seek to bring glory to God in all of it. Come to worship ready to give to the Lord the praise and thanksgiving of your heart, the honor and glory He deserves, the obedience and open-ness that are a sweet offering to Him, and the entirety of who you are. Seek His face and reflect His joy.
“Whatever you are doing, let your hearts be in your work, as a thing done for the Lord and not for men.” ~ Colossians 3:23 (Weymouth New Testament)
SUGGESTED READING FOR WORSHIP MINISTRY TEAM MEMBERS
1. Our Worship Scripture page is a very comprehensive worship resource, with scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments in Biblical order. Our bold key words before the beginning of each scripture make it easy to search and find particular passages. This is an excellent resource for worship scriptures. Also, try the key word or topical search features at Bible Hub or Bible Gateway.
3. “Walking in Worship”
Note: This article has also been published in the online magazine, “ChurchMag” with its original title
@ http://churchm.ag/walking-in-worship/
and on churchleaders.com , using the title, “What Worship REALLY Means” @
OUR OTHER POSTS ABOUT WORSHIP: (Our pages, like the one on Lifestyle Worship, have titles that are always visible on the blog header. Our posts are categorized, and all of the posts on worship can be found in our category called “Worship…with Wonder!” (and the sub-categories in that topic). Here are links to 7 of our most widely read posts about worship.
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
Two of our songs which are available as both Choral Anthems and Vocal Solos are “I Can’t Explain” and “Into His Hands”.
“I Can’t Explain”
“I Can’t Explain” is a worship ballad with a reflective message about the wonder of God’s great love, demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Written by Worship Pastor and composer Travis L. Boyd, this song is available as an SATB Choral Anthem, as heard in this demo, and as a Vocal Solo, in 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High Voice.
The SATB Choral Anthem can be performed with live instruments or with the Anthem Trax heard here, a separate Mp3 download. It could also be sung on Palm Sunday or one of the other Sundays leading up to Easter.
The Vocal Solo versions of “I Can’t Explain” (Low, Medium, and High Voice) each have an Accompaniment Track, which is an Mp3 download, with a PDF lead sheet. In addition Solo Sheet Music is available in each of the 3 keys.
“Into Your Hands”
“Into Your Hands” is a moving power ballad with choral accompaniment. This song is a musical prayer of total surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
There is also an SATB anthem with Solo throughout.
ADDITIONAL ANTHEMS FOR SPRING / EASTER / PALM SUNDAY:
1. “Early in the Morning”
2. Our “Songs of the Cross” playlist of Easter and Palm Sunday Anthems
3. Our “Anthems with Hymn Lyrics” playlist
Thank you for your worship ministry and your interest in Worship Sounds Music. All of our music is designed to be practical for worship ministry, Biblically sound, musically memorable, and lyrically meaningful. Blessings to you in your life and ministry,
Travis L. Boyd, Worship Sounds Music
*<*><*><*>*<*><*><*>*<*><*><*>*
In Addition, several of our Published anthems would work very well for Springtime, Easter, or Palm Sunday.
These include:
FROM LORENZ, INCOPORATED (LORENZ MUSIC)
( A ) “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” Published by Lorenz (Monarch Division)
An SATB power ballad, this anthem contains a whole gospel message, with a bridge section that is a lyrical paraphrase of John 3:16 & 17. The anthem steadily builds in intensity to the victorious ending.
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3228M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3228M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
* A Full Orchestration is available, as heard in the Studio Demo. A Performance/Accompaniment CD is also available.
(NOTE: See the blog post entitled “Blessings Through Worshipping Together” for information about the CD and DVD recordings of this piece by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony).
This anthem has also been recorded by the evangelistic group, The Farrells, as the title song of one of their CDs; and many videos can be found on YouTube and Vimeo of this anthem being sung in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Italian. “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” has also been published in the Mandarin language in a book for Chinese Choirs.
( B ) “All the Praise”… An upbeat SATB anthem of praise with lyrical verses and a rhythmic chorus:
“Holy, holy, holy
You are God Almighty.
Holy, holy, holy
Holy is Your Name.
Only You are worthy
Worthy of all honor.
All the praise belongs to You!”
( C ) “God is Faithful”… SATB with solo throughout
Lorenz product page link for “God is Faithful” http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=10_2978M
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Sample/10_2978M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Pages/10_2978M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
(See our blog post entitled “Blessings Through God’s Faithfulness” for more information about the story of this song & recordings by both The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma and The Sons of Jubal)
* Performance video link: (TTBB arrangement, recorded at a Sons of Jubal concert in September, 2010) http://vimeo.com/15390308
A full orchestration is available for this piece, as heard in the studio demo. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.
( D ) “Magnificent Praise”… An SATB mix of traditional style and contemporary rhythms, this anthem has a message about giving our best to God as we praise Him and “tell of His excellent ways.”
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/sample/10_3445M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Pages/10_3445M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm Score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.
“With all that is in us, we give You magnificent praise!”
( 1 ) “Children of Light”… 2 & 3 part, S(A)B
Here’s a great recording with the full orchestration: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_2515.mp3
This youthful, vibrant recording was made by the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters.
For the story of this group & recording see our blog post entitled “Blessings Through Testimony.”
* The Shawnee Press Studio Demo recording (with rhythm section only) can be heard at this link: http://www.pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?search=Travis+Boyd (click listening link for “Children of Light”)
“Children of Light” is still available through several music distributors and from Hal Leonard/Shawnee Press on a print-on-demand basis.
( 2 ) “Give Thanks to the Lord”… SATB
This upbeat, rhythmic song of thanksgiving provides a joyful reminder of many reasons to give thanks.
Be sure to listen for the descant and for the verses, which give a call to thanksgiving for faithful hearts (with a quiet intensity, contrasting the energetic chorus). “Give Thanks to the Lord” was also recorded, in a special TTBB arrangement by Travis, on the “God is Faithful” CD made by The Singing Churchemen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green. (The audio of the TTBB recording can be found in our SoundCloud set of “Recordings made by BGCO groups” (Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma).
Original studio demo of the Choral Anthem by Shawnee Press
( 3 ) “Jesus, My Redeemer”… SATB
*Hear the original studio demo for this beautiful anthem on our Sound Cloud or on our BoydbrainMusic.com HOME PAGE in the red sidebar at left. Just click on the title to hear “Jesus, My Redeemer.”
This anthem utilizes the beautiful hymn tune known as “Slane” (“Be Thou My Vision”) with a completely new text. The lovely, flowing piano accompaniment features a recurring motif. There is a Song Story about this anthem on our Worship Sounds Music blog. (Song Story for “Jesus, My Redeemer”)
( 4 ) “Praise God”… SATB
* “Praise God” features a beautiful new melody and setting for the traditional “Doxology” lyrics, with a portion of the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” added to this amazing arrangement. You’ll love this inventive and meaningful new tune and setting for the Doxology! Hear the entire studio demo for this majestic anthem on the sound cloud below.
Or, hear a portion of the original studio demo at: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/praise-god/269877/
( 7 ) “Walking by Faith”… SATB, with Solo
This lovely ballad features a solo and was performed by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, written for soloist Royce Brown. The original studio demo can be heard at: http://www.jwpepper.com/8065838.item
FROM CHURCH STREET MUSIC(LIFEWAY)
(1) “You Are a Spring”… SATB, with Solo or unison section
This lyrical piece about our need for the refreshing of God’s Spirit is available at:
“You Are a Spring” was recorded on The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma’s CD entitled “The Lord is My Light.” This recording can be found in our Sound Cloud set of BGCO (Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma) Groups recordings. (See the blue Sound Cloud logo on our blog’s sidebar. It is a link to these BGCO group recordings made by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony.)
The demo recording for this anthem can be heard below:
There are several additional pieces published by Lifeway in their periodical publications for Childrens Choir, Senior Adult Choir, Adult Choir, and congregational praise. These are listed on our facebook page, along with contact information for re-printing these songa and anthems. http://www.facebook.com/WorshipSoundsMusic
We have not yet tracked down all of the studio demos for these publications but will do so as time permits.
(2) One of the additional Anthems published by Lifeway is “More Than a Cross”
This anthem explores the true significance of the cross, with the lyrics of the refrain stating, “More than love and mercy, life and hope, on a hill called Calvary…More than a cross, it was God reaching out for me.”
“MORE THAN A CROSS” was published in the Winter 2005-06 edition of ‘Glory Songs’ SATB, pages 27 through 32. This anthem can be reprinted with permission from Lifeway. Use this link: http://www.lifeway.com/PermissionsRequest/ to contact Lifeway. Then, choose the option “to use or publish music”. You will then be given the opportunity to enter all pertinent information in order for your request to be sent to the right individual at Lifeway for processing.
In this case, you would enter the following information:
Glory Sounds, Winter 2005 – 2006
“More Than a Cross” by Travis Boyd
Page numbers 27 through 32
NOTE: There are links to Publishers and Distributors of my music in the right sidebar of this blog. Each link takes you to a page listed all of my Anthems offered by that publisher or distributor.
Worship Sounds Music Blog Blessings of Faith. Songs of Worship, Life of Joy!
Church Choirs can minister very effectively in any worship setting if they are properly prepared to contribute to the ministry of worship. A group of Christian singers with a desire to bring glory to the Lord through the ministry of worship can be a blessing to the entire church family. Here are seven ways that choirs can joyfully serve as worship leaders to strengthen and bring life to the ministry of worship.
* 1 *
A Choir can help to support congregational singing, allowing the congregation to sing more confidently and join their voices with those who are already singing, which helps to lead God’s people in worship.
* 2 * A Choir will help the congregation to know when they are supposed to sing.
When arrangements for the congregational singing are lead by a praise band, worship leader, and praise teams, sometimes people in the congregation become uncertain about when they are supposed to sing along. A well prepared choir helps to prevent confusion as they assist in leading the service. Since the choir will know when a verse or chorus is supposed to be sung as a solo and when everyone is supposed to sing, the congregation will begin to take their cue from the choir.
* 3 * Choirsprovide spiritual encouragement and inspiration to the church family.
Since the life stories and faith journeys of the people who make up the choir are coupled with their faithful commitment to praising the Lord and leading in worship, the choir serves as a collective testimony of walking by faith. The presence and praise of a choir member who is walking through a trial, remaining faithful as a choral worship leader, can be a powerful message in itself. Since choir members are often some of the busiest church members, serving in many ways and vitally involved in church life, their ministry and testimony has personal significance for a large percentage of the church body.
“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” ~ Psalm 105:1 – 3
The 280 voice Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Brooklyn, NY, under the direction of Carol Cymbala, recorded 2 CDs in 2013, “Redeemed” and “Love Lead the Way”.
* 4 * Church choirs can sharemessages of praise, reverent worship, testimony, exhortation, encouragement, comfort, thankfulness, and perseverance through the songs (both anthems and congregational worship songs) that they sing.
Since choral anthems often have lyrics that are full of scripture and of Biblical truth, the choir can share a message in song that is full of meaning with even more impact than the spoken word because of the marriage of music and lyrics that amplifies the truths being shared.
The choir’s ministry is one of proclamation, praise, and encouragementas they and the congregation “speak to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”.
“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.” ~ Psalm 104:33 & 34
* 5 *
As worship leaders, the choir can also help the church to learn new songs and worship choruses. It is possible to find choral arrangements of new worship songs that are in congregationally friendly keys, which also have chord and rhythm charts and even full orchestrations available. These can be prepared as an anthem and introduced by the full worship team (choir, praise band and / or orchestra, praise team). Later, as the congregation becomes more familiar with the song, they can be invited to join in singing the worship song with the same arrangement.
* 6 * A choir can help to break down generational barriers in worship.
The fact that choirs (and praise teams, rhythm sections, and orchestras) are often made up of young, median, and older adults (and sometimes students) communicates the message that a new song is a vehicle of praise and worship for the entire congregation, regardless of age. As members of the worship leadership team, choir members have invested time in preparation for worship, both musically and spiritually as they have learned the new music. Because they have rehearsed and lived with the lyrics of the songs being shared (both Anthems and congregational praise), choir members have the opportunity to internalize these messages of truth and to communicate them meaningfully, as a group that is visually representative of the church body (in age range and other factors) rather than just as professional musicians.
KEY GOAL: Ideally, the worshipping choir will be both spiritually and musically prepared to praise the Lord and to encourage and inspire God’s people. Because of this investment of time in preparation and their heart for the Lord, a choir can be a living, vibrant team of worship leaders, messengers of hope and praise.
The Mount Pleasant Christian Church Choir in Indianapolis, IN, directed by Brian Tabor, September, 2013.
* 7 *
There is nothing else like the sound of a well-prepared choir.
Even the secular music industry often employs a choir to maximize the impact of a powerful ballad or to visibly and audibly celebrate with an upbeat song. Choirs are often seen in the music videos and television appearances of pop stars, on music specials, and at events where the entertainment is an extravagant production, such as an Olympic opening ceremony or even a Super Bowl halftime show. If secular entertainment still values the impact that a choir can make, those of us who love and worship the Lord should realize that choral singing can be a an effective testimony of God’s goodness that can touch the hearts of a congregation (and of others who hear them when they sing in public places).
“O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” ~ Psalm 95:1 – 7a
In addition to the seven supportive and edifying functions of a choir within worship ministry, remember that there are Biblical accounts of choral worship.
A. Since there are many Biblical mentions of choirs, and since 55 Psalms are written to the Choir Director or Director of Music; there is certainly a Biblical precedent for choral worship.
The First Baptist Concord Choir, Knoxville, TN, directed by Jeff Lawrence.
B. In addition,the Biblicalexhortation to use our giftsto honor and bring glory to the Lord calls for opportunities for those who are a part of our congregations and who have musical gifts to serve and contribute to the ministry of worship.
What these service opportunities may be in an individual congregation depends upon the musical gifts that are present among members who are willing to faithfully serve in worship ministry. A smaller congregation might have a choral ensemble rather than a full choir, in addition to their praise band or accompanists. Larger churches may have a full choir and perhaps an instrumental ensemble or orchestra in addition to their rhythm section, praise band, and / or accompanists. Some churches may use a choir to help serve as worship leaders, but the choir may sing a choral anthem only occasionally. Some churches also use choirs only seasonally (for a special Christmas program, for example).
Every congregation is different, and no one can prescribe what your church should be doing in musical worship from the outside. Your ministerial leadership is more in tune with the musical and spiritual gifts of your congregation and to the music that speaks to the hearts of your congregation as well as to the visitors and seekers that your church can reach. This intention of this article is to encourage the ministry of choral singing in those places where it can be shared effectively to praise, encourage, inspire, lift up, exhort, challenge, and worship.
“Above, the hosts of angels sing praise; below, men form choirs in the churches and imitate them by singing the same doxology. Above, the seraphim cry out in the thrice-holy hymn; below, the human throng sends up the same cry. The inhabitants of heaven and earth are brought together in a common assembly; there is one thanksgiving, one shout of delight, one joyful chorus.” ~ St. John Chrysostom
First Baptist Church of Duluth Adult Choir, December, 2013, Duluth, GA, directed by Travis L. Boyd, singing the upbeat final song in the Travis Cottrell Christmas worship musical, “Joy of Every Longing Heart”. Note: Many choir, orchestra, & praise band members are out of the frame in this photo, taken by a member of the congregation.)
KEY TRUTH:
Church choirs can still minister, serve, and bring glory to the Lord when they have effective leadership and the commitment, support, and prayers necessary to do so.
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
~I Corinthians 10:31 NASB
Although choirs have been eliminated in some congregations, existing choirs can strengthen their ministry. New choirs can focus on effective ministry from the beginning. Below, you will find some suggestions for helping to keep church choirs alive and serving in the 21st century.
“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!” ~ Psalm 107:21 & 22
For Members of the Congregation
If you are a member of the congregation in a church that has a choir, here’s how you can support and encourage their ministry:
1.Pray for your church choir and for individual members thst you know. Pray for unity of spirit and faithfulness to the commitment of singing in choir.
* Pray for God to use them as they seek to minister and lead in worship, and pray that God will speak to their hearts as they prepare spiritually and musically.
* Pray for them as they stand to sing and for the congregation as the choir is singing.
2. Worship and praise the Lord as you are listening and praying! If your church’s worship ministry has a facebook page, “like” the page so that you will know better how to pray for your church’s overall worship ministry as well as for the choir.
3. Listen expectantly when the choir shares a message, whether that is a Choral Anthem or a worship chorus that is being introduced by the choir. Remember that everything your church does in ministry is constantly being evaluated for effectiveness. Therefore, one of the best ways to support a choral ministry in your church is to allow the choir to minister to you and to praise the Lord in your heart right along with them.
4.Encourage! If a message shared by the choir was particularly meaningful or worshipful to you, let that be known. Speak an “amen!”, share a word of encouragement, or send a note or e-mail to the choir, Worship Minister, and / or Pastor expressing how the Lord has used that ministry in your own heart and life. Choir members are not seeking personal compliments and would rather hear about the spiritual impact of their ministry than about the beauty of the music. They love the beauty of the music as well, but they mainly want to know that what they are doing makes a difference for the Kingdom!
5.Be faithful in your own attendance in congregational worship. Not only are you being faithful to the Lord when you worship along with His people, your presence is also an encouragement to others. In addition, your presence allows for everything that is done in worship to be done more effectively as you are praying throughout the service that the Lord would be glorified and personally worshipping Him.
6. Attend any special presentations that your Choir and Worship Ministry have prepared, and invite others to come as well.
At most churches, there are special musical worship opportunities such as Christmas and Easter programs and worship musicals only a few times a year (usually 2 – 4 times annually for the Adult Choir). These events are wonderful opportunities to invite your neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. Invite the clerk who checks out your groceries. Invite others at every opportunity. Your worship ministry team members have been preparing to share messages of hope and faith and praise to the Lord for several weeks leading up to any special worship event, so please do attend these events expecting a glorious time of worship, pray for those involved, and bring others with you. Put these special events on your personal calendar as soon as they are announced, and make them a priority. If you want your church to have worship events such as these and to continue to have a worship choir, your presence must testify that this is important and meaningful to you.
7.Support the worship ministry at your church through your giving. There are expenditures that are necessary for a vibrant and effective worship ministry. Sound and lighting equipment, media equipment, sets and seasonal decorations, music for worship ministry participants, musical instruments, piano tuning, CCLI (the service that allows your church to legally put song lyrics on screens), and salaries for paid personnel such as your Worship Pastor and accompanists, are all a part of the financial cost of worship ministry support. Your faithfulness allows all of the ministries of your church, including worship ministry, to function and to minister within the congregation and to reach out to your community and beyond.
8. Let grace abound! Don’t expect musical and technical perfection. Give your worship ministry team the grace of realizing that they are human and that they are participating in this ministry as volunteers rather than as professional musicians and technicians. Music and productions that you hear on the radio or see on TV and in the movies are very highly produced and involve much expertise, equipment, and time that is not available for local church ministry. Many times, the sounds that you hear on radio or TV cannot be produced at the same level of perfection in live performance, even by the pros. One recorded song may be a result of dozens of “takes” and hours of recording and re-recording. In addition, remember that every worship song, hymn, or choral anthem may not be your personal taste; but it is still your joy to worship the Lord through all that is spoken and sung. Pray for others. Look around you. What may not be your favorite worship expression may be ministering to the hearts of others. Pray for those around you throughout the worship service.
