I struggle daily with this concept, for there are so many different ways to Worship God. I’ve been to Old school Baptist Churches, Pentecostal Churches, Presbyterian Churches, and Non-Denominational Churches. All these communities of faith had different styles of Worship, which range from Organ based Hymns to Rock & Roll Contemporary songs. I find myself leaning more toward the Rock & Roll Contemporary songs, but I find it hard to believe that we should run away from Hymn based music. I began to flip through my Southern Baptist Hymn Book recently and I noticed the depth of the lyrics that encompassed each song. The Hymnbook is topically based, so we have a topic on how to Worship God. Whether it be Sanctification, Salvation, etc. it is all based on Christ! Let us keep pressing toward the Savior in our Worship to Him by writing songs that reveal truth about Him in Scripture. Here is one truth to chew on from John 4:23-24 — ‘”23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”‘
Leading People in Worship
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Good to hear that you’re thinking about this. I would agree with you – at my church we really try to use songs from every relevant generation to help lead our people in worship.
My issue with the “topical” argument is that I would simply respond by saying “Well if it’s all about the topic then let’s just write a song about that topic!” I think the bigger value in hymns is that it communicates that the worship of the church is not something which exists only in the here and now but is something which has been happening for thousands of years.
Relevant worship songs are important and I feel like if we don’t begin to bring most Churches into the now then they will begin to die out.
I so miss a lot of the old hymns, and yet I love the worship and praise songs of today. One thing I miss about the old hymns is the theme of Heaven. Worship & Praise songs seldom mention Heaven or our Heavenly Home, or the Second Coming of Jesus. I sometimes feel that because we are so into the Now Blessings here on earth, that we are not watching and longing for His Coming. And yet if we do not have hope of heaven, we are of all men most miserable. Another advantage of the old hymns is that they addressed the basic components of being a Christian-Salvation, The Bible, Christ, The Cross, Heaven, Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, and many other doctrines of the Christian faith. By doing so they were instruments of instruction, building up the body, as well as worship. I would like to challenge our modern song writers, performers, and music ministries to seek a balance of depth and worship. Bring some of the old into the new. And always have an ear to the Spirit, and not just the culture of our churches today.