* IMPORTANT NOTE: For greater understanding about the importance and meaning of worship and for help with preparation for teaching about worship, see our Addendum at the end of this blog article, where you will find links to articles on worship found on our blog and on TheWorshipCommunity.com , on the online magazine, ChurchMag , and on ChurchLeaders.com (or recommended on WorshipLinks).
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
~ Colossians 3:17
The Adult Worship Choir anchors the worship ministries of Bell Shoals Baptist Church, Brandon, FL, directed by Dr. Doug Crawley.
For Pastors and Ministerial Staff
Here’s how you can help to support the ministry of the Worship Choir at your church.
1.Pray for and encourage the worship team members and Worship Pastor at your church. Pray for your congregation and for yourself as worshippers.
2.Live a life of worship, seeking to intentionally give God glory in all that you do.
* NOTE For greater understanding about the importance and meaning of worship and for help with preparation for teaching about worship, see our Addendum at the end of this blog article, where you will find links to articles on worship found on our blog and on TheWorshipCommunity.com , on the online magazine, ChurchMag , and on ChurchLeaders.com (or recommended on WorshipLinks) .
3. Whatever your responsibilities and concerns may be during a worship service, make an intentional effort to let them go (as much as is possible) and personallyworship the Lord.
4.Attend special worship ministry programs, and invite others to do so as well. Speak with enthusiasm when sharing announcements about upcoming Worship Ministry events.
5. When doing calendar planning, recognize that each ministry decision impacts every ministry. Remember that above all, every Christian is (or should be) a worshipper, and do what you can to strenthen all of the ministries of your church, including worship ministry.
“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
~ I Peter 4:11
For Choir Members & Worship Team Members
What is needed? Prayer, passion, preparation, flexibility, clarity, commitment, faithfulness, and authenticity!
1.Pray for your Worship Pastor and for all of your ministerial staff. Pray for their families. Pray for the congregation to worship the Lord and serve Him with all of their hearts. Pray for your own testimony and spiritual walk. Pray for other worship ministry team members and for the worship ministry as a whole. Pray through the order of worship, and pray during the worship service.
2.Be faithful in attendance at rehearsals and in every congregational worship service. Unless your are too sick to go or out of town, be there. We all understand that seasons of life occur, such as when you are caring for a loved one who is ill. However, if there’s nothing keeping you from being there, please be faithful! Your passion for the Lord and for serving Him through worship ministry is the thing that makes you a choir member. Others sit in the congregation every week who could be an asset in worship ministry, and yet the lack of passion for serving in this way prevents them from making that commitment. If your passion has begun to wane, ask the Lord to revive it within you so that you may contribute week by week, worshipping with passion in spirit and in truth.
KEY: Your presence, more than anything other than your prayers, allows your worship ministry to effectively reach up to glorify the Lord and reach out to encourage and inspire others.
If you want your church to still have a choir a year from now, 5 years from now… 10 years from now, make it your priority to be there!
If you say that you love singing in the choir, love having a choir, and love the sound and the impact of choral music, you need to be one who will be there faithfully. When the choir suffers from low attendance week after week, the level of excellence suffers. The director has difficulty choosing what to sing, not knowing who may be there. The choral sound is less than it could be without you and others there. After weeks and weeks of low attendance and less than stellar sound due to the low numbers, how much support can we expect from church members and leaders for the continuation of choir? In other words, if you want to have a choir, you have to be committed to it.
3.Be spiritually prepared. Do all that you can do to walk closely with the Lord. Abide in Him. Spend time in private worship. Learn all that you can about Him and about what true worship really is. Listen to worship music often. Love the Lord and find joy in His presence.
4.Be musically prepared. Attend every rehearsal that it is possible for you to attend.
* Even if the choir is going to be singing music that you know well, your presence and participation can help others to learn the music. Having the full choir present helps with things like balance, interpretation, and choral tone, as well as with division of parts, marking any changes in the music, and unifying vowel structure.
* If your director sends out an e-mail with links to the music you will be singing, spend 15 minutes listening to the demos a couple of times during the week.
* If you know there’s a part that you’re not getting during rehearsal, speak up and ask the director for help. Often, as your section (Altos, Sopranos, Basses, or Tenors) sings through a passage a couple of times, the re-inforcement of hearing your part played will help everyone.
* If you have a piano and can play a tricky part yourself, take your music home to spend some time working on those hard to hear parts.
5.Remember that every Sunday’s worship is important. The special programs can be a wonderful time of worship, but every Sunday needs to be just as important. The Lord is the same year-round, and He deserves our best every week (in terms of commitment, passion, faithfulness, and effort). Make it a priority to be there, be prepared, pray through the service as you worship, and do your best to bring glory to the Lord in every service of congregational worship that you are able to attend. Pay attention when your director goes through the order of worship for next Sunday’s service during choir rehearsal. You can help with leading in worship most effectively when you are able to share with clarity because you know what is going on.
Never forget that God is the one who created music, gave you a voice, saved you, and gave you something incredible and eternally glorious to sing about!
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.” ~ Psalm 9:1 & 2
Never take the opportunity to use your voice to glorify Him within the congregation for granted!
“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.” ~ Psalm 107:31 & 32
6. Support the worship ministry through your own giving. You can give financially as well as giving of your time for rehearsals, personal prayer time, and worship times. You can give and redeem your time in worship ministry when help is needed in preparation for a special program, ministry opportunity, or mission trip. You can give time to working with worship ministry groups for children and youth, investing in the lives of these future worshippers and worship leaders.
7.Be well groomed. Here, I am not talking about the cost or name brands of your clothing. Just make sure that your appearance is well-groomed and not distracting. (Well-fitting clothing and well-groomed hair are a must.)
8.Inviteothers to come to know the Lord, to come to church, and to attend services and special programs. Encourage the faithfulness of others through your own faithfulness (which is a silent witness) and through verbal encouragement, letting them know that you are glad to see them and that their presence is important.
9.Invite others to sing in the choir or to participate in some other area of worship ministry when you know that they have the special gifts to contribute both spiritually and musically. Take some time to talk with them about the blessings of serving in worship ministry and how much it means to you. When new members come, welcome them! Don’t be stuck in a rut as far as who you have to sit beside. Make sure the new member feels comfortable.
10.Don’t fossilize! Be flexible and open to change when it is needed.
* If a change in schedule (or letting the choir leave the loft to sit with families after the musical worship portion or your service is over) allows more people to participate, be open to that change.
* When new music is introduced, be open to it. You will likely grow to love it! Even if a song is not your favorite, worship the Lord as you sing it!
* Be open to wearing robes or not wearing robes (depending upon what works best for all of the considerations at your church).
* Be willing to sit or stand anywhere that you are asked to be, in both the loft and in the rehearsal room (unless you need to be seated for physical reasons).
* Be willing to let go of traditions and procedural routines that may no longer be effective.
11.Communicate visually as well as musically. Remember that only part of the choir’s presentation of any song or participation in worship is the sound component of choral ministry. The other component that can be observed is visual.
* In order for the messages that you are proclaiming to be as effective as possible, choir members need to communicate through their facial expression and posture as well. People want to know that you are authentic in your beliefs and that you are passionate about your beliefs and your relationship with the Lord… passionate about Him! Your face should reflect the message that you are singing. Your posture should not look stiff and formal.
* If your director or Worship Pastor wants you to memorize a song in order to communicate it most effectively, do it! (Hint: being there at every rehearsal and listening to demos or working on your own a little bit helps!)
* If you are holding a music folder, hold it high enough that you can see your director just over the top of the music. Get your head and your eyes up as much as possible. No one wants to look at the tops of everyone’s heads or at a choir whose eyes appear to be closed because they are looking down all of the time.
NOTE: Our choir sings from memory as often as possible, and we have recently begun utilizing an on-stage monitor with lyrics. Although we have used screens at the back of the worship center for the lyrics to congregational music and anthems for many years, we can include information on the on-stage monitor that is not meant for the entire congregation to see. We utilize a different color of print for cues to the choir that precede a section of lyrics. These on-screen cues are often very brief and include: “Men” when only the tenor and bass are singing (could also use “TB”); “Women”; “Unison”; “4-part”, “2-part”, “2X”, “3X” or “4x” to show the number of repeats; and even cues for dynamics. Notes that are sustained can be indicated by using a line after the word (Example: “love___”)
12. Participate and worship in the entirety of the congregational worship experience. Remember that you are not there just to “perform” a “special” piece of music. You are there to worship! You are a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and and worshipper of Almighty God! Every song, scripture reading, testimony, and message is important! Seek to bring glory to God in all of it. Come to worship ready to give to the Lord the praise and thanksgiving of your heart, the honor and glory He deserves, the obedience and open-ness that are a sweet offering to Him, and the entirety of who you are. Seek His face and reflect His joy.
* IMPORTANT NOTE: For greater understanding about the importance and meaning of worship and for help with preparation for teaching about worship, see our Addendum at the end of this blog article, where you will find links to articles on worship found on our blog and on TheWorshipCommunity.com , on the online magazine, ChurchMag , and on ChurchLeaders.com (or recommended on WorshipLinks) . http://www.worshiplinks.us/2013/09/devotions-praise/
“Whatever you are doing, let your hearts be in your work, as a thing done for the Lord and not for men.” ~ Colossians 3:23 (Weymouth New Testament)
University Presbyterian Church Choir, Seattle, WA, directed by Dr. David Gardner
For Choir Directors, Ministers of Music & Worship,
and Worship Pastors
What is needed for you? The same priorities for worship as your worship team: Prayer, passion, preparation, flexibility, clarity, and authenticity!
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth.” ~ Psalm 108:1 – 5
1. Prayfor your fellow ministerial staff members, the congregation, and all of your worship ministry team members.
Pray that people will understand the importance of worship as a way of life (Romans 12:1 – 2, I Corinthians 10:31 ). Pray for personal passion for ministry and worship. Pray for holiness and obedience, both personally and collectively.
2.Make personal worship a top priority.
Seek to lead as a fellow worshipper. Let your passion for the Lord and for worshipping Him be clearly evident. Every word, every song, and every moment should be focused on the eternal: worshipping God, praising and thanking Him, and testifying of His goodness, grace, mercy, love, and faithfulness.
“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever more! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens.” ~ Psalm 113:1 – 4
3. Function as a Pastor whose primary responsibility is worship ministry.
People are more important than notes and rhythms. Minister accordingly.
4.Function as an equipper.
Teach and equip your worship ministry team. Teach them about worship and discipleship. Teach them about music and techniques. Teach them about effectiveness as worship leaders (spiritually, musically, visually). Teach your choir that true worship is giving (giving praise, honor, glory, blessing, our hearts, and all that we are). Build excitement about the ministry potential of choral worship.
* IMPORTANT NOTE: For greater understanding about the importance and meaning of worship and for help with preparation for teaching about worship, see our Addendum at the end of this blog article, where you will find links to articles on worship found on our blog and on TheWorshipCommunity.com , on the online magazine ChurchMag , and on ChurchLeaders.com (or recommended on WorshipLinks) . http://www.worshiplinks.us/2013/09/devotions-praise/
5.Be a good steward of your time.
Plan and prepare effectively, praying for guidance as you do so. You can make the most of your limited rehearsal time and allow team members to be well prepared for congregational worship when you have:
a. Made sure that the order of worship is clearly understood by all participants in worship ministry, providing each person with a copy containing all of the information needed.
b. Prepared a weekly newsletter, poster, or white board with the order of your rehearsal so that music will be ready and you can make the most effective use of the choir’s rehearsal time.
c. Made sure that all music is available to your choir and that they have sharpened pencils to mark anything necessary in their music.
d. Made sure that your accompanists have all needed music in time to play through and prepare themselves for rehearsal.
e. Made sure that your tech team has all needed lyrics and any media or videos that you intend to use, as well as orders of worship with any special notes they may need.
f. Made sure that your ministerial staff has copies of the order of worship (not just the bulletin, but your expanded version for worship ministry that specifies such things as the number of verses or repeats for a given songs, which staff member is doing the welcome, etc.).
6.Encourage your choir and other worship ministry participants.
Make rehearsals as fun and joyful as possible. Try to keep the mood light and yet focused on preparation for worship as well as on worshipping even as your rehearse. Let your choir and accompanists, praise teams, praise band, and tech team know that they are loved and valued by you and by the Lord. Use the rehearsal time very wisely so that your choir members and other worship ministry personnel do not feel that their time is being wasted (this communicates value as well). Share any positive comments or notes you’ve been given about the choir with the group.
7.Expand your Choir’s vision of their role in worship ministry. Help them to see that they are there to do more than just produce an anthem each week. Teach them that they can serve as worship leaders for congregational worship.
8.Keep a realistic timeline in mind.
When you are preparing for rehearsals, don’t try to cram too much music into one session. Confusion and poor preparation will be the result. Do allow several weeks of rehearsal on any new music that requires some time to “settle in”. Plan an adequate number of music rehearsals and tech rehearsals when preparing for any special program. Our choir often has Sunday afternoon rehearsals in addition to our Wednesday night rehearsals to help us prepare in the weeks leading up to a Christmas, Easter, or worship musical. We usually rehearse about an hour, beginning at 5:00 p.m. That’s the time which seems to work best for our group, but your group may have a different preference depending on factors like other schedule considerations and how far away they live from your church.
9.Provide and encourage training opportunities for your choir and all worship ministry personnel. Make sure that your tech team has adequate knowledge, and provide periodic training for them (bring in a specialist to teach and work with them for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon). After all, your choir could share an anthem beautifully, but it’s the tech team who will make sure it can be heard. Take worship ministry team members to conferences and concerts when possible. Encourage your worship ministry team to listen to contemporary Christian radio (at least occasionally). If you want to inspire multi-generational worship and a greater open-ness to new music, do what you can to introduce new music that can unite the generations in worshipping the Lord.
10.Use media to enhance the worship experience. If your church has screens, make sure that the lyrics of your anthems are on screens as the choir is singing. Use scenic or spiritually meaningful background photos for the text, and make sure that the text is in a color, size, and font that shows clearly all the way to the back of your worship center. After all, you have carefully chosen this music because of the messagethat it conveys. Whether your anthem has a message of praise or testimony, encouragement, affirmation, or exhortation, the words are important. Let’s be honest. Sometimes the most beautiful choral settings can make the text difficult to understand.Seeing the lyrics visually on screens employs the sense of sight to imprint the message your choir is sharing on the minds of your congregation more vividly. Your congregation is more likely to take away from the service something that has meaning to their walk as a Christian when every means has been utilized to enhance the worship experience, simply but effectively communicating visually as well as aurally. If you have the capability to make videos of lyrics that can employ photos as background for lyrics and perhaps snippets of video (something like a few seconds of video of a running stream when singing a message about living water), do that. However, keep in mind that it can be very difficult to stay with a video tempo-wise without a click track for the director and in-ear monitors for him or her and for key personnel such as accompanists or praise band (rhythm section) members. If your church does not have media capability, make sure that your anthem choice reflects this fact and that lyrics are as clearly understandable as possible. Use low tech but effective visual means to communicate what your choir is singing visually when possible (perhaps a banner proclaiming “Jesus is Lord” could be displayed when you are singing about the Lordship of Christ). Employ some talented people in your congregation to form a banner ministry and create visual representation of the names of God / Jesus that can be used for regular as well as special services to visually re-enforce the messages being sung and shared.
11.Choose music carefully.
Here are two of the most important considerations when choosing music. a. Keep the capability and number of your singers in mind. b. Know your congregation. The choir certainly seeks to glorify God in their ministry, but it is also important to encourage God’s people through music that is carefully chosen to reflect the make up of your congregation. In most churches, it works well to chose anthems which reflect a variety of styles. For example, you might choose a ballad style or more reflective anthem for one service and a more upbeat and celebratory anthem for the next. You might occasionally include an anthem that has a more southern gospel type style. Don’t neglest newer, more contemporary choral arrangements. You may be stretching your choir’s preferences when you introduce choral arrangements of contemporary worship songs, but this is one of the very things that will allow your choir to be more relevant to the hearts of all generations within your congregation. Remember that when God inspires new songs for His people and His church, they are often a revelation of truth or a truth stated in a new way. New songs are God speaking to hearts just as the new songs of 50 years ago did.
c. Pray for wisdom, and procede with care in every decision about music choice.
d. Make sure that the music has a clear message and is not too difficult. In making the difficuly decision, consider more than just the capabilities and confident vocal ranges of your Choir. Consider the difficulty of the accompaniment and the tech capabilities for making your choir heard.
e. Avoid “big ending syndrome”. Some Choral Anthems would not be as effective without a big ending. Just make sure that every single anthem does not end that way. Look for some anthems that fit your choir and have a great message with a more reflective ending. Have you heard the one about the little boy who asked his Mom, “Why does every song the choir sings end like this…?” (He demonstrates, with mouth open wide, tongue hanging out,…”AHHHH”)
f. Support any special emphases at your church with your music selection when possible.
(For example, a special emphasis on prayer would be a great time to sing an anthem that is a prayer set to music or an anthem that talks about God’s faithfulness in hearing our prayers.)
g. Be open to newer music yourself, recognizing it as a sign that God is still at work in the hearts of His people, young and old. Remember that both your choir and your congregation represent a variety of musical tastes. Continually stretch your own musical tastes and those of your choir and congregation by including new music in your repertoire that may be more contemporary in nature but has a message that will speak to the hearts of everyone who is there as a true worshipper. Worship should unite the generations. If your focus is on giving glory to God, using the best of more traditional music in various genres and the best of what is new as well, your choir will be more likely to grow, to include younger singers, and to minister more broadly to your congregation as they bring glory to God through their worship and praise. There is a lot of wonderful, God-honoring and exalting music out there in a wide variety of musical styles. If your choir sings wholeheartedly, no matter how many years (or months) ago God inspired the writing of their music, worship wins! God is honored when His people place worshipping Him and consideration for others above their own preferences.
Note: For further reading on the subject of new songs, see our post entitled, Singing a New Song
Here, we’ll offer a few suggestions of more contemporary choral settings that will be enjoyed and be very meaningful and worshipful, even for more traditional choirs and congregations.
1. “Blessings” Try Heather Sorenson’s arrangement of Laura Story’s song, “Blessings”, published by Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard. http://www.jwpepper.com/10292259.item
2. “Who Can Satisfy?” Our choir and our congregation both love a fantastic arrangement of Dennis Jernigan’s “Who Can Satisfy” by Gary Rhodes (Lifeway). The arrangement has a really strong choral setting of the chorus, “There is a fountain / Who is the King / Victorious warrior, and Lord of everything / My Rock, my Shelter / My very own… / Blessed redeemer, who reigns upon the throne”. The brief a cappella section during one of the repeats of the chorus is incredibly powerful (when sung well, of course). Our congregation loves it so much that they are now singing along on the chorus when Travis turns around to direct them. Here’s a link to the anthem: http://www.lifeway.com/Product/who-can-satisfy-satb-anthem-min-10-P001220705
There is not a listening link with the anthem info, so here is a Youtube video of the song being shared during a worship service, performed by Riverview Baptist Church Worship Choir, Bixby Oklahoma. ~ January 30, 2011. (Note: This is not our choir but just a video we were able to find with the same arrangement we use. There is also an arrangement of this song by Russell Mauldin for Word.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3brh8Bjcvc
3. “We Have Met to Worship” by Travis L. Boyd from Worship Sounds Music
This is a contemporary, guitar and piano driven, setting of the traditional hymn, “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship”, arranged for worship choir, praise band, and congregation with the addition of Travis’ chorus, “For He’s Worthy”. There’s also a full orchestration. Our congregation (all ages) loves it and took to it right away. You’ll find it on our Worship Sounds Music website’s “Solos / Worship Songs” page (info copied from the website is below).
Serving as a bridge between traditional hymns and modern worship songs, this arrangement features the hymn “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship,” combined with a new, contemporary chorus.
* Worship Pak, $15.00
(includes PDFs for the Choral parts, piano accompaniment, rhythm section parts, and a string reduction for keyboard, with permission to make an unlimited number of copies, as needed for your groups)
* Full orchestration, $25.00 (Bundled PDFs include Conductor’s score and reproducible parts for strings, winds, & percussion).
* Accompaniment Trax, $10.00 (MP3 download)
NOTE: At Worship Sounds Music, all of our music is downloadable, and there are never any additional “per copy” fees.
The cost for the PDF master copy (and your printing costs) are all that you will pay for as many copies as you need to make. Our goal is to be an affordable resource for worship choirs, soloists, and congregational worship, helping others to bring glory to God through their worship ministry.
Our demos can’t capture the live worship experience with the full choir, praise team, and musicians. Just imagine the choir singing these parts along with you (as worship leader) and the entire congregation.
SOMETHING ELSE FOR CHOIR DIRECTORS AND MINISTERS OF WORSHIP TO CONSIDER:
Georgia Minister of Music Greg Burrell (FBC, Barnesville) makes a good point about music selection and about extending the reach of choral worship ministry with this comment and the follow-up conversation from Facebook:
“Wow… comprehensive article! People LOVE a good choir, period! But what I’m learning is that we can’t relegate the choir to the “traditional” service, or it will become extinct. We have to make a choir work in the service where the younger people are, or it will age itself into oblivion.
If Bruce Springsteen performs with choirs, certainly we can make it work, too.”
Travis L BoydVery true, Greg. There are a lot of great choral arrangements of contemporary worship songs.
Greg BurrellAnd everyone loves black gospel. And once a month[in a more contemporary service, whatever frequency works in your situation], a truly powerful traditional anthem can reach people who never thought they liked that sort of thing… IF it is really done well! Anything a choir cannot do well, they shouldn’t be doing in worship. I’m speaking of adult choirs here; I don’t think anyone expects youth choirs to always be wonderful. (Editor’s note: Hopefully, most congregations will extend a lot of grace to student choirs who are just learning how to contribute as worship leaders and to sing in a choir, giving the youth an opportunity to grow through the experience.)
Note: To further clarify the point about the necessity of only sharing with the congregation that which can be performed with excellence… whatever the genre may be, Greg offers this example (paraphrased here):
“If the director loves “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place” and wants to show his congregation “what real music is”, then takes that song [choral anthem] into the worship service and it is only mediocre, he has only hurt his cause, not helped it. However, if he has time in [choir] rehearsal to play with “How Lovely…” and give his choir the great experience of getting to know the song, the investment of time can be valid, even if the song never makes it to the service.”
(Thank you for the feedback and for your permission to add it to the article, Greg.)
12. EXTENDING YOUR WORSHIP MINISTRY INTO THE COMMUNITY
FINALLY, take your choral worship ministry (and other worship ministry groups) outside the walls of the church and into the community and beyond as frequently as possible. Contact the facility and find out who to speak with about your group. Possible locations for ministry include: your State Capitol (optain permission through your Representative), nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rehab and long term care facilities (some do regular worship services, and some allow groups to come at other times), juvenile detention facilities, local arts festivals, a shelter or non-profit, a mall or shopping center (with permission – make sure that they will turn off their Muzak), a community or county-wide national day of prayer or patriotic observance, resorts or public entertainment venues (permission must be obtained, and some only permit outside concerts). Make sure that your music is appropriate for the setting. Performance is less important than ministry (by far!). Your choir might sing an anthem or two at the nursing home and then join residents in singing some favorite hymn tunes.
1. Make sure that the group which will be ministering off-site is well-prepared (confident that they know the music). aware of what to wear and what to bring, and aware of any rules for visitors to the location.
2. Make a pre-trip to the site so that you can see any logistical or space challenges and then prepare accordingly (bring needed equipment, sing without risers in a room with a low ceiling, etc.). Make sure that your group is physically able to meet the logistical challenges (bring a cart to help transport equipment, scout the equipment loading entrance and a drop off point for your group). Make sure there are adequate restroom facilities and that the trip to and from the venue is well-planned, allowing necessary stops for a meal or break at sensible times.
3. Build some time into your ministry schedule for relating to the people who have listened to your group. Help with a non-musical ministry task when possible.
4. Get creative and think of ways to minister in your own community and beyond. Make this a matter of prayer for everyone on your worship team.
“And serve them with all your soul in love, as unto our Lord and not as unto men.”
~ Ephesians 6:7 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
An important note about doing choral anthems with select singers on mics:
A comment was posted on a facebook link to this post which went something like this, “Don’t have the choir’s sound covered up by a few elite singers on individual mics!”
For so many of us who are choral purists, this is a really tough pill to swallow. However, we do need to keep in mind that a lot of Directors and Worship Ministers are doing what they have to do in order to allow their choirs to survive. Given the mandate, “contemporize or die”, most of us would choose a praise team on mics in front of the choir rather than the alternative of choral extinction. Hopefully, there are many situations out there where this mandate has not yet been spoken. For directors, my advice would be to choose to contemporize(at a pace and to an extent and frequency that suits your situation, tech capabilities, and musicians) and earnestly seek to speak to the hearts of all generations on your own… before the mandate comes down (perhaps avoiding the mandate altogether). In addition, my Minister of Worship hubby mentioned that sometimes the reason for having a few singers on mics is to addresss balance issues, especially when there is an orchestra in addition to accompanists and rhythm section.
The Trinity Worship Choir from Trinity Church (Assembly of God), Cedar Hill, TX, Minister of Worship Jeff Sparkman
GENERAL NEEDS:
1. Make sure that there is a time and a place for worship ministry rehearsal and preparation. Your worship ministry team will be as flexible as possible, but they do need some consideration.
2. Make sure that there is an adequate budget for worship ministry. There are ways to manage a worship ministry as frugally as possible, but the basic needs should be met.
3. Make sure that there is child care for rehearsals. If you want to encourage participation in worship ministry, this is a key priority.
4. Listen and act (as soon as possible!) when your Worship Pastor or Choir Director says that some equipment is seriously outdated and in need of replacement.
The Prestonwood Baptist Church Worship Choir, Plano, TX, directed by Worship Pastor Todd Bell
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” ~ Colossians 1:10
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ~ Romans 12:1 – 2
This post was written by Cynthia Boyd, with a great deal of input from Travis L. Boyd
NOTE: This post is a work in progress. Travis has contibuted to the content, but there is more work to be done. Specifically, I am going to have him refine the section on what Worship Pastors / Choir Directors can do and perhaps provide some additional guidance regarding practical matters such as song and anthem selection. In addition, we are open to the thoughts and ideas of others on this topic. Please let us know if there’s anything we failed to address in this article.
Here’s a link to our listening page for music by Travis L. Boyd of Worship Sounds Music.
You’ll hear publisher’s studio demos (from Lorenz, Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard, and Church Street), custom recordings, and our own demos for music that is offered only on WorshipSounds.com
Click this image to go to the General Usage Anthems page of our Worship Sounds Music website.
Here’s a link to our Worship Sounds Music website, where you will find downloadable Choral Anthems, Anthem Orchestrations, Vocal Solos, Worship Paks for our Congregational Worship Music, and Accompaniment Trax for both Anthems and Solos. All of our music is designed to be practical for worship ministry, Biblically sound, musically memorable, lyrically meaningful, and very affordable.
Help for teaching and learning about Worship
For Worship Pastors, Pastors, and Ministerial Staff
Worship Team Members, and Church Members
KEY QUESTION:
* What should every Minister or Worship Team member (and every Christian) know and understand about worship? *
Here is an excerpt from our post called “Understanding Worship”:
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“So many people seem to think that worship is a 25 minute time of singing just before the preaching begins in a congregational worship service. Others have actually been told that the purpose of congregational worship is to “prepare the hearts of the people to receive the message from God’s word” (preaching).
However, in reality,worship is worship! It is not preparation for anything… except Heaven!
While it is certainly true that God can use any part of a worship service to speak to hearts and to draw people to Himself, and while it’s also true that He can continue to speak through the remainder of the service, that is the work of God’s spirit. He will use whatever and whomever He chooses to use. If we are lifting up Jesus in worship, the Lord will do the drawing of people unto Himself. Remember that we are to give God glory through the way that we live all of our lives, so times of corporate worship should certainly not be the only times that God can use our witness and our surrender for His glory and for our good. However, we are not worshipping God because of what He will do. We are worshipping Him for who He is. His deeds are an expression of His being, but it is who He is that matters most.
Worship is our response to recognizing God’s ultimate worth.
The goal of worship is togive Godglory!
We do not worship God in order to prepare for something else or to obtain His favor. He gives His love and His favor freely because that is who He is. He is a loving and giving God… constantly giving life, mercy, love, grace, and our very breath through His sustaining power.
Yes, when we sing praises to God wholeheartedly, that is worship. We are reverently giving to God our praise, our thanks, our prayers, our lives, and our songs.
The preaching of God’s word is worship, too, when it brings God glory!
We worship through the proclamation of the word.
Unfortunately, many people have very wrong ideas about what worship is and how the concept of worship should fit into the everyday life of every Christian.
The primary focus for every Christian should be to relate to our holy God and worship Him, and yet we are woefully under-educated about how to do the very thing for which we were created and for which the church meets together every week. What day should we worship? Every day… not just on Sunday.
In a corporate worship service and in the way that we live our daily lives, our focus should be on worshipping God and giving Him glory. We choose to live our lives in thankfulness and in the awareness of God’s supremacy over everything, constantly seeking to give our best effort in every moment of our lives so that we may bring glory to Him. He is always giving, and we join Him in giving when we live our lives in an attitude of worship. Even as we give, He continues to give His spirit through us so that we can do all things through Christ. He blesses us with assurance and peace in His presence. He never stops giving.
However, when we view God only through the lens of our own lives, what we want Him to do for us, and the blessings we seek, then our focus becomes all about us.
We become more concerned about what we get out of worship and not concerned at all about what we give!
The Bible tells us repeatedly to give God honor, glory, blessing, praise, worship, exaltation, joyful singing, thanksgiving, reverence, awe, and all that we are. Just as He is constantly giving, we seek to give.
THIS IS THE KEY:
Worship (our response to our holy, almighty, and supreme God) is about giving!
It is not about us, or about our preferences, or about what we get out of the experience (although true worship does give back abundant blessings when we give Him the glory due His name!).
Worship is about seeing God for who He is…
the Creator of everything that is,
the Sustainer of Life,
the Holy and Righteous One,
the God of grace and glory,
the Merciful Father who sacrificed His one and only Son out of love for us!
Our response, then, becomes an effort to GIVE all that we are to Him, seeking to bring Him glory in all of life.
“Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘ Psalm 96:6 – 9
That is worship… worship as a lifestyle or way of life, seeking to bring God glory through giving Him all that we are… even our hurts and scars.
That’s what Jesus did and how He lived. He lived to bring glory to God through giving every moment as a sacrificial offering to His father, choosing obedience and God’s will over His own.
“When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which You gave me to do ;
and now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory which I had with You before the world was made.”” ~ John 17:1 – 5
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(The teaching on worship above is from “Understanding Worship” on the Worship Sounds Music blog)
If you disagree with the teaching that the act and the heart attitude of worship is one of seeking to glorify God as a result of recognizing who He is, giving Him all that we are, please read some of our other articles such as “A Lifestyle of Worship”. It’s relatively short and is a static page. You will find the title above the header photo (mountain scene) on our blog. The title is a clickable link to the page. In addition, read “Worship… It’s all about Giving!” and “The Missing Piece… ” (see info and links below).
Would you like to read some of our other articles on Choral Worship and on worship in general?
3. “Walking in Worship”
Note: This article has also been published in the online magazine, “ChurchMag” with its original title
@ http://churchm.ag/walking-in-worship/
and on churchleaders.com , using the title, “What Worship REALLY Means” @
OUR OTHER POSTS ABOUT WORSHIP: (Our pages, like the one on Lifestyle Worship, have titles that are always visible on the blog header. Our posts are categorized, and all of the posts on worship can be found in our category called “Worship…with Wonder!” (and the sub-categories in that topic). Here are links to 7 of our most widely read posts about worship.
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
Have you ever considered that your family could write your own praise Psalm? This would be a great thing for your family to do at Thanksgiving or at any time of year. After all, a psalm is simply a heartfelt prayer song to the Lord. Psalms are always honest. The Psalmists speak of times of difficulty in some songs, but they always come back to the fact that God is Supreme over all and that He is good and is worthy of our trust and our worship and praise. Psalms can be very personal, but at the same time they are universal in that the heart cries of the Psalmists of old still resonate with people today.
Living a life of trust and walking by faith are not always easy, so one thing that the Psalmists did was to declare their intention to honor their covenant relationship with God by choosing to be guided by God’s word or to praise the Lord every day. In addition, the Psalmists often spoke of who God is as far as His character. In the Psalms, we read of God’s holiness, righteousness, goodness, kindness, long suffering, His mercies, His everlasting love, His power and might, and His glory. The Psalmists were guided by their knowledge of who God is and their relationship with Him. In Psalms that were written in times of trial, the Psalmists call out to God because of the fact that they know He is good and loving and merciful. In good times. the Psalmists exalt the Lord because of His kindness and long suffering that has been revealed through both trials and blessings.
We all have life stories and faith journeys, just like the Psalmists. Every individual story is unique, and every family has their own journey as well. In order to focus on the element of praise in your family’s Psalm, it is helpful to look at two of the most well known praise Psalms in the Bible. Both are very short (only 5 – 6 verses), and they are a good model for your family’s prayer of praise. So, here are two scripture memory photos for Psalm 100 and Psalm 150. These can be printed in whatever size works best for you and used for your family times of devotion. Perhaps your family can memorize the five verses of Psalm 100 one month and the six verses of Psalm 150 the next. Or, spend some time reading and talking about these two Psalms during a couple of your family worship times. Look at the times that are mentioned when the Psalmist praised the Lord. Look at the attributes and actions of God that the Psalmist praised. Look at the commitments to the Lord that the Psalmist mentions in the verses. What actions or attitudes have the Psalmists chosen for themselves in order to demonstrate their praise to God? How can your family demonstrate your praise and thanksgiving? At what times of day and in what places can your family express their praise? Read through the two brief praise Psalms above and below this paragraph, and then think about what your family’s praise Psalm would say.
WRITING YOUR FAMILY PRAISE PSALM
Make your family’s praise Psalm as unique and personal as you desire. You can frame a copy for each child’s room or for your family room if desired. Just make sure that it reflects your family’s desire to praise and thank the Lord for who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing in your lives. Your praise Psalm should state your family’s intention to be faithful to God in praise as He has been faithful to you in everything. Most importantly, your praise Psalm should be true to scripture. Have fun working together with your family to figure out what your praise Psalm should say. Below, you will find a set of suggestions for writing your praise Psalm that would be easily understood by most children. This can be printed and used to guide that process of writing if you feel that it would be helpful.
Print this guideline to help your family write a Praise Psalm, or write the suggestions on sentence strips and give each family member one suggestion to work on as their contribution to your family’s Praise Psalm.
MY FAMILY’S PRAISE PSALM
“Praise the Lord! Praise Him wherever you are.
Praise God when you get up in the morning to get ready for the day.
Praise Him when you go to school or when you run to play.
Praise God when you are with your brothers and when you are alone.
Praise God at church; Praise God at home.
Think of God and praise him all day long.
Praise Him with a thank you song.
Praise God when it is time for slumber;
Count your blessings…what a number!
Praise the Lord! Praise Him everywhere you go,
Praise Him for all of the love that you know.
For our God is so good.
His promises are true.
His love lasts forever. His mercies are new.
Praise Him with your family.
Praise Him with your friends.
His love lasts forever. His grace never ends.
Praise the Lord!”
(Your Praise Psalm doesn’t have to be poetic. Ours just came out that way. Just make sure that your Praise Psalm reflects your family’s personal opportunities to praise the Lord, some reasons to praise Him, and your intention to do just that.)
Blessings to you and your family as you walk with the Lord day by day and choose to praise and worship the Lord together!
The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make! The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation. Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.
Many Christians try to do what they know they need to do in order to grow as a Christian and become more like Jesus. We read our Bibles, we pray, we attend church, we sing songs of worship, and we try to be a witness for Christ through the way we live our lives as well as by what we say. Some Christians even take responsibility for sharing the good news about Jesus when the opportunity arises. Sadly, for many Christians, there is still a nagging feeling that something is missing. My personal belief, based upon years of learning from scripture, from the writings and teachings of others (through books, sermons, articles, and conferences), and from my own experience, is that true worship is the missing piece.
KEY A: RELATIONSHIP THROUGH WORSHIP True worship connects us to the very heart of God like nothing else can.
Jesus said to the woman at the well that God is Spirit and that all who truly worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) Jesus named only two requirements for authentic worship, and yet there are many Christians who don’t feel that they really understand what it means to worship. Others may not have spent much time thinking about worship but would admit that their corporate worship experiences seem to be lacking in some way and that their personal worship time is practically non-existant.
Remember that Jesus could have spoken to the woman at the well about anything, and yet He chose to talk about worship. Certainly, acts of service and devotion are vitally important. So is sharing the gospel, as well as other critical elements of the Christian life, such as discipleship, fellowship with other believers, Biblical knowledge, and prayer, And yet, Jesus chose to talk about worship His conversation with the Samaritan woman was life changing for her. She was confronted with the truth about who she was. She initially recognized that Jesus must somehow be very closely related to God since He knew everything about her, and she ultimately realized that she was seeing God Himself in the form of a man. The woman’s response to these revelations of truth (who Jesus/God is and who she was) revealed the change that had occured in her life as a result of her encounter with Christ. She, who had been such an outcast that she ceme to the well alone at a time when no one else would be there, suddenly wanted to tell everyone what had just happened to her. She wanted to run into town to tell them about the man she had met and what He said. She was full of joy and excitement. She had recognized her need, seen the fulfillment of that need in Christ, said “yes!” in her heart, and was ready to share the news! That’s what true worship does. It changes us, empowers us, fills us with wonder and joy, and makes us want to share what (and Who!) we have known and experienced with others. When we see God for Who He really is, the transformation that occurs as a result of that encounter with the living God is a part of why worship is so important for me, for you, and for every Christian.
Here are some truths about worship and some practical helps for understanding your role as a worshipper.
Key B: UNDERSTANDING WORSHIP BEGINS
WITH UNDERSTANDING WHO GOD REALLY IS.
Worship is not some mystical activity that only people who have a Doctorate in Theology can understand. God is revealed to us through His presence, through the Holy Spirit, through His word, and through the blessings and even challenges of life when we are looiking for His hand at work.
Simply stated, our lives, our thoughts, and the attitudes of our hearts matter to God. If we are going to seek to live a life that uplifts and blesses the lives of others and honors our Creator God through purity of purpose and a legacy of lasting (eternal) impact on the world, God knows that we must first be in right relationship with Him. He longs for us to know Him as He knows us. After we have come into relationship with God by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this is where worship comes into the picture. When we begin to understand who God really is and catch a vision of His infinite love and mercy, our reasonable response to this revelation of truth is…worship.
Remember that God does not desire our worship so that he can become great. He is already great. He does not need to be elected as “Supreme Ruler of the Universe” by all of humanity. He is already the supreme ruler of the universe. God does not desire empty accolades or flowery speeches of devotion. He desires relationship with us.
KEY C:THE MINDSET OF WORSHIP We are never closer to the heart of God than when we
* see ourselves and our need for God
at the same time that we
* see who He is (our all-sufficient Creator, Savior, and Sustainer)
and then respond in true worship.
Worship God in Spirit and Truth
KEY D: THE REQUIREMENTS FOR WORSHIP
1. JESUS SAID THAT WE MUST WORSHIP “IN SPIRIT”.
How can that happen?
What do we need in order for relationship with God to happen so that we can worship God in Spirit? First, we need a bridge of salvation from God to man so that we can accept His provision for our spiritual need and allow Him to begin to work in our hearts, minds, and souls. Accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior allows God to begin the process of making us holy so that one day we can dwell with Him (without making Heaven unholy). If we are going to be in relationship with Him while still on earth and in the process of becoming like Christ, we must be given spiritual understanding and spiritual life. To accomplish this, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live within us when we come to know Him. Even a child can understand that Jesus gave His life in order to pay the penalty for our sin. It doesn’t take a college degree to grasp the fact that our salvation is the beginning of a process of becoming like Christ so that we may one day dwell with God in a holy place where none of the consequences of sin can exist. However, we must move on from that beginning point of salvation to learning and growing in the deeper spiritual truths, including our understanding of worship, which we can do with the help of God’s spirit, who leads us into all truth when we are seeking more.
So, God has done the initial work of making our salvation and relationship with Him possible. He has done the important work of helping us to grow in Christ through the indwelling of His Spirit, and He has also done the work of fulfilling the first requirement of true worship through the indwelling. We can worship God “in Spirit” when we have the Spirit of God living within us after accepting Christ as our Savior (as long as we don’t allow sin or the concerns of the world to drown out the still, small voice of God’s spirit). Remember what Jesus said. God is Spirit, and when we worship Him “in Spirit”, we are connecting spiritually in a unique way. Father God who sustains us and who has provided a a way of salvation throught Jesus, God the Son, responds to the Spirit of God within us.
2. JESUS SAID THAT WE MUST WORSHIP “IN TRUTH”.
True worship comes with surrender and getting real.
What about the “in truth” requirement for worship? What does that mean?
First, as we come to an understanding of who God is and His characteristics as the Creator and Lord of all, at some point we learn that God knows all and that He looks upon our hearts. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows us more intimately than anyone else ever could. He knows our fears, our failures, our sorrows, our sin, our hopes, our loves, and our priorities. He knows what we worship. Our job is to get real with Him. We must come to realize that faking spiritual life or pretending to surrender to God or acting the part of a genuine worshipper will never be enough for true relationship with Him.
If we say that we worship God and yet devote most of our energy and thoughts to something else (even to all of the busy-ness of serving God that we sometimes allow to become a substitute for knowing and worshipping Him), God knows it. He does not want us to have divided hearts, and He longs for us to be spared the eventual pain that comes with focusing our lives too much on temporary pleasures or things or human relationships without seeking Him first. Since He knows our hearts and fully understands our spiritual struggles, it does no good to try to fool God with a “show” of worship. He is not fooled. We are only fooling ourselves, and we are falling into the trap of settling for less of God than He wants to give.
All to Jesus I surrender…
Secondly, we need to realize what God’s true nature is in relation to us, His children. Jesus said that God is a giver who desires to give good gifts to His children. (Matthew 7:11) We can never out-give God, and yet we try to hold part of ourselves back from relationship to Him, thinking that we don’t want to lose our identity. However, it is only when we are able to let go and give ourselves fully to God that He can show us what abundant life means. He can then show us our true identity in Him (who He made us to be). When we begin to understand the revelation of what God will do through us as we surrender to Him, we can begin the process of fully becoming every part of the whole of our true identity. This is why Jesus said that He that tries to keep his life will lose it. While we won’t lose our salvation if we never fully surrender to God, we will lose the eternal impact that our lives were meant to have. We will lose the fullest meaning and purpose that our lives could have had. We will also lose out on abundant life.
Thirdly, we have to get real. It is only when we are willing to be real and honest with God (and even tell Him about our struggles to surrender fully to Him) that He can begin to work with the truth that we have accepted about ourselves and begin to teach us the joys of a life that is being transformed from the inside out. When we trust God with the truth (that He already knows) and come to Him with real desire to move forward in becoming like Christ, even though we know that we have a long way to go in that journey, that desire to bring God glory with our lives by becoming more like Christ is true worship.Our lives become the intentional expression of our desire to bring God glory through recognizing His infinite worth.* We then choose to allow God to fill us with His spiritual life as we continually surrender our mess to Him. That process is living Romans 12:1-2, our reasonable service of worship. That is living in an authentic relationship with God, worshipping Him in truth, as we continue to give Him our mess and allow Him to make our lives a message of God’s glory through a transformed life.
Romans 12
New International Version (NIV)
A Living Sacrifice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
KEY E: GOD AND JESUS LEAD THE WAY IN SACRIFICIAL GIVING
Remember these truths:
God is not asking us to do anything that He himself has not already done! He gave Himself.
At a time when we were all takers, He gave. We continue to take, and He continues to give.
Only true worship breaks the “cycle of taking” in our lives,
As we seek to giveHim glory in all of life through living a life of worship.
Restating and expanding upon Key E: When we worship God, we become part of an endless (eternal) cycle of giving which God began, which He continues in every moment, which He will continue throughout eternity, and of which He is always a part. (even when we are not in giving mode)
(i) God began the giving.
1 Peter 1:20
“He (Jesus) was chosen (as our Redeemer, whose live would be given for all) before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
John 3;16 (NLT) “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
(ii) God continues to give in every moment of time.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17
(Note that God’s nature is that of a giver and that He does not change!)
22The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”… – Lamentations 3:22 – 24
(iii) God will continue giving throughout all eternity.
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” – I Corinthians 2:9
“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” – Revelation 21:23
(iv) God is always a part of an eternal cycle of giving.
“If you then, imperfect as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” – Matthew 7:11 (WNT)
Therefore…
Key F: WORSHIP IS ABOUT GIVING OURSELVES TO A LOVING GOD WHO HAS GIVEN HIMSELF FOR US AND WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE THROUGHOUT ALL OF ETERNITY.
Many people don’t realize that the pervasive attitude of consumerism in society has leached into our mindsets about worship. If we view worship as something that should be done only on Sundays and only during a corporate worship service, we have not understood the concept of lifestyle worship (worshiping God through the way that we live our lives by seeking to give Him glory in all that we do and all that we are becoming). If we view worship from the standpoint of how much we are “getting out of it”, then we misunderstand worship completely. Worship is not about the occasional obligatory 25 minutes of singing that some just endure during a church worship service. Worship is also not about consuming a commodity. It is not a cheeseburger or a steak. It is not about your musical preferences or mine. It is not about seeing and being seen. Worship is not something that we do in order to check all of the spiritual boxes.
Instead, worship can become our natural state of being as we learn more and more about our merciful God, our victorious Savior, and our ever-present guide and helper, God’s indwelling and holy Spirit (then choosing to respond to all that He is with all that we are).
THE KEY TRUTH: Worship is about giving.
Giving in daily life…
Lift up His name!
If we understand that worship is about giving, we can choose to live with an attitude of true worship (though none of us can accomplish it perfectly in this life). We can seek to continually express God’s infinite worth* through living in such a way that every part of our lives ultimately brings Him glory. This is something that we cannot do in our own strength. In order to continue the process of becoming like Christ as we seek to live a live that brings God glory, we need God’s help in many ways. He gives us guidance and strength through His word, through His presence, and through dwelling within us in Spirit. Even as we are sseking to give worship to God through living “as unto the Lord and not unto men”, He continues to give!
Living in an attitude of worship, presenting our selves unto the Lord as a living sacrifice, is our “reasonable service of worship”. (Romans 12:1 & 2)
To state this truth in another way. because of all that God has done, is continuing to do, and will do throughout all of eternity, we choose moment by moment to live in such a way that our lives bring glory to God, even in the small, everyday things.
“Whatever you are doing, let your hearts be in your work, as a thing done for the Lord and not for men.” – Colossians 3:23 (Weymouth New Testament)
“And serve them with all your soul in love, as unto our Lord and not as unto men,” – Ephesians 6:7 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – I Corinthians 10:31 NASB
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:17
“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 4:11
Giving in times of corporate worship…
Worship from the heart
If we understand that worship is about giving, then we can come to a corporate worship service with a heart that is ready to give! Whether things in our lives seem to be going well or whether we are struggling or dealing with many trials, the fact remains that both a private worship time and times of corporate worship are about giving. Even when the cares of life are weighing us down, we can be honest in prayer and tell God that we are feeling drained and exhausted and worn to a frazzle. He already knows everything we are facing and everything we are feeling anyway, so we are simply coming into agreement with the truth when we admit our status before Him. Then, we can choose to give the sacrifice of praise by making a symbolic mental, emotional, and spiritual exchange. We give our burdens to God and exchange the spirit of heaviness that had been pressing the life right out of us for that lovely garment of praise.
When we lift up the Lord, He lifts us up, too! We can never out-give God because He is constantly giving more and more. There will always be an infinite number of reasons to praise Him. When we come into a time of corporate worship ready to give the Lord praise, honor, exaltation, blessing, surrender, our lives and hearts, our focus, our struggles, our longings, and our raw need for God and for all that He is to be reflected in our lives, He will meet us right where we are and complete the cirlcle of giving (of which He is always a part).
WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GIVE?
1. We are to give GodTHANKSGIVING and PRAISE!
* Psalm 100:4 ”Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
* Psalm 9:1 & 2 “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.”
2. We are to give God GLORY!
(or, glorify Him)
* Psalm 86:12 “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.”
* Psalm 96:6 – 9 “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”
3. We are to give God AWE and REVERENCE, acknowledging Him as the Lord and Creator of all.
(In some verses and some translations, “the fear of the Lord”)
* Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
* Psalm 86:9 – 12 “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”
4. We are to give God BLESSING. (Bless the Lord, bless the name of the Lord)
* Psalm 103:22 ”Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!”
* Psalm 28:6 & 7 “Blessed be the Lord! for He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”
5.We are to give HimEXALTATION!* (or exalt Him, exalt His name)
1. to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc.
2. to praise highly; glorify; extol
* Psalm 34:3 “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
*NOTE: The word ‘exaltation’ sometimes gets confused with ‘exultation’, for which the definition is “to rejoice greatly, be jubilant or triumphant (or, as in triumph. We rejoice greatly in His triumph.) — same source
6. We are to give HimSERVICE!
(giving of our hearts, our time, our gifts, and our lives in serving Him)
* Joshua 24:15 ”If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
7. We are to give Him WORSHIP! True worship rises up from the people of God, who are choosing to intentionally express His infinite worth! **
**(see note at end of post)
You have probably noticed by now that there is some overlap in the various types of giving to the Lord. For example, in singing praise to God, we can bless His name. In the worship category of giving, there is overlap with all other types of giving. All of these ways of giving to the Lord are worship (lifestyle worship) when we are giving with the purpose of bringing glory to God and expressing His infinite worth through giving our best to God in every area of our lives.
* Psalm 29:2 ”Honor the LORD for the glory of His name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.”
* Phillippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
8. We are to give Him our songs (SING UNTO HIM)!
* Psalm 5:11 ”But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.”
* Psalm 30:4 “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.”
* Psalm 59:16 & 17 “I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.” Psalm 59:16 & 17“I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.”
9. We are to give Him TITHES and OFFERINGS!
* Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
* Exodus 35:29 “The children of Israel brought a voluntary offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart prompted them to bring for all manner of work, which Jehovah, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.”
10. We are to give Him HONOR!
* Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
* Psalm 96:6 – 9 “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”
* Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income.”
Just as we would honor a guest in our home by seeking to serve our best meal and prepare diligently so that all will be able to enjoy the best time of fellowship, we choose to give unto the Lord the best of all that we are and all that we have for His honor. We honor the Lord by giving, just as He has chosen to honor us by seeking fellowship with us and reaching out to us through the gift of His very best.
11. We are to give Him LOVE!
The words of Jesus Himself in Mark 12:30 “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.”
* Psalm 31:23 “Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.”
* Joshua 22:5 “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”
* Psalm 116:1 “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.”
12. We are to give Him OUR WHOLE HEART AND LIFE!
* I Chronicles 28:9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
* Mark 8:35 “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”
The Final KEY TRUTH:
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR CORPORATE WORSHIP WITH GOD’S PEOPLE.
It is wonderful to have a personal understanding of worship that aligns with what scripture teaches, and it is vitally important that every Christian also begins to follow through and move forward from having knowledge about worship to actually putting into practice the truths that we have learned. In other words, each of us must begin to view ourselves as not only a child of God, servant of God, and disciple of Christ but also as a worshipper. The Bible tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Through worship, we are seeking more than just answered prayers and strength or comfort. We are actually seeking to bless the heart of God with our own desire to give Him glory. In choosing to live all of life with an attitude of worship, we are seeking to choose in every moment to do, say, and think in a God-honoring way. Again, we will fall short, but our effort and our heart for God will not escape His notice. He will meet with us in those moments of focused worship, and He will bless our efforts to bring Him glory through living in an attitude of worship.
Personal worship and living a lifestyle of worship are wonderful and essential to the life of every growing Christian, but those two elements of growth as a worshipper are not enough without regular corporate worship times with your church family. Times of worship with the body of Christ are essential for the body and for the individuals who make up the body. Here is what the Bible says about our need for corporate worship:
“We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.” – Hebrews 10:25 (God’s Word translation)
Seeing the scripture within the context of other verses, consider the application for such a time as this:
A Call to Persevere
…23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.…
Restated: In order to persevere in our faith, we must not waver in our commitment to be a part of the body of Christ and to worship with the body of Christ. We must hold on with all of our might to the certain hope we have been given, recognizing God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises. We must encourage one another and work together to love each other within the church fellowship and to demonstrate the love of Christ to the world. We must serve together, doing what is good in helping others both inside and outside of the church, in the name of Jesus. We must learn and grow spiritually through the process of study and sharing testimonies of God’s faithfulness and proclamation of the Word.
And, we should remember that all of these things (corporate worship and all of the loving, serving, discipleship, and fellowship through the body) that can only be done by continuing to meet, worship, fellowship, and serve together as a bodybecome even more important as time moves closer and closer to the return of Christ.
You and I cannot be who we need to be as Christians if we forsake meeting togther.
If we are going to live in a way that honors and reverences the blood of Christ which sanctifies us, the passage goes on to say, we must demonstrate our love and commitment to the Lord through loving His body, the church, and meeting together with other believers for the primary purpose of worship and for discipleship, fellowship, outreach / missions, and service. Verse 26 even refers back to the mention of forsaking meeting together and calls such practice “deliberate sin’, going on to talk about God’s judgement for those who have “spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the convenant, and outraged the Spirit of Grace” (vs. 29). God does not take it lightly when those who know Him (and whom Jesus died to save) reject His body, the church.
Remember that we (Christians who make up the body of Christ) are all in the process of growing to be more Christlike, and we are all in different stages of spiritual growth. Sometimes other Christians will disappoint or even hurt us. We need to extend the same grace that we have been given to our fellow believers. They may not have yet reached the point of conviction about something that they have done or are doing that is wrong or has been hurtful (sometimes unintentionally) to the body. However, we can choose to demonstrate the love of Christ and the grace and mercy of God to them, knowing that love always hopes, always believes, and always trusts. You may not be able to trust an individual, but you can trust the God who is at work in your heart and in theirs.
We are a family of brothers and sisters in Christ, and the same principles of forgiveness, moving forward, and talking through problems that you follow with your own family must also be followed with your spiritual family. This is one of the ways that we encourage one another to good works (one of the reasons given for not forsaking the assembling together of God’s family). Forgiveness and reconciliation, resulting in spiritual growth for both parties and in greater harmony within the body, are good works! Don’t allow your “right” to nurse a grudge or hang on to a hurt or misunderstanding to cause you to sin against the blood of Christ.
Remember, there is no substitute for worshipping together with other believers.
May God bless you as you seek to worship Him both personally and corporately, living a life that brings Him glory and discovering that relating to God as a 24/7 worshipper is the missing piece that you have longed to find.
Colossians 1:10 “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
You may want to read some of our other posts and pages about worship:
OUR OTHER POSTS ABOUT WORSHIP: (Our pages, like the one on Lifestyle Worship, have titles that are always visible on the blog header. Our posts are categorized, and all of the posts on worship can be found in our category called “Worship…with Wonder!”
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”
~ Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)
I love Psalm 100!
These 5 short verses are a prescription for a life of thanksgiving and praise!
Within these verses, we find the “why” of praise.
Why do we praise God?
* 1 * Because He is good(verse 5)
* 2 * Because His mercy is everlasting (verse 5 ~ some translations use “steadfast love”)
* 3 * Because His truth endures to all generations (v. 5 ~ some versions say “faithfulness”)
* 4 * Because we are His people (v. 3)
* 5 * Because He is like a Shepherd to us (v. 3 ~ He cares for our needs since we are the sheep of His pasture.)
* 6 * Because the pasture is His (v. 3 ~ We dwell within His creation, another provision.)
* 7 * Because He is God (v.3)
* 8 * Because He made us (v. 3)
* 9 * Because anything we have as far as abilities and gifts (anything good within us) came from Him (v. 3 ~ We didn’t make ourselves.)
* 10 * Because He allows us to come into His presence (v. 4 ~ We can enter His gates, His courts.)
* 11 * Because He wants to be in relationship and fellowship with us, He gives us the keys to His presence. (v. 4 He tells us that thanksgiving and praise are the outer and inner gateways to communion with Him.)
* 12 * Because He wants us to be glad and to be joyful, to have hearts that sing. (v. 1 & 2 ~ He even wants to hear and share in our joy!)
Did you see those 12 reasons for praise in the 5 verses of Psalm 100 before? I have read this Psalm hundreds of times in the 35 years since I became a Christian, but I don’t think I saw all of the reasons for praise until I started looking for them.
Isn’t it amazing that our God is so good that we can find 12 reasons for praising Him in only 5 short verses of scripture. He is amazing! THAT’S WHY WE PRAISE HIM!
The Lord is great, He is Sovereign, He is personal, He is a loving and caring Shepherd, He claims us as His own, He wants us to know Him, He is a God of truth, He is merciful (FULL of mercy), He is a giver, He is generous (desiring our joy!), He has our best interests at heart, and He is powerful.
He is God.
Knowing the 5 verses of Psalm 100 can be a lifelong reminder of the reasons to praise Him. There’s something else in these verses as well. We not only have the “why” of praise in Psalm 100. We also have the “how”.
So, how are we to praise the Lord?
* with a joyful noise (v. 1)
* with glad hearts as we serve Him (v. 2)
* with singing (v. 2)
* with the reverent recognition of who He is (v. 3)
* with thanksgiving (v. 4)
* with blessing for His name (v. 4)
* with knowledge that praise is the password to His presence (v. 4)
* with the desire to go deeper in seeking and knowing Him (also v. 4, drawing near as we come into his courts)
Finally, we find that remembering the how and why of praise found in Psalm 100 can help us to live in fellowship with the Lord as we continually look for more reasons to give Him praise and seek to live our lives for His glory.
There are many benefits to living a life of praise, because praise is good medicine!
Unlike prescriptions for medication, praise has no harmful side effects. The benefits of praise are spiritual, emotional, mental, and even physical.
Here are 10 of the benefits of praise:
* Praise focuses our attention on the eternal and causes us to let go of our earthly concerns for a while.
* Praise reminds us why we love and trust our great God. It reminds us who He is.
* Praise helps us to remember that God’s salvation goes beyond meeting our greatest need (for Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior) to meeting our everyday needs through all of the ways that God shepherds and cares for us and helps us to grow in grace.
* When we praise the Lord specifically for all that He is and all that He has done, we are confronted with God’s sovereignty, Jesus’ glory as the only begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit’s comfort and guidance.
* Praise brings peace to our hearts because it reminds us that He is our peace.
* Praise makes us glad as we remember that He is the joy of every longing heart.
* Praise gives us eternal perspective and helps us hold on to faith in God, even when things don’t seem to make sense.
* Praise allows God to meet us where we are and minister to us at the point of our deepest need.
* Praise takes our eyes off of ourselves and focuses them on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
* Praise allows us to give something of eternal value to the Giver of all things. We can give something of eternal value only because God invested Himself in us when He chose to die for us. He can redeem us through the power of His great love and make us into eternal beings who will see His glory and become worthy of His presence through the shedding of His own blood. He gives value to our weakest effort. His strength is perfected in our human weakness. As we praise Him, we recognize and affirm His infinite worth and supreme glory as the God of all creation. He, in turn, lifts us up with the knowledge that He cares for us and values our lives, our souls, and even our human efforts to live in such a way that our lives bring Him glory.
With results like that, this prescription for praise should be administered daily!
See the information below about our most often read blog post, 31 Days of Praise, to give you a full month of praise scripture devotions.
Below, you will find a memorization helper photo for Psalm 100. Print it in whatever size works for you, and use it as a memory aide to help you learn the 5 incredible verses of Psalm 100.
Use this scripture memory photo for the 5 verses of Psalm 100 to read it aloud each day and memorize this passage
This blog post originally was (and still is) the praise devotion for day 17 in our “31 Days of Praise” blog post (see link below).
Most of the devotions consist of a praise verse, a truth about praise drawn from that verse, and a short, devotional paragraph with thoughts about praise inspired by that verse. However, this particular devotion is longer…quite a bit longer. It is the only long-ish devotion in “31 Days of Praise” because there’s just so much in Psalm 100. The more I looked, the more I found, and the more there was to share about this passage of scripture and our great God. With this much to share, I decided after I published the 31 devotions that this particular devotion needed to become a separate post as well. Psalm 100 is even more special to me now that the Lord has revealed so much about it and about Himself through it. We hope that this post will be a blessing. Don’t forget to check out “31 Days of Praise” for 30 short devotions about praise + one that is a little long-ish.
This post was written by Cynthia A. Boyd.
This post can be reprinted in an unpaid church publication as long as the author’s name and blog URL are included. It does need to be printed in its entirety. We stand by each post on our blog, so we require that no edits be made. Even the tiniest edit might alter the meaning or original intent of a post. For a paid publication, obtaining permission is required.
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
“Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 30:4
As Choir members (soloists, vocalists in ensembles or Praise Teams), we are in a position of leadership in Worship Ministry every time that we are in the loft or on the platform.
We need to have a clear understanding of praise and worship in order to both personally worship the Lord and to lead others in worship. First, we must understand the difference between praise and worship.
Consider this fact: the Bible speaks about praise and worship in distinctive ways, sometimes using both words in the same passage of scripture.
* “O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.” Psalm 51:15
* “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise!” Psalm 66:1
* “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30
* “Praise ye the Lord; O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all His praise?” Psalm 106:1 & 2
In the verses above, certain facts about praise begin to emerge.
1. Praise is outward. It is sung or spoken; it is uttered; it is shown forth.
2. Praise focuses on the attributes of God and what He has done.
3. Praise is obviously important, for we are told repeatedly to do it.
Now, lets look at some verses that talk about worship.
* “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘ Psalm 96:6 – 9
* (Jesus speaking) “The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipperswill worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23 & 24
* “I appeal to you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1
* “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28
From these scriptures, we see several truths about worship.
1. Worship is our response to who God is and what He has done, as we lovingly and reverently choose to acknowledge God’s supremacy over all of Creation and his ultimate worth as Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Comforter, and the Author and Finisher of our faith.
2. Worship must be done in honesty, knowing that God sees our hearts. We worship Him truthfully as we come to Him in a spirit of humility and acknowledge our own faults and even our struggles with faith and doubt. Truthful worship honors God because we are trusting our weaknesses to Him, knowing that He is good.
3. Worship that is acceptable and holy to God involves a commitment of all our our lives, choosing to live in a way that honors God and give Him glory. He has sacrificed His all for us; and we, in turn, become living sacrifices to Him as we commit ourselves to living reverently. Notice that the physical (presenting of our bodies and our lives as an offering to the Lord) becomes spiritual (our spiritual worship) as we respond to God’s mercies by lovingly giving ourselves.
4. No matter what has happened in our lives, true worship involves choosing gratitude to God as we recognize that what is temporary is only part of reality. We look forward in faith, with the assurance that the eternal reality we will someday experience in full will replace all sorrow and pain with joy and the complete knowledge of how much we are loved.
With the fundamental understanding that praise is choosing to express our acknowledgement of who God is and what He has done and that worship is our loving and reverent response to God’s goodness and love in every area of our lives, let us continue to focus on the role of God’s singers in praise and worship. Although we are always concerned with musical excellence, that concern is secondary to the intentional commitment of our voices in praise and our hearts and lives in worship.
“As a worship pastor and a choir leader, I am constantly desiring to walk the line where authenticity and excellence meet, ministering deeply to the hearts of people, and, more importantly to the heart of God.”
– Travis Cottrell, Christian Artist, worship pastor, songwriter
Let’s look at a Psalm that puts our lives and God’s supremacy into perspective.
Psalm 103
English Standard Version (ESV)
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame;He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
So, WHY DO WE PRAISE THE LORD?
1) Because the very greatness of God demands it.
2) Because we have been very blessed.
3) Because it helps us to focus on God and not on ourselves.
4) Because praise helps to prepare our hearts for God to do a work in them.
WHY DO WE SING PRAISES TO GOD AS A CHOIR?
1) Because it is Biblical.
2) Because it is a powerful way to express praise to God
3) Because it adds energy and life to the times of focused, congregational worship
4) Because a choir is able to prepare expressions of praise that a congregation can not.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER WHEN SINGING IN CHOIR?
1) We are a singing group, not a group of singers. We are joining our voices together in praise, with the ultimate goal of bringing glory to God.
This choir is aware that part of communicating the message effectively is eye contact and facial expression. They are visually engaged in worship when they sing.
2) We must do all we can do to help further an atmosphere conducive to leading God’s people in worship each week.
a. We must have invested the time to be prepared (musically and spiritually).
b. We must be ready to serve the Lord through worship ministry, bringing a servant’s attitude.
c. Our countenance (facial expression and radiance) should be a reflection of worship and praise as well.
d. We must be authentic worshippers who seek to live a lifestyle of worship throughout the week.
3) The reason that we have come together is not to sing. It is to worship. Singing is a part of our worship as we seek to bring glory to God and to express our praise to Him, but the heart of worship is our desire to intentionally express God’s ultimate worth through all that we are.
WORSHIP SCRIPTURES
“But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in reverence, and awe of You.” Psalm 5:7
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is Holy.” Psalm 99:5
“Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘ Psalm 96:6 – 9
“And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”‘ Luke 4:7
(Jesus speaking) “The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23 & 24
“I appeal to you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28
“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful are Thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify Thy name, O Lord? For Thou alone art Holy. All nations shall come and worship Thee, for Thy judgements have been revealed.” Revelation 15:3 & 4
(Below, you will find information about praise and worship from a leadership course about what it means to praise God and what it means to worship God. The information has been slightly and condensed and edited.) The web address for the resource found below is http://leresources.com/praise_and_worship.html
Praise and worship are distinct, yet closely related activities.
A. Praise is an outward expression of your love for God. It is a natural and very important part of worship, which is our loving response to the presence of God in our lives.
1.Praise is a choice. You can choose to express your love for God at any time, and in any situation. You can praise Him for who He is, for what He has done, and for what He has promised to do.
2. Your praise can be addressed directly to God, but it is often directed to others around us, proclaiming His greatness and encouraging others to praise Him. Praise can even be directed to the spiritual forces in the heavenlies, proclaiming the greatness of the true God.
3. Though God certainly knows when we are in an attitude of praise and hears the praises of our hearts, we must remember that, by definition, praise must be expressed. If you have thought about something nice regarding someone you know but have not expressed those thoughts verbally, you have not praised him or her. Within gatherings such as the congregation and within relationships, praise is expressed by voicing our love and admiration, often specifically mentioning the attributes or actions of the person being praised. Praise can be written, spoken or sung; but it must be expressed.
4. When you praise God, He will respond by manifesting His presence to you. When you experience God’s presence, you are able to respond directly to Him, and tell Him how much you love Him. That response is called worship. In worship, you experience intimacy with God, and express your adoration to Him.
B.Praise is the gateway through which we must pass to enter into the presence of God and worship Him.
1. Praise and worship are the activities of heaven and are also very important for the Body of Christ on Earth.
2. If you do not learn to praise God as He wants to be praised, you will fail to experience His presence, and your worship will be lacking.
3. You were created to praise and worship God. (See Romans 12:1) When you give yourself to the activity of praise and worship, you are fulfilling the purpose for which you are made. Because of this, the praise and worship of God brings a fulfillment and satisfaction that nothing else in the universe can bring.
C. It pleases God when we praise Him.
1.The Psalms tell us that God comes and manifests His presence in our midst when we praise Him. He inhabits the praises of His people!
2. The importance that God places on praise is revealed by the frequency of scriptural exhortations about it. The most frequent exhortation in all of the Bible is to PRAISE THE LORD! (It is also interesting to note that the longest book in the Bible is the book of Psalms — a book of praise songs!)
D. It is important to God how you praise and worship Him.
1.The example of the tabernacle of Moses in the Old Testament shows us that God has the right to be praised and worshipped as HE desires. When the people chose to disregard His instructions and follow their own ideas and traditions, He was displeased!
2. If we are to praise and worship God, we must look to His Word to understand how He desires to be praised and worshipped. We must allow God to instruct us about how we are to offer up our praise and commit to doing so!
What is Praise?
A Remember the definition of praise: Biblical praise is the free expressionof love and appreciation to God.
1.It is important that you love God. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is that you love the Lord your God. It is also important, however, for that love to be expressed outwardly.
2 . A husband and wife may love each other; but if that love is never expressed, if there are no loving words or actions exchanged, their relationship is not good. A general principle is: When love is not expressed, it shrivels up and dies. When love is expressed, it grows.
3.It is important for your love of God to be expressed outwardly. That outward expression of your love for Him is PRAISE.
B. How can we express our love for God in a way that pleases Him?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” — Mk 12:30
1. We must open our hearts to God and not attempt to withhold any part of our lives and hearts from Him. He knows all about us, anyway.
2. Because we are emotional beings, we must not suppress genuine emotion in expressing our praise.
3. Praise must come from our innermost being (our soul), which involves choosing to surrender our will. The decision to praise is a decision of the will.
4. Even though we are emotional beings, our decision to praise the Lord must not be based upon feelings or circumstances. In the Psalms, we can see that David spoke to his soul even in the midst of despair and commanded it, “Praise the Lord, O my soul!” David made a decision, an act of the will, that he would praise the Lord even if he did not feel like it.Psalm 146 says, “I will praise the Lord all my life, I will sing praise to Him as long as I live!” That is a choice! Very often, the times when we do not feel like praising are the very times we need to praise God most. We need to decide to praise Him because He is worthy of praise, even when we do not feel like it! When we make that choice, we are expressing love for God from our very souls.
5. Our minds must be fixed upon God, and our praise must be more than simple repetition. This involves our intellect. This is important! Some people express praise to God that has no meaning. They just say, over and over, “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” God wants your love to be expressed with your minds. To praise God deeply, you need to express a real understanding of who God is.
4 Our strength is also to be employed in expressing our love for God through praise. Praise involves physical activity. The Bible talks of David “praising God with all of his might.” (2 Sam 6:14). That is expressing love with your strength.
C.Why is Praise Important?
Eph 1:6,12,14 and 1 Pet 2:9 state that one of God’s purposes for saving us is to be a people who would show forth His praises in the earth.
1.Praise aligns our hearts to God.
2. Praise opens our hearts to receive from Him.
3. Praise clears away distractions. Only when we choose to focus on praising the Lord can we clear our minds of other concerns.
4. Praise builds faith. As we choose to focus on praising God rather than upon our problems, faith rises within us.
5. Praise brings His presence. When we truly praise God, His presence is manifested in your midst, often in a very tangible way. We know that God is present everywhere, at all times and that there is nothing that is out of His control (His omipresence). We also know that, for every person who is a true believer in Jesus Christ, God lives within that individual in a special way. (When you trusted in Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit of God took up residence in your heart. He is always with you to comfort, to enlighten, and to teach you as you read His Word. You may not feel His presence, but by faith you can know that He is there. This is God’s indwelling presence.) What the Bible speaks of when scripture says that God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3) is His manifest presence.
a)God’s presence is manifest when He chooses to make His presence known. It is when He makes Himself tangible to you. You experience Him and enter into a spiritual intimacy with Him. This is also when His power is revealed. (Power is an outflow of communion with Him.)
b)When we experience the manifest presence of God, He is there to heal, to comfort, to energize His gifts, or to manifest His power. If you want to experience God’s presence, and see God work in power in your life, the solution is to learn to praise Him.
6. Praise defeats the enemy. See Psalm 149: The first six verses give us a beautiful description of praise, but in verse 7 and following, it changes to a description of warfare.There are times when you know you are under attack. Everything seems to go wrong. Many times, it is just after you have made a step forward in your spiritual life. Sometimes it is when you are just getting ready to begin a new area of ministrWhat do you do when the enemy attacks? One solution is to praise God.
How is Praise Expressed?
In the Old Testament, there are seven Hebrew words used for praise. Each one of these describes a specific way of expressing your love to God.
A.The Physical Expression of Praise.
1.Yadah and Towdah (to praise with lifted hands).
a)The first two words for praise are very similar in meaning. They are Yadah and Towdah. They both come from the Hebrew word that means “to extend the hand”. These two describe an expression of praise by extending the hands upward to God in adoration.
b)“Yadah” is the most frequently used word for praise in the Bible. Most of the exhortations to praise use this word.
c)The lifting of hands is an outward expression of love, dependency, submission, and appreciation.
d)When you raise your hands to God, it tells your mind that you are dealing with someone greater than you are.
2.Barak (To bend the knee in praise, to bow down before).
a)“Barak” describes an expression of praise that uses not just the hands, but the whole body. It is the expression of praise by kneeling or bowing down to God.
b)When we bow down before God, we are acknowledging Him as our Lord, the King of the universe. It is very appropriate to express our praise to Him in this way.
c)Your bodies were designed by God to be instruments to express His praise. It is valid to stand, kneel, lift your hands, or fall down on your face before Him. God wants you to be free to express your praise to him with your bodies.
B.The Musical Expression of Praise.
Music is spiritually significant for a number of reasons. Music makes you sensitive to hear God (2 Kings 3:14-16), it communicates spiritual truth (Col 3:16), and (if played under the anointing of God) it can drive away spiritual enemies (1 Sam 16:14-23).
1.Zamar (to praise God with a musical instrument).
a)Zamar comes from a root word that means “to pluck strings of a musical instrument.” This word is used in several passages, including Psalm 135:3 and Psalm 147:7. (This is the Hebrew word we get the word “Psalms” from. The Psalms were songs to be sung together with instruments.)
b)The Bible indicates that the instrumental part of the music is important. Psalm 150 exhorts us to praise God on string, wind, and percussion instruments. The Israelites used all the instruments they had as instruments for praising God.
2.Tehillah (to express praise in song).
a)The word “tehillah comes from a root word that means “to sing.”
b)It is used in such passages as Psalm 34:1-2. “His praise (tehillah) shall continually be in my mouth” and Psalm 100:4, “Enter His courts with praise (tehillah).”
c)Not all singing is praise, even if you are singing hymns or praise songs. Singing songs of praise becomes praise when you are singing to the Lord as an expression of love to Him.
d)In Eph 5:19 and Col 3:16, Paul describes three categories of songs to sing to the Lord.
Psalms – The Psalms are Biblical songs. Even though we do not know the original tunes to the Psalms, we can take the words of the Psalms and set them to music and sing these inspired songs to God.
Hymns – Hymns are songs of praise to God that are not part of the Bible. The modern expressions of praise we sing today, as well as the hymns written through the history of the church, would all be included in the category of hymns.
Spiritual Songs – Spiritual songs are songs given by the Spirit, for a particular moment. They are a spontaneous expression of love for God. There are two categories of spiritual songs:
C.The Free Expression of Joy
Sometimes God wants you to be deep and thoughtful in your expression of love, but at other times the love inside of you wants to burst forth in free expression. There are times when you want to shout it from the rooftops! There are two words that describe this kind of praise:
1.Halal (to celebrate)
a)“halal” is a Hebrew word that means to celebrate.
b)Halal means to express your love for God by joyously and freely celebrating before Him.
c)Biblical descriptions of Halal involve clapping hands, dancing, shouting, and rejoicing before the Lord. This word is used in such passages as Psalm 47:1-6 and Psalm 150.
d)It is from the word “halal” that we get the word “hallelujah”. (Hallelujah is an exhortation to have a halal for Yahweh).
In 2nd Samuel 6, when the ark was brought into Jerusalem, David took off his robe and danced before the Lord. (That was halal.) His wife, Michal, watched David dance and despised him for it. When he returned, she criticized him and accused him of making a fool of himself by dancing before the Lord.
David responded to Michal by saying that it was all right to look foolish for God. He told her that he would continue to be foolish for God, because everything he had was given to him by God.
The passage concludes by mentioning God’s judgment on Michal for criticizing David’s dancing. Because she despised David’s joyful praise, God made Michal barren for the rest of her life. The lesson here is to be careful of criticizing other people’s praise.
2.Shabach (to shout).
a)“Shabach” means to praise in a loud tone, to shout, or to shout in triumph. It is used in such passages as Ps 117:1 and Ps 147:12. This form of praise is common in the Bible.
b)In Nehemiah, the people rejoiced before the Lord; and the noise of their celebration was so loud that it could be heard a long way off. They were shouting before the Lord.
c)Rev 19:1, 4-6: In this description of heavenly praise, the roar of all the heavenly hosts shouting their praises is so loud that it sounds like thunder.
If your praise is weak, your worship will be shallow. If you enter into the high praises of God and praise Him with all of your might, you will find that your high praise will be followed by a time of deep worship.
When we worship, we are expressing our reverent love and devotion to God. Worship is the act of doing something like reading the Bible, praying, or singing. However, worship is not limited to only to these things. When we praise, we are expressing our admiration for God; we are lifting Him up in exaltation. Praise is the act of celebrating or boasting about the Lord. Praise can be done through song, poems, or confessing the goodness of God to others. We should be giving God our praise and worship through our daily lives. We can do this at home, in our work place, on the bus – wherever we are! Praise and worship is a way of life, the very heartbeat of our relationship with God.
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Praise To God – The Importance of Praise
Praise to God is what we offer in acknowledgement of God’s excellent being. You might think that praise is the same as saying “thank you,” but there is a difference. Thanksgiving describes our attitude toward what God has done, while praise is offered for who God is. Psalm 18:3 says “I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise…”
All believers are commanded to praise God! In fact, Isaiah 43:21 explains that praise is one reason we were created, “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” Hebrews 13:15 confirms this: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.”
Praise originates in a heart full of love toward God. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Are you a Christian today? If so, you know that you love God because He first loved you! Without God’s love, any praise you can offer is hollow. Love, born from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, is an essential part of your praise.
Praise To God – How to Praise God
How can you bring praise to God? What can you do to make it an integral part of your life? Praise can be expressed in song, in verse, or in prayer and it is to be done continuously! Psalm 34:1 instructs, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Psalm 71:6 says, “From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.”
Praise to God is expressed outwardly through our everyday actions, as well as inwardly in our thoughts. Praise is an act of Christian worship.
“Where do I begin?” you may ask. “How do I start praising God?” If praising God is new to you, try praising God for who He is to you, personally. Proclaim that God’s goodness is without measure; it is abundant and overflowing! Here are some ways to get started:
• Praise God for His holiness, mercy, and justice (2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 99:3-4).
• Praise God for His grace (Ephesians 1:6).
• Praise Him for His goodness (Psalm 135:3).
• Praise God for His kindness (Psalm 117).
• Praise God for His salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Praise to God can be offered anywhere! In time, it will become as normal as taking a breath. Sometimes we praise God inwardly as in Psalm 9:2, “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Other times we have opportunity to give glory and praise to our God publicly. Psalm 22:22 says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.” Search out opportunities to bring praise to God!
Praise To God – Who Praises God?
Praise to God, while offered particularly by His children as the freewill expression of grateful hearts, will one day be offered by everyone! The Bible says that when He comes again, all mankind will praise Him and acknowledge Him as Lord. He is King over all the earth. When we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our hearts long to praise His name. Philippians 2:9-11 tells us His name represents His being, describing who He is, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The Bible also records:
• All nature praises God (Psalm 148:7-10).
• The sun, moon, and stars praise Him (Psalm 19:1 and 148:3).
• The angels praise Him (Psalm 148:2).
• Even the wrath of men is used by God to praise Himself (Psalm 76:10).
• Children are to be taught to praise God (Psalm 78:4).
Praise To God – Do You Proclaim His Praise?
Your praise to God is evidenced through your salvation. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
The book “God’s Singers”, by Dave Williamson, is a great resource for Worship Leaders and Choir Directors. Singers would enjoy the special Singer’s edition of the book. Here is a review of the book, from Worship Leader online magazine.
Author: Warren Anderson Every so often a worship music book is published that becomes recognizable as the definitive, go-to reference for its particular genre in its particular generation. In our time, if you wish to talk about the history of music in the Church, go to Paul Westermeyer’s Te Deum. If building a case for congregational song is your desire, your first stop should be John Bell’s A Case for Congregational Song. Want a grad-school-level analysis of how contemporary worship music is used these days? The Message in the Music (Robert Woods and Brian Walrath) is your best bet.Dave Williamson’s God Singers joins these other must-haves where the specific subject of worship-leading choirs is concerned. Every possible topic that should be covered in a book of this nature is here. Biblical support for the use of choirs in worship? Check. Lots and lots of practical how-to’s for getting the best sound out of your singers? Got it. Sociological discussions of issues inherent in corporate ministry, even ones peculiar to choral singing? Yep. Stylistic techniques for transforming your choristers into a black-gospel choir, a rock choir, or a modern-worship choir—i.e., what to do with vibrato, vocal licks, and syncopation? They’re here. Helpful appendices from Williamson’s 40 years in the biz? Nine of them. Consider purchasing the (condensed) singer’s edition for your choir members and the (expanded) director’s edition, which includes a CD-ROM of ancillaries, for yourself. Highly recommended. Title: God’s Singers Author: Dave Williamson Publisher: In:cite Media
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
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“When the fullness of time had come, God reached down and sent His Son.”
Christmas is coming!
Here are some SATB Christmas Anthems from Worship Sounds Music
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“A Christmas Hymn”
(subtitle: Christ is Born Today, SATB)
Written by Worship Pastor and Composer Travis L. Boyd, “A Christmas Hymn” is subtitled “Christ is Born Today”. The message is a proclamation of Christ’s birth, sharing all He came to be as the “crowning jewel of God’s great plan”.
The Accompaniment Track, as heard in this music video, works for either the Choral or Solo version of the Song. “A Christmas Hymn” is available as an SATB Choral and as a Vocal Solo. The mp3 Accompaniment Track also comes with a lead sheet.
“O, Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
MEDIUM DIFFICULTY SATB
A fresh, new arrangement of the well-loved Christmas carol, this anthem features a rhythmic verse section with a new melody in a minor key. The longing for the coming Messiah comes through clearly as the familiar words are heard in their new melodic setting. The traditional refrain is woven into this arrangement, with a special treatment for one of the verses. This anthem is suitable for Adult or Youth Choirs. It would be an excellent anthem for Advent or your Christmas program.
PLEASE VIEW THIS VIDEO DEMO IN FULLSCREEN MODE TO SEE LYRICS BEST.
“The Praises of the King”
MEDIUM DIFFICULTY SATB
This anthem is a rhythm, energetic song of praise that will have your choir and congregation rejoicing! It would work well as an opening song or closer for your Christmas program or a wonderful anthem to use during the advent season. Both the introduction and the ending for this anthem feature some of the melody from “For Unto Us a Child is Born”. Some creative options for this anthem include using it as a combined Adult and Student Choir anthem. The 2-Part verses could be sung by the Youth Choir, leading into the full SATB sections where the Adult Choir would join. In addition, the verses could be sung as a male/female duet, with the same duet on both verses or a different pair of singers for each verse. “The Praises of the King” is suitable for Adult or Youth Choirs.
“Glory to the Newborn King”
MODERATELY DIFFICULT SATB
This anthem is a bluesy, rockin’ celebration of Christ’s birth. Your choir will find this one easy to learn and fun to sing, and the joyful message will resonate with your congregation.
“Christmas Joy”
MODERATELY DIFFICULT SATB
This 6/8 anthem is perfect for the Christmas Season. It could be sung by Youth or Adult Choirs or in a combined choir presentation. It’s length and the upbeat style and message make this anthem appropriate for any worship service or Advent program.
“God Reached Down”
MODERATELY DIFFICULT SATB
This anthem is a meaningful and lyrical testimony of God’s love for us as “reached down, and sent His Son”. It features an optional flute descant. Your choir and congregation will be touched by this message about the incredible gift given to us through the birth of Christ.
I have always loved music, and I love to sing; but the reasons that I love to sing in my church choir are are so much deeper than that. Here are the top ten reasons why I love to sing in the choir at my church:
MY TOP TEN REASONS
FOR JOYFULLY SINGING IN THE CHURCH CHOIR
1. Singing in my church choir gives me an opportunity to express my love for the Lord.
I am so thankful for God’s love and mercy and for the sacrificial life and death of Jesus and the victory of His resurrection. How else could I express the profound spiritual understanding of the goodness of God that goes beyond words and is only revealed in my heart through the work of God’s Holy Spirit? Someimes, within the congregation, it is only through musical praise that I feel I have done all that I can do, with God’s help, to share the message of God’s salvation and His incredible love for me and for all of mankind.
“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” Psalm 105:1 – 3
2. Singing in my church choir is more than a hobby or an activity. It is a calling.
What an incredible privilege it is to know that God has allowed me to have the ability to participate in something that brings Him glory as those who love the Lord assemble together for worship! He has made each of us with particular gifts and talents. I believe that the calling to minister through these gifts is what gives faithful choir members the passion to continue their service and to strive for excellence in expressing their praise to the Lord.
There is a lot of * JOY * in fulfilling your calling and in giving praise to the Lord, who has given us everything we’ve ever had and all that we ever will have!
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 108:1 – 5
Lift up His name!
3. Singing in my church choir allows for a type of expression of praise to the Lord that could not be accomplished in any other way.
Although I love all kinds of music and all kinds of arrangements, there are some songs, some lyrics, and some messages that just would not have the same intensity of expression if they were shared in any other way than through choral singing. The Hallelujah Chorus is one such example. Can you imagine it as a solo? It just would not have the same impact. There is something about voices joined together as a choir to share a message for God’s glory that is just a very unique means of expression. Although Tom Fettke’s “The Majesty and Glory of Your Name” or Heather Sorenson’s “God of Heaven” would still have a beautiful melody when sung as a solo, the impact would not be as great as if a choir were singing these worshipful anthems and joining their hearts and souls to bring glory to God in a soaring or contemplative or victorious or joyous choral arrangement.
“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!” Psalm 107:21 & 22
4. Singing in my church choir allows me to participate in the overall ministry of leading in worship, which is a joy and a privilege.
As long as I have a voice, I want to use it to praise God. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to use my voice and even the expression on my face to proclaim God’s goodness through all of the musical praise during congregational worship. I realize that the choir is not just there to sing an anthem or to perform. We are there to worship and to lead in worship. Whether we are singing a new song or an old song, a hymn, a worship song, a choral anthem, or a musical benediction, it is a joy to share these messages of hope and faith with the people of God and to gather in God’s name for the purpose of bringing Him glory.
“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.” Psalm 107:31 & 32
5. Singing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs has given me many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ in many settings, throughout my home country and in other countries as well.
Whether a choir is singing in an outdoor setting, a shopping mall, a small church, a prison, a nursing home or assisted living center, a juvenile detention center, a community center, a state capitol building, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D. C., or in a great concert hall in Australia or a public school in Russia, the opportunity to bring glory to God and to share the message of His love and mercy is a blessing and an incredibly humbling miracle of God’s grace! If God had not saved a wretch like me, I would have no message to share anywhere!
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)
Psalm 107:8
6. Singing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs has implanted incredibly profound messages within my heart and soul through the lyrics of the songs that I have been able to sing.
I have been incredibly blessed to invest time in learning these wonderful words and then have had the blessing of remembering them so often as the Lord uses them to speak to my heart over and over again. Often, the words of sacred choral anthems are either entirely scripture, based upon scripture, are paraphrases of scripture, or contain some scriptural content. Singing them helps me to learn and to remember scripture passages and spiritual truths. As a choir member, I am not just singing these songs once a week on Sunday morning. Because of the work aspect that goes into preparation for sharing these messages in worship, we really live with these incredible words, and they have a deep impact in our lives. What a joy it is to sing these messages, live these truths, and share these words of truth and hope, faith and love, blessing and victory, challenge and mercy, and ministry and grace!
“O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.” Psalm 96:1 – 4a
7. Singing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs has allowed me to get to know so many wonderful people who love the Lord and have a heart of service.
A choir becomes a family as we serve together and care for one another. We pray for one another. We love each other and share God’s love with each other. There is an incredible bond when you have worshiped and cried and smiled and laughed and worked and learned and prayed together. I can sing a wrong note or sing in the wrong place, and my choir family just considers such things to be part of the process of learning the music and growing in faith and in musical expression together. I have never heard anyone groan or complain about singing the same portion of a song over and over in order to get it right. We embrace our humanity as we strive to sing beyond our own abilities in order to bring God glory.
“Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house, ever singing Thy praise! Selah” Psalm 84:4
8. Singing in my church choir allows me to participate in something that is so much bigger than myself.
The spiritual and emotional and mental messages that flow out of the marriage of music and lyrics in each song become so much more meaningful as I sing with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I know something of their stories and their lives. I know when someone is singing about God’s healing for broken hearts with deep emotion that flows from their own fountain of personal pain. I know when someone is singing of the joy of the Lord even when they have just experienced a personal loss. I know when the message of Christ’s victory over death has very personal meaning to one of my dear sisters or brothers. I know when the hearts of all of us are touched with God’s mercy and when the joy is so real that I am amazed that it is not visible in the air around us. So, not only is the sound and the arrangement something that I could never accomplish on my own. The collective testimony of this group and the way that God is ministering to our individual hearts as we sing (and to us and through us as a choir) create an impact through the very real and heartfelt sharing of musical testimony that extends far beyond myself or any one individual.
“O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” Psalm 95:1 – 7a
9. I believe that singing praise to God is the closest thing to Heaven that I can experience on this earth.
What could be better than the times when I have the blessing of joining my own voice and heart with the voices and hearts of a group of people whose desire is to praise God, encourage God’s people, share the story of who God is and what He has done, tell the good news of Jesus, and bring blessing and honor and glory to God? The Bible speaks of the singers and the musicians and of choirs. The scriptures talk about the voice of God and how He rejoices over us with singing. There is something special about the way that God created us to use music as a form of expression that goes far beyond words. If is much more that the music itself. It is about how God Himself speaks through the music and then allows us to speak to Him and about Him through the music.
“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful are Thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify Thy name, O Lord? For Thou alone art Holy. All nations shall come and worship Thee, for Thy judgements have been revealed.” Revelation 15:3 & 4
10. I love to sing in my church choir and in other Christian choirs because of the incredible songs that God has inspired men and women to write, which then become part of my own spiritual journey.
I believe that before a spiritual song can touch the hearts of people, God must first touch the heart of the song-writer (composer) of the song. I believe (and know!) that every song begins with a revelation of truth from God or a new way of looking at or expressing a truth already known. It is like experiencing my own spiritual journey as I try, then make mistakes, and then try again in rehearsal, while simultaneously experiencing the revelations that flow from the spiritual journeys of others. I have learned so much, and my own journey has been blessed beyond words by the profound spiritual truth that I have learned through the songs I’ve been priveleged to sing with my brothers and sisters in Christ. To me, a choir rehearsal is not just working on music. It is a time of worship. I have wept as my heart has been moved by the message of a song. I have reached out to grab the hand of a friend. I have felt my heart swell until I thought I might burst. I have experienced joy so great that I was amazed to find my feet still on the floor. My soul has been convicted and stirred. My heart has been broken and mended and strengthened and challenged. My faith has grown. I have walked through deep valleys and enjoyed the view from some mountaintops… all while praising the Lord through the songs that he has inspired men and women to write and then to arrange for choir, for the blending and unity of hearts and minds and souls as we learn and grow and rejoice together in this lovely, human expression of the eternal and divine that we call choir.
“The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the burnt offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. And Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.” II Chronicles 29:26 – 30
What a blessing a joy it has been to sing in church choirs and in other choirs made up of my brothers and sisters in Christ! I will continue to praise the Lord through choral music for as long as I have the opportunity. I am so thankful to God for my salvation and for His presence in my life. I cannot help but sing.
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This post was written by Cynthia A. Boyd, with thanksgiving to God for giving me something of eternal meaning and worth to sing about, and with love and appreciation for my favorite Choral Director, Travis L. Boyd, for giving me a love song in this life.
I am also thankful for all of the wonderful choral and band directors and voice and piano teachers who have taught me so much about music and then about singing and playing music for more than the here and now. They include: Dr. Jon Duncan, Dr. Bill Green, Dr. Terry Segress, Eugene Beck, Steve Westmoreland, Dr. Charles Jurrens, Mrs. Betty Westomoreland, Dr. Robert Reynolds, Faye Casey, John Robinson, Steve Smith, John Casey, Dr. Charles Chapman, Dr. Merle Taff, Lillian Loe-Stoddard, Eugene Butler, Dr. Irving Bunton, Lloyd Pfautsch, Wynn Anne Hook, Ron Stanton, Eph Ely, and John Gerber, who was directing the invitation hymn when I laid down my music and left the choir loft to say “yes” to Jesus.
Sharing this post: In order to share this blog post with your choir, congregation, or worship team, a link to this post may appear in a newsletter, bulletin, or e-mail. In addition, reprint information is provided below (as a result of the volume of inquiries). Link to the post: https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/why-i-love-to-sing-in-the-choir/
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REPRINT INFORMATION FOR THIS ARTICLE
Non-paid publications: This article may be re-printed in non-paid publications (church newsletters, bulletins) without further permisson, provided that the author’s name is posted at the end of the article, along with the link to our blog: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com
Paid publications: To reprint all (or a portion) of the article in a paid publication, permission must be obtained. You may comment on this post in order to request permission, stating the type of publication (and terms) plus providing a return e-mail address for a reply from us. Your comment will not be seen by others since comments to our blog are not seen publically unless we approve them, and we will reply within 48 hours (unless providentially hindered).
Internet postings: In order to post this article online on your own site (other worship blogs, music ministry or church websites), you must have a working link back to our blog, with a notation that states: This article, and many others, can be found on the Worship Sounds blog at http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com In addition, the article must be posted in its entirely. If it is going to be online, we prefer that the original wording stays intact. An edited version might read differently from our intent.
So, online postings must:
1. Contain the statement previously mentioned.
2. Be un-edited, posted as written.
3. Contain the author’s name at the end of the article, as it appears in the blog post.
We will stand by our words and prefer to have the opportunity to answer any inquiries about the content of the article ourselves. Let us hear from you! We would love to hear about how the Lord has used the message of this article to encourage and inspire your choir, worship team, or congregation. If you can do a follow-up comment after sharing it, that would be a real blessing to us. Thank you so much for your interest in spreading the word about the very vital and incredible experince of being a part of a worshipping choir and worship ministry in general. It is an indescribable blessing.
…And we all thank You, Lord, for allowing us to have a part in leading others to worship You!!”
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Here are two of my favorite choral anthems, written by my husband, Worship Minister and Composer Travis L. Boyd.
For more information about this anthem, with purchasing links, click on the title to go to our Sound Cloud page for “Jesus, My Redeemer”. There is also a set of other Publishers’ demos on our Sound Cloud.
For more information about this anthem, with purchasing links, click on the title to go to our Sound Cloud page for “Praise God”. There is also a set of other Publishers’ demos on our Sound Cloud.
Information about additional Choral Anthems, Orchestrations, Vocal Solos, and Congregational worship music by Travis L. Boyd, which can be found on our Worship Sounds Music website, is below.
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Click this image to go to our WorshipSounds website.
Find Worshipful CHORAL MUSIC for your Choir written by Travis L. Boyd of Worship Sounds Music at the links in our sidebar, especially Sheet Music Plus.
You’ll find downloadable and print Choral Anthems for Adult Choirs, Senior Adult Choirs, and Student Choirs in several voicings (SATB, SAB, SSATB, 2-Part, SSAA, and TTBB). Many of our anthems also have Full Orchestrations available, and some also have downloadable Mp3 Accompaniment Tracks. In addition, at Sheet Music Plus, you’ll also find our Vocal Solos, with most available in 3 keys, Solo Accompaniment Tracks, and Congregational worship music.
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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend? Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/ Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
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Worship Sounds Music Blog Blessings of Faith. Songs of Worship, Life of Joy!
Below you will find 5 songs with messages about the cross. The music players take a moment to load. If you wait a moment to click “play” until the music players are completely loaded, they will work.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Ephesians 1:7
“This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
I John 4:9 – 10
“He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”
I Peter 2:24
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”
I Peter 3:18
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
John 3:16 – 17
* INFORMATION ABOUT THE MUSIC *
Song 1: “Jesus, My Redeemer” was written by Travis L. Boyd and published as an SATB Choral Anthem by Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard.
(more complete information, including purchasing links, can be found at this link: https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/jesus-my-redeemer )
Song 2: “More Than a Cross” was written by Travis L. Boyd and published by Lifeway.
(more complete information, including purchasing info, can be found at this link: https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/more-than-a-cross )
Song 3: “He Took Up A Cross” was written by Travis L. Boyd and recorded by The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green, on their CD entitled, “The Lord is My Light”. (The SATB Choral Anthem for “He Took Up a Cross” is available on the Adult Choir page of our Worship Sounds Music website at http://www.worshipsounds.com )
Song 4: “For the Sins of All” was written by Travis L. Boyd and is available as a Vocal Solo and as an SATB Choral Anthem on our Worship Sounds Music website at http://www.worshipsounds.com )
Song 5: “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” was written by Travis L. Boyd and published as an SATB Choral Anthem with Full Orchestration available by the Lorenz Corporation.
(More information, including purchasing links, is available at this link: https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/amazing-grace-eternal-life )
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Do you know Jesus?
The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make! The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation. Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus. http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
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Worship Sounds Music Blog Blessings of Faith. Songs of Worship, Life of Joy!
What does the Bible have to say about new songs or new music, and what can new songs mean for us?
Here are some scripture verses about a having a new song and some thoughts about how new songs can bring new life.
A new song, wherever you are!
Sing a new song to the LORD. Sing His praise from the ends of the earth, you people who sail on the seas and all the creatures that live in them, youcoastlands and all who live on them.
– Isaiah 42:10
God has given us the gift of music so that we might creatively express thoughts and feelings with a depth of emotional and spiritual meaning that goes beyond what mere words can convey. He has given music as a tool whereby we might respond and communicate with each other and with Him. He has given us the ability to appreciate and enjoy music. And, He has given us the ability to create music.
When we return a new song to God in praise, we have completed a circle of giving. He gives the capabilities to hear various pitches, to internalize rhythms, and to understand the meaning of lyrics. He has created, and He gives us the ability to create. God has given to us a revelation of truth or a new way to express truth that becomes the message and style, melody and rhythm, harmony and expression of the new song. Together, these elements form the whole of a gift that we can then give back to our Father God as we worship Him.
No matter where we are, we can live in relationship with God in a way that allows Him to give us a song. Whether your song is one you recently discovered, written by someone else, which expresses exactly where you are on your spiritual journey or whether God used your gifts to write the song 6 minutes ago, He knows when our hearts are pouring out a new message of love and thankfulness to HIm.
A new song as a personal expression of worship
I will sing a new song to You, O God; Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You.
At its highest and noblest purpose, music can be a vehicle whereby we communicate the truths of God’s word or His character and lift that message up to God in worship, with the purpose of bringing glory to Him, encouraging the body of Christ, and sharing a message of testimony and truth that God’s Spirit can use to draw hearts to the Lord.
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
– Psalm 149:1
There are times when we need a new song. Perhaps the songs we already know don’t say exactly what we want to say. Perhaps God has given inspiration for both melody and words to say something new or to share a well-loved truth in a new way. Every song begins with an idea, whether that idea is a musical idea or a lyrical one. However, songs that are written to bring glory to God begin with something more profound: a revelation. God speaks to the heart of the songwriter or lyric writer through His Spirit, through the Word, through something that someone says, or a book or article, or even through His creation. A revelation of spiritual truth can also come through the lessons in a time of trial or even in a time of victory as we learn to trust God in all of life. All of these kinds of experiences can be used by God to inspire someone that He has gifted with songwriting abilities in the creation of a new song. This song in turn can become a vehicle for the writer and sometimes for the praise of the congregation or for multititudes of congregations.
A new song as a hymn of praise and a powerful testimony that draws others to the Lord
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.
– Psalm 40:3
In our experience, the music that Travis has been inspired to write has been a chronicle of our spiritual journey and what the Lord has been doing in our hearts along the way. Many of these songs were born out of a moment of recognition or revelation when a spiritual lesson was beginning to become a clear guiding light of recognizable truth that God would use to move us further along down the road to becoming more like Jesus. Many of these spiritual life lessons are truths that we thought we already knew. However, God has allowed us to experience them in a deeper or more profound way that has changed our perspective, focused our efforts, and refined our character. For example, we had always heard and read and known intellectually that God is faithful. However, through some rocky experiences over a long period of time and the simple fact that we were able to hang in there and keep hoping until we saw the faithfulness of God manifested in various situations, God taught us again to trust His faithfulness. We learned once more that we could choose to trust Him even when we had no understanding of why things happened as they did and even when every fiber of our being was desperately crying out for resolution to pain and crisis NOW! We learned that we have the easy part (if you could call waiting in desperation easy) of just holding on, while God is not only working throughout the situation but also working in the hearts of we who are struggling to believe while knowing that we must believe even when belief seems contrary to every indicator of reality. How patient He is with us as we learn the same lessons over and over again, hopefully at a deeper level of spiritual understanding and growth. Out of such experiences came songs like Travis’ “God is Faithful,” “I Am Here,” (the assurance of God’s presence) and “Much More Than a Song” (the recognition of the fact that God is worthy of praise in any circumstance).
A new song as a Psalm of thanks for what God has done.
Sing a new song to the LORD, for he has done wonderful deeds. His righthand has won a mighty victory; His holy arm has shown his saving power!
– Psalm 98:1
The fact that God continues to give “a new song” is an encouragement for individual Christians and for the people of God. It means that God is still at work in the hearts of His people. It means that God is still “with us” and is striving to complete His work in our lives, as He has promised. It means that God’s patience (long-suffering) is still delaying His judgement of this world because of His mercy and grace and His great love. Like a sermon or a book that someone has been inspired to write and to proclaim, a new song means that there are still lessons to learn and souls that need to be saved. As long as God continues to inspire new songs as messages of His love, His faithfulness, His mercy and grace, His plan for our lives and for all of creation, God’s people are reminded through another means that God is still working to accomplish His purposes. His Spirit is working in our hearts, His Word is instructing us in righteousness, and the messages that God inspires men to write or speak or act or paint or sing or sculpt (and, especially, to live!) for His glory are testimonies of God’s faithfulness in all of these things.
A new song for everyone!
Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
– Psalm 96:1
Some of the songs that individuals feel inspired to write may never be heard by many people. The purpose of a song may be as an individual expression of praise to God. This kind of new song is very personal to the writer as a part of their spiritual journey and may exist only to serve as a vehicle of praise for that person. Someone who has never thought of themselves as a song writer may even find themselves singing to the Lord in worship with lyrics that are uniquely their own. A song does not have to be sung by millions in order to be a valid expression of praise to God. He knows when your “new song” expresses the praises of your heart or speaks of a lesson learned or a truth that has been understood in a new way. In essence, every time we sing any song of praise to God, it can be a “new song” of praise to Him when it becomes the very real and sincere praise of the present moment, when our hearts cry out anew in thankfulness and awe.
A new song in Heaven
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain; and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
– Revelation 5:9
Our God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. But His creation continues to change even as He creates newness in hearts and lives. The heartbreak of pain and loss will not always be with us. All of the trials of this world are temporary. Someday, He will make all things new, just as He is now making our hearts new. The process of His work on our spiritual creation gives us some new songs to sing along the way. Is is a joy to know that someday we will sing of His victory in a place where there is no more to overcome. We will have overcome all things through the blood of the Lamb, through the giving of our lives to Him, through the Word of truth, and through the word of our testimony. Our songs of trusting God when we don’t understand will become obsolete. Finally, we will know Him even as we are known, and God will give us a new song of thanksgiving and praise for all of eternity.
A new song of joy
Sing a new song of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
– Psalm 33:3
For now, we will continue our songs, both old and new. We will sing of God’s salvation and power. We will sing of His faithfulness and love. We will sing of God’s mercy and His amazing grace. We will sing with joy, for we know that we are not the only ones who are singing. Our God rejoices over us as his dearly beloved children, and He sings over us as well. He is with us. He is mighty in power and yet tender and gentle in His patience, renewing us with His love until that day when we will dwell with Him and the former things will all pass away.
His song for you and me
The LORD your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.
– Zephaniah 3:17
My husband, singing his song, “Much More Than a Song” (available as a Vocal Solo or Choral Anthem on http//:www.worshipsounds.com )
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
From the rising of the sun until it’s setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE RESOURCE
This page contains scripture verses that tell us to lift our voices in song to the Lord as well as verses that speak of praising, exalting, blessing, worshipping, magnifying, thanking, honoring, and glorifying the Lord. Verses are placed in Biblical order so that this page can be a useful resource for those who want to use worship scriptures in their personal worship, as well as for those who lead God’s people in worshipping Him. More verses will be added as time permits.
For your convenience, we also have a Page on this blog called “Lift Your Voice (Worship Scriptures)”, which has worship scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments. The title of the page is always visible in our blog header and is a clickable link. This blog post contains the New Testament worship scriptures from that page, allowing you to view the NT verses without scrolling through those from the Old Testament. In addition, we also have a post that is Old Testament worship scriptures only. Having the worship scriptures in 3 separate locations on our blog also increases the likelihood that searchers will be able to find these helpful resources.
(Key West photo by Herschel Avra, 2010)
Note: To view a different translation of any verse, begin typing the verse into your search engine, and the Online Parallel Bible, http://www.biblecc.com , will come up as one of the choices. You will immediately go to the page for the verse you have typed and be able to see several translations at once. You can then close the window and come right back to this resource page if desired. (Bible CC is also a great resource when you know a verse or portion of a verse but not the reference.)
New feature: With our most recent update to this worship scripture resource, we added a new feature. The Bible book and chapter are still listed before each verse, and we have now added key words in front of each scripture to help you find worship scriptures with the kind of message you are seeking more easily.
SCRIPTURE VERSES THAT REFER TO PRAISING, EXALTING, WORSHIPPING, BLESSING, MAGNIFYING, AND GLORIFYING THE LORD, AS WELL AS VERSES THAT REFER TO LIFTING OUR VOICES OR SINGING TO THE LORD:
NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP SCRIPTURES
Matthew 2 worship “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1 & 2
Matthew 5 glorify “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify (give glory to) your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Luke 4 worship “And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”‘ Luke 4:7
John 4worship in Spirit and in truth (Jesus speaking) “The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23 & 24
John 8 the Father glorifies the Son (Jesus speaking) “Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, the One whom you say is your God.”” John 8:54
John 12 glorify (Jesus speaking) “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for Mine.”” John 12:28 – 30
John 13 glorify, glorified (Jesus speaking) “When He had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of man glorified and in Him God is glorified; if God is glorified in Him , God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him at once.”” John 13:31 & 32
John 17 glorify (Jesus speaking) “When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which You gave me to do ; and now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory which I had with You before the world was made.”” John 17:1 – 5
Acts 16praying, singing hymns “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one’s fetters were unfastened.” Acts 16:25 & 26
Romans 12living sacrifice, spiritual worship ““I appeal to you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1
Romans 15 live in harmony, glorify “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5
Ephesians 5singing and making melody to the Lord, always giving thanks “…but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” Galatians 5:18b – 20
Colossians 3sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, thankfulness, giving thanks “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Colossians 3:16 & 17
I Timothy honor, glory “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” I Timothy 1:17 (NKJV)
Hebrews 12offer acceptable worship, with reverence and awe “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship,with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28
James 5pray, sing praise “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.” James 5:13
Revelation 7 fell on their faces, worshipped God, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, might “After this I looked, and behold, a great multititude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, ” Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.”
Revelation 7:9 – 12
Revelation 14 give Him glory, worship Him “Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gosepel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water.” Revelation 14:6 &7
Revelation 15 sing, glorify, worship “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful are Thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify Thy name, O Lord? For Thou alone art Holy. All nations shall come and worship Thee, for Thy judgements have been revealed.” Revelation 15:3 & 4
Revelation 19rejoice, exult, give Him the glory “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of many thunderpeals, crying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’ — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” Revelation 19:6 – 8
Revelation 22Worship God! “I, John, am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
The scriptures in this post were compiled by Cynthia A. Boyd for our page entitled “Lift Your Voice (Worship Scriptures)”, which contains worship scriptures for both the New and Old Testaments. We decided to publish the scriptures in separate Old and New Testament posts to make it easier to view the New Testament worship scriptures without having to scroll through the Old Testament scriptures first and to make it easier to find this resource on search engines. It is our hope that having 3 separate entries (2 posts and one page) appearing in web searches will result in allowing more people to find and utilize this resource.
Note: You may feel free to print off a copy of this resource page as a reference for your personal worship and for worship planning. It would be helpful to note dates when specific scriptures were used in worship on your copy of this page.
If you wish to share this blog page with a friend or with your worship team members, please do not print off additional copies. Permission is to make one copy for personal use only, or to update a previous personal copy. Instead of a page copy, please provide your friends with the URL for this page: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lift-your-voice/
Since additional worship scriptures will be posted as time permits, we will place the date of the most recent update here so that you can compare your copy. Most recent update: October 18th, 2012
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
From the rising of the sun until it’s setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE RESOURCE
This post contains scripture verses that tell us to lift our voices in song to the Lord as well as verses that speak of praising, exalting, blessing, worshipping, magnifying, thanking, and glorifying the Lord. Verses are placed in Biblical order so that this post can be a useful resource for those who want to use the Psalms and other worship scriptures in their personal worship, as well as for those who lead God’s people in worshipping Him. More verses will be added as time permits.
(Key West photo by Herschel Avra, 2010)
Note: To view a different translation of any verse, begin typing the verse into your search engine, and the Online Parallel Bible, http://www.biblecc.com , will come up as one of the choices. You will immediately go to the page for the verse you have typed and be able to see several translations at once. You can then close the window and come right back to this resource page if desired. (Bible CC is also a great resource when you know a verse or portion of a verse but not the reference.)
New feature: With our most recent update to this worship scripture resource, we added a new feature. The Bible book and chapter are still listed before each verse, and we have now added key words in boldin front of each scripture to help you find worship scriptures with the kind of message you are seeking more easily.
SCRIPTURE VERSES THAT REFER TO PRAISING, EXALTING, WORSHIPPING, BLESSING, MAGNIFYING, AND GLORIFYING THE LORD, AS WELL AS VERSES THAT REFER TO LIFTING OUR VOICES OR SINGING TO THE LORD:
OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP SCRIPTURES
Exodus 15 sing, praise, exalt “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown in to the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”
Exodus 15:1 & 2
Judges 5 sing, make melody “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing, I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.” Judges 5:3
I Chronicles 16 thanksgiving, sung “Then on that day, David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brethren.” I Chronicles 16:7*
* Note: Immediately following this verse, the passage in I Chronicles 16:8 – 36 contains words from 3 Psalms. Verses 8 – 22 contain the words of Psalm 105:1 – 15. Verses 23 – 33 contain the words of Psalm 96:1 – 13. Verses 34 – 36 contain the words of Psalm 106, verses 1, and 47 – 48.
I Chronicles 29blessed, bowed, worshipped “Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and did obedience to the king.” I Chronicles 29:20
II Chronicles 20 bowed, fell, worshipped, stood to praise, sing, praise, give thanks “Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God Of Israel, with a very loud voice. And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise Him in holy array, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord sent an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.” II Chronicles 20:18 – 22
II Chronicles 29song to the Lord, worshipped, singers sang, trumpeters sounded, sang praises, bowed down “The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the burnt offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. And Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.” II Chronicles 29:26 – 30
Nehemiah 12 celebrated with gladness, thanksgiving, singing, instruments “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.” Nehemiah 12:27
Nehemiah 12chief (director) of singers, songs of praise and thanksgiving “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
Psalm 5woship in reverence and awe “But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in reverence, and awe of You.” Psalm 5:7
Psalm 5rejoice, sing, exult “But let all who take refuge in Thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and defend them, that those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.” Psalm 5:11
Psalm 7 give thanks, sing praises “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” Psalm 7:17
Psalm 9 give thanks, exult, sing praise testify (tell) “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1 & 2
Psalm 16 bless the Lord “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:7 & 8
Psalm 18 I love You, O Lord, worthy to be praised “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shild, and the horn of my salvation, my stronglhold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and so shall I be saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1 – 3
Psalm 28 hearts trusts and exults, song of thanks “Blessed be the Lord! for He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” Psalm 28:6 & 7
Psalm 30sing praises, give thanks “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 30:4
Psalm 32be glad, rejoice, shout for joy “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Psalm 32:11
Psalm 33 rejoice, praise the Lord, make melody, sing a new song “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.” Psalm 33:1 – 3
Psalm 47sing praises, with a Psalm “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a Psalm.” Psalm 47:6 & 7
Psalm 48 praise, meditation (thought) “We have thought of Thy steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Thy temple. As Thy name, O God, so Thy praise reaches to the ends of the earth.” Psalm 48:9 & 10
Psalm 50thanks, honor (in some translations, “glorifies“) “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23
Psalm 51praise “O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.” Psalm 51:15
Psalm 59sing aloud “I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.” Psalm 59:16 & 17
Psalm 63sing for joy “You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.” Psalm 63:7
Psalm 66make a joyful noise, sing, give glorious praise “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise!” Psalm 66:1
Psalm 67praise, be glad, sing for joy “Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for Thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee!” Psalm 67:3 – 5
Psalm 68be joyful, exult, be jubilant, sing praises, lift up a song “Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; His name is the Lord, exult before Him.” Psalm 68:3 & 4
Psalm 68sing praises “Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord.” Psalm 68:32
Psalm 69praise with a song, magnify with thanksgiving “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30
Psalm 71praise, sing, rejoice “I will praise Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God. Unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which Thou has redeemed.” Psalm 71:22 & 23
Psalm 72 bless the Lord, bless His name, glorify “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever; may His glory fill tehe whole earth! Amen and Amen!” Psalm 72:18 & 19
Psalm 75 give thanks, call on His name, recount His deeds “We give thanks to Thee, O God: we give thanks; we call on Thy name and recount Thy wondrous deeds.”
Psalm 75:1
Psalm 81sing aloud, make a joyful noise “Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.” Psalm 81:1
Psalm 84 sing for joy “How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yea, faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Psalm 84:1 & 2
Psalm 84 singing His praise “Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house, ever singing Thy praise! Selah Psalm 84:4
Psalm 86bow down, glorify Your name, give thanks “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.” Psalm 86:9 – 12
Psalm 86 praise, glorify “I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify Thy name forevermore.” Psalm 86:12
Psalm 89sing, make known “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness in all generations.” Psalm 89:1
Psalm 89praise “The heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O Lord; Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.” Psalm 89:5
Psalm 92give thanks, sing praises, demonstrate His kindness and faithfulness “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High; To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.” Psalm 92:1 & 2
Psalm 95sing, make a joyful noise, come before Him with thanksgiving and Psalms “O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” Psalm 95:1 – 7a
Psalm 96sing, bless His name, show His salvation, declare His glory and wonders, greatly to be praised “O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.” Psalm 96:1 – 4a
Psalm 96give glory and strength, give glory due His name, bring an offering, come, worship in the beauty of holiness “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘ Psalm 96:6 – 9
Psalm 97 rejoice, give thanks, remember “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.” Psalm 97:12
Psalm 98sing a new song “O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he has done marvelous things; His right hand and His Holy arm have gotten the victory.” Psalm 98:1
Psalm 98make a joyful noise, loud noise, rejoice, sing praise, with instruments and psalm “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with a harp, with a harp and the voice of a psalm.” Psalm 98:4 & 5
Psalm 99exalt, woship “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is Holy.” Psalm 99:5
Psalm 99exalt, worship “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His Holy hill; for the Lord our God is Holy.” Psalm 99:9
Psalm 100make a joyful noise, serve with gladness, come with singing, enter with thanksgiving and praise, be thankful, bless His name “Make a joyful moise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come fefore His presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)
Psalm 101sing of mercy and judgment, sing to Thee “I will sing of mercy and judgement; unto Thee, O Lord, will I sing.” Psalm 101:1
Psalm 102that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord, declare His name, worship “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn* may praise the Lord:
That He looked down from His Holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
To hear the groans of the prisoners,
To set free those who were doomed to die:
That men may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
And in Jerusalem, His praise,
When peoples and kingdoms gather together
To worship the Lord. ”
Psalm 102:18 – 22
*(or, yet to be created)
Psalm 104sing as long as I live, sing praise, meditation on Him, be glad in the Lord “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.” Psalm 104:33 & 34
Psalm 105give thanks, call upon His name, make Him known, sing unto Him, sing Psalms, glory in His name, rejoice, speak of Him “O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” Psalm 105:1 – 3
Psalm 106 praise, give thanks “Praise ye the Lord; O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all His praise?” Psalm 106:1 & 2
Psalm 106blessed, Amen, praise “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting; and let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!” Psalm 106:48
Psalm 107 thanksgiving, songs of joy “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!” Psalm 107:21 & 22
Psalm 107praise, exalt “Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.” Psalm 107:31 & 32
Psalm 108 sing, make melody, give thanks, sing praises, be exalted, glory “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 108:1 – 5
Psalm 109 give great thanks, praise Him “With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng.” Psalm 109:30
Psalm 111praise, give thanks “Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” Psalm 111:1
Psalm 111reverential awe (fear of the Lord), praise “The reverential awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” Psalm 111:10
Psalm 112praise, delight “Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments!” Psalm 112:1
Psalm 113 praise, bless “Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever more! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens.” Psalm 113:1 – 4
Psalm 115give glory to His name “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory, for the sake of Thy steadfast love and Thy faithfulness!” Psalm 115:1
Psalm 115bless, praise “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 115: 15 & 16
Psalm 117praise, extol “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us; and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 117:1 & 2 (all verses)
Psalm 118 songs of victory, exalt His strength “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” Psalm 118:14 – 16
Psalm 135praise, sing “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good: sing to His name, for He is gracious!” Psalm 135:3
Psalm 145 praise His greatness, greatly to be praised “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3
Psalm 146praise as long as I have being “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.” Psalm 146:1 & 2
Psalm 147praise, sing praises “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our god; for He is gracious, and a song of praise is comely.” Psalm 147:1
Psalm 147 sing with thanksgiving, make melody with instruments “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God upon the lyre.” Psalm 147:7
Psalm 147praise, sing a new song “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful!” Psalm 149:1
Psalm 150praise, praise His greatness, praise with instruments and dance, let everything that has breath praise the Lord “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:1 – 6 (all verses)
Isaiah 12give thanks, proclaim, sing “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.” Isaiah 12:4-5
Isaiah 24lift up voices, sing for joy, glory, praise “They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord: in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. Isaiah 24:14 – 16a
Isaiah 25exalt, praise “O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name; for You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and true.” Isaiah 25:1
Isaiah 27 sing “In that day: ‘A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest any one harm it, I guard it night and day.'”
Isaiah 27:2 & 3
Isaiah 27worship “And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:13
Isaiah 35singing, joy, gladness “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10
Isaiah 42 sing a new song, praise, lift up, sing for joy, shout, give glory, declare praise “Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the end of the earth! Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. Let the desert and it’s cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands. Isaiah 42:10 – 12
Jeremiah 31sing aloud, raise shouts, proclaim, give praise, be radiant “For thus says the Lord: ‘Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “The Lord has saved His people, the remnant of Israel.”…They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord…'” Isaiah 31:7, 12a
Daniel 4praise, extol “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all His works are right and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to abase.” Daniel 4:37
Zephaniah 3sing aloud, rejoice, exult, HE will rejoice, renew, & sing over you “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, He has cast out your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
‘Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands go weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in His love: He will exult over you with loud singing, as on a day of festival.'” Zephaniah 3:14 -18a
The scriptures in this post were compiled by Cynthia A. Boyd for our page entitled “Lift Your Voice (Worship Scriptures)”, which contains worship scriptures for both the New and Old Testaments. We decided to publish the scriptures in separate Old and New Testament posts to make it easier to view the New Testament worship scriptures without having to scroll through the Old Testament scriptures first and to make it easier to find this resource on search engines. It is our hope that having 3 separate entries (2 posts and one page) appearing in web searches will result in allowing more people to find and utilize this resource.
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
This post contains the story of the birth of Christ with the scriptural accounts from Luke’s Gospel and Matthew’s Gospel, illustrated throughout with the most appropriate art or photos of dramatic portrayals that we could find. Following the scriptural story, you will find some information about some of the prophecies that were fulfilled with the birth of Christ. This information about the prophecies and their fulfillment comes from two different sources, which are noted.
THE STORY OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
IN SCRIPTURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
Dramatic portrayal of Zechariah and Elizabeth
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Artistic deptiction of the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could
Artistic depiction of Zechariah with Elizabeth
not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Artistic depiction of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Artistic deptiction of Mary as she expressed her desire to serve the Lord
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
Artistic depiction of Elizabeth greeting Mary
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Artistic depiction of Mary and Elizabeth rejoicing together
Mary’s Song
46 And Mary said:
Artistic depiction of Mary glorifying the Lord
“My soul glorifies the Lord47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
Dramatic portrayal of Zechariah and Elizabeth with their miracle baby
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Artistic depiction of Zechariah writing on a tablet, “His name is John.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child
going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Artistic portrayal of the prophecy of Zechariah
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
Sculptural portrayal of Caesar Augustus
Artistic portrayal of Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Artistic depiction of Mary caring for Baby Jesus
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”1
The Heavely Host appear to the shepherds and share the good news of the birth of
5 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Shepherds on the way to find baby Jesus
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
The shepherds adore the baby Jesus
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned [to their flocks}, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Artistic depiction of the shepherds returning to their flocks, glorifying and praising God
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Jesus Presented in the Temple
Dramatic portrayal of Mary and Joseph taking baby Jesus to the temple
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[b]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[c]
Artistic depiction of Simeon thanking God for baby Jesus
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[e] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Matthew 1
New International Version (NIV)
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1 This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Artistic depiction of Abraham and Isaac
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
Artistic depiction of David and Solomon
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Dramatic portrayal of the betrothed couple, Joseph and Mary
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Artistic depiction of Joseph as he slept and the angel appeared to him in a dream
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”).
Dramatic portrayal of Joseph as he considers the dream and decides to obey and trust God
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 2
New International Version (NIV)
The Magi Visit the Messiah
Artistic depiction of baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph
Wise men from the east come seeking the baby Jesus
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
The wise men consult with Herod about where the new King might be found
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Artistic depiction of the wise men (or Magi) continuing their journey to find Jesus
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Artistic deptiction of the wise men worshiping the young child Jesus
11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The Escape to Egypt
Artistic depiction of the angel warning Joseph in a dream
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[c]
Artistic depiction of Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt with Jesus following the angel’s warning
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”[d]
Artistic depiction of the killing of the innocent children due to Herod’s evil decree.
The Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
ONE OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
OF PROPHECY ABOUT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
INFORMATION ABOUT PROPHECIES FULFILLED WITH THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
(NOTE: This information has been gathered from two sources, which are referenced with the URL for each site following the information gleaned from that site.)
Mattthew 1:20-23 [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” –which means, “God with us.”
1. Promised Through the Seed of Abraham:
Old Testament Prophecy: Genesis 22:18
New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 1:1
2. Promised Through Isaac:
Old Testament Prophecy: Genesis 21:12
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:34
3. Out of the Tribe of Judah:
Old Testament Prophecy: Micah 5:2
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:33
4. Born in the Family of Jesse:
Old Testament Prophecy: Isaiah 11:1
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:32
5. Born in the House of David (King):
Old Testament Prophecy: Jeremiah 23:5-6
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:31
6. Born in Bethlehem:
Old Testament Prophecy: Micah 5:2
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 2:4-7
7. Born of a virgin:
Old Testament Prophecy: Isaiah 7:14
New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 1:18
8. Worshipped and Presented gifts by Kings:
Old Testament Prophecy: Psalm 72:10
New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 2:11
9. Worshipped by Shepherds:
Old Testament Prophecy: Psalm 72:9
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 2:9
10. Weeping for the Children
Old Testament Prophecy: Jeremiah 31:15
New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 2:16
11. Flight to Egypt
Old Testament Prophecy: Hosea 11:1
New Testament Fulfillment: Matthew 2:13-14
12. He will be called Lord:
Old Testament Prophecy: Psalm 110:1
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 2:11
13. He is the Son of God:
Old Testament Prophecy: Psalm 2:7
New Testament Fulfillment: Luke 3:22
(Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11)
Isaiah 9:6-7 [6] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [7] Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. …700 B.C.
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
People should think of us as servants of Christ and managers who are entrusted with God’s mysteries. I Corinthians 4:1
(Permission is granted to use this script free of charge for worship services. Permission is required for broadcast or publication. See further information at the end of this post.)
“Ministry Moments”
Reader’s Theater Script
Requiring five expressive readers
and sufficient rehearsal time
to present the message with excellence
The reading should involve readers who are able to express the truths found in this script meaningfully and with appropriate facial expression and eye contact. The five readers can stand in a line or in an inverted V, with reader one at the front and center. Special lighting and media may be used if desired (taking into account the need to view the script if it is not fully memorized).
READER ONE: God is always at work, reaching out to the hearts of people and helping believers to grow in Him.
READER TWO: Often, we are not fully aware of how He is at work within us.
READER THREE: The moments when we become aware of His ministry are a blessing.
READER FOUR: because ministry moments reveal the loving and tender heart of out God.
READER FIVE: Ministry moments take place when God speaks to human hearts and does His work within us…
ALL: He invites you to be a part of them!
READER ONE: The Almighty God,
READER TWO: The Maker of Heaven and Earth,
READER THREE: The First and the Last,
READER FOUR: The King of all ages,
READER FIVE: The Savior of Mankind, who has chosen to demonstrate His love and mercy by the giving of Himself,
READER ONE: The One True God, who has chosen to be with us and within us,
READER THREE: The Father of mercy and God of all comfort
ALL: Invites you…. Yes, you!….
READER TWO: To know Him,
READER FOUR: to walk in relationship with Him,
READER FIVE: to experience the reality of Faith in Him,
ALL: to join Him in the work of His Kingdom,
READER TWO: to catch glimpses of His glory,
READER THREE: and to worship Him in the beauty of His Holiness. here and now in this earthly life and for all of eternity.
READER ONE: And in this lifetime, He promises abundance. In His covenant with us, He promises to adopt us as His Sons and Daughters of Redemption. He blesses our lives with the nearness of His presence and the gifts of His spirit.
READER TWO: Our abundance is found in love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control…the fruits of His Spirit at work in our lives.
READER THREE: This is evidence of His tender care for those He calls His own. He reveals His handiwork and His presence in our lives through moments of recognition that come from somewhere deep inside the redeemed and ransomed heart.
READER FOUR: These are ministry moments…moments when something real and beautiful is taking place in the hearts and lives of people.
READER FIVE: True ministry moments are something that only God can do. Ministry moments can flow from God’s spirit to our hearts within any experience.
READER ONE: There are moments of openness to God’s spirit and the the message of redemption and grace when life can begin anew.
READER TWO: There are sometimes moments when there is no sound. There is only a holy hush, and nothing else seems appropriate.
READER THREE: There are times of jubilant joyfulness when the heart says “Thank you, Lord!”
READER FOUR: There are moments of revelation when a new understanding of truth has been gained.
READER FIVE: There are moments of praise when the truth of God’s majesty and the presence of God’s glory are so apparent and transcendant that it is as though we are transported right to the gates of Heaven.
ALL: There are moments of oneness with the Spirit of God that communicate His love for us far beyond what mere words could convey.
READER ONE: And yet, it is not these moments we seek. Our relationship with God and our desire to worship and praise Him are not longings for an experience or a moment. We are longing for Him. It is only in relationship with Him that God allows us to experience times when His spirit is at work in our hearts and lives in ways that we recognize and yet would have difficulty putting into words.
READER TWO: These moments when the Spirit of God is so clearly ministering to His people are reminders that ministry is never ours. True ministry can only take place when God is allowed to do His work in our hearts and lives to the extent that we become vessels of His grace, poured out through the ministry of His Holy Spirit.
READER THREE: Whether He chooses to do this in times of silence and waiting upon Him, or within a time of prayer,
READER FOUR: within a personal or corporate worship time, or as we gaze upon the splendor of His creation,
READER FIVE: at times when our hearts overflow with thankfulness, or through the message of a song, and even in the depths of a valley of sorrow,
ALL: God will speak and is speaking.
READER ONE: We just need to be ready to listen. Only then can we experience moments of true ministry that are not the result of our plans, our talents or our creativity.
READER TWO: Oh, no, these moments of true ministry flow only from His Spirit.
READER THREE: He can take the offerings of our worship and our praise, our preparation, our heartfelt longing to praise Him,
READER FOUR: the recognition of our need for him, and even our brokenness,
READER FIVE: and He can indwell the praises of His people.
READER FOUR: He lives in our praise.
READER THREE: He moves and works in our hearts within the context of our praise.
READER TWO: This kind of ministry, with all of its life-changing moments, is all His.
READER ONE: Allowing God’s ministry to take place within us and then flow out to touch the lives of others is our highest goal. He ministers to us and then through us as we become active participants in His ministry. Then, other hearts and lives can come to know Him and experience His personal ministry for themselves.
ALL: “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.”
Note: This scripture, Psalm 100:5, can appear on your screens with the reference at the time that it is spoken by the readers. The scripture can remain for a few seconds, as the readers exit the platform area.
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This Reader’s Theater script can be copied and used for worship free of charge. However, if the service is to be broadcasted, permission for use is required. Permission for printing this script in any online or standard print publication is also required. However, a reference can be made to this post, listing the post URL, free of charge in any publication. E-mail Travis@worshipsounds.com for further information. See the post which contains only the script for the Reader’s Theater to print the script without the original post, and save paper.
It is found at:
Note: A suggested song to sing following this Reader’s Theater presentation would be “A Prayer for the Saints”, which is a modern hymn that expresses the longings and prayers of God’s people to know Him and to grow in their faith and in their walk with the Lord. This modern hymn is available on our website in two formats.
* There is an SATB Choral arrangement available for $15.00 (Master Copy PDF, from which you are allowed to make an unlimited number of copies for your choir and accompanists).
* There is also a Worship Pack available for $10.00, which includes the PDFs for a Vocal Solo with piano accompaniment, a reproducible lead sheet for rhythm section, and a reproducible hymn sheet in bulletin or hymnal insert size. (all of which come with permission granted to make copies as needed…for your church only).
“A Prayer for the Saiuts” is available on our website’s Adult Choir music page @ http://www.worshipsounds.com
Look for this thumbnail photo on our Adult Choir music page:
Click photo to go directly to the Adult Choir music page of our website, where “A Prayer for the Saints” can be found.
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
Worship Sounds Music Blog Blessings of Faith. Songs of Worship, Life of Joy!
In order to glorify the Lord, lead God’s people in worship, and allow the Lord to use your gifts to speak to the hearts of others through His Spirit, you need to apply prayer, passion, preparation, flexibility, clarity, commitment, faithfulness, and authenticity!
2. Be faithful in attendance at rehearsals and in every congregational worship service. Unless your are too sick to go or out of town, be there. We all understand that seasons of life occur, such as when you are caring for a loved one who is ill. However, if there’s nothing keeping you from being there, please be faithful!
3. Be spiritually prepared. Do all that you can do to walk closely with the Lord. Abide in Him. Spend time in private worship. Learn all that you can about Him and about what true worship really is. Listen to worship music often. Love the Lord and find joy in His presence.
* With new technology have come new tools for worship ministry. We can listen to demos on our computer and do so almost anywhere with wireless technology. We can look up sample pages to a choral anthem and even be able to see the music as we listen to a demo. We can hear several different versions of the same worship song at ccli.com or other sites. Many worship teams have their own website, facebook page, or blog to keep everyone informed. Sometimes e-mails are sent to worship team members with listening links. There are worship conferences, worship blogs, and “how to play” videos online. All of this means that we have more resources available than ever (and fewer excuses for being unprepared).
6. Support the worship ministry through your own giving. You can give financially as well as giving of your time for rehearsals, personal prayer time, and worship times. You can give and redeem your time in worship ministry when help is needed in preparation for a special program, ministry opportunity, or mission trip. You can give time to working with worship ministry groups for children and youth, investing in the lives of these future worshippers and worship leaders.
* When new music is introduced, be open to it. You will likely grow to love it! Even if a song is not your favorite, worship the Lord as you sing and/or play it! Be open to new styles and new musical techniques as well. It’s always a good thing to keep learning and growing as a musician and as a member of the worship leadership team.
* In order for the messages that you are proclaiming to be as effective as possible, choir members, praise team members, and others who sing need to communicate through their facial expression and posture as well. Even those who play instruments need to support the message of what is being shared through appropriate facial expression and/or posture. People want to know that you are authentic in your beliefs and that you are passionate about your beliefs and your relationship with the Lord… passionate about Him! Your face should reflect the message that you are singing or playing (especially for non-wind players). Your posture should not look stiff and formal.
Every so often a worship music book is published that becomes recognizable as the definitive, go-to reference for its particular genre in its particular generation. In our time, if you wish to talk about the history of music in the Church, go to Paul Westermeyer’s Te Deum. If building a case for congregational song is your desire, your first stop should be John Bell’s A Case for Congregational Song. Want a grad-school-level analysis of how contemporary worship music is used these days? The Message in the Music (Robert Woods and Brian Walrath) is your best bet.Dave Williamson’s God Singers joins these other must-haves where the specific subject of worship-leading choirs is concerned. Every possible topic that should be covered in a book of this nature is here. Biblical support for the use of choirs in worship? Check. Lots and lots of practical how-to’s for getting the best sound out of your singers? Got it. Sociological discussions of issues inherent in corporate ministry, even ones peculiar to choral singing? Yep. Stylistic techniques for transforming your choristers into a black-gospel choir, a rock choir, or a modern-worship choir—i.e., what to do with vibrato, vocal licks, and syncopation? They’re here. Helpful appendices from Williamson’s 40 years in the biz? Nine of them. Consider purchasing the (condensed) singer’s edition for your choir members and the (expanded) director’s edition, which includes a CD-ROM of ancillaries, for yourself. Highly recommended.
Title: God’s Singers Author: Dave Williamson Publisher: In:cite Media
Worship Sounds Music 