(By: John Miller)

My wife and I are lovers of music. We thank the Lord that He created music and has given it to us to enjoy. We both enjoy listening to music, and we both enjoy (at least attempting) to make music. She plays the piano, and I play the guitar, and we both love to sing. We are both musical, though my wife is far more musical than I am! (After all, she is the one who was a music major in college and taught elementary school music for three years after we were first married!) Needless to say, we enjoy music, and we take pleasure in various styles of music at that. We can delight in the intricacies of Mozart and enjoy the simplicity of the children’s songs we sing with our three year old daughter. Most of all, we delight in singing the praises of God with His people in corporate worship. But this has also been the occasion of great grief in our hearts, especially when we witness the people of God fighting with one another over this issue and causing dissension and division in the church of Jesus Christ. The worship wars, beloved, should not be! Yet the issue of music in worship has been the circumstance through which selfishness, hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, rage, malice and all manner of sins of the heart have come to be expressed among the people of God. Oh, may the Lord have mercy, and first forgive us of our sins and sanctify our hearts! Then may the Lord give us wisdom, especially those of us with the responsibility of leading the people of God in worshipping God through song.


It is in this area of wisdom that I believe it is helpful to listen and learn from those who have gone before us. What have they said about issues of musical style in worship? With this thought in mind, allow me to leave you with a quote from Edward T. Hiscox, a baptist pastor who lived from 1814-1901. While you may not agree with everything that he says, learn from him what you can and will. The following quote is taken from his work Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches, published in 1893.

Since the true idea of sacred song is that the people shall worship, not witness a performance, therefore the style of music should be such as the people can perform. But the mass of worshipers can never go beyond the simplest elements of any art or science; therefore the music for Christian service should be of the simplest kind, in structure and execution, and limited to a small number of tunes. Music more complicated in structure, and more artistic in execution, a few could perform, and perhaps more highly enjoy; but it could not express the devotion of the great majority of worshipers because they could not unite in it. Devotion seeks plain choral harmonies in which to utter its worship.

The leaders of Church music will be constantly endeavoring to treat the congregation to a greater variety in style and execution; but this will be a departure from the true idea of worship. As our religious services are usually arranged it may be very well to introduce them with an anthem, a chant, or a sentence by the choir; and possibly a short set piece somewhere before the sermon; perhaps immediately following the “long prayer,” but before the notices, and the second hymn. But the hymns – and the prevailing custom calls for three – should be sung to simple music, so familiar that the people can sing them, without an effort to remember the tune, and without danger of losing it, all thought being given to the sentiment and spirit of the words.

Lord, may you continue to grow us to be more like your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in love, wisdom, and grace, even in this area of music in your church. Amen.

(By David Giarrizzo)

I was raised in a Reformed Baptist church. So as far as my taste for music in worship goes, I am an avid admirer of the hymns. From before I could read I was singing hymns. I sang them not just at church, but at home, at school, and in the car. I knew the hymns and loved them from a very young age—their words and tunes. And I used to think that by definition, all hymns were at least a hundred years old. But I was wrong.

Over the past few years I have noticed a resurgence of sorts in some circles of evangelical America: A forsaking of the shallow, rock-driven, “Jesus-is-my-boyfriend” praise choruses and a return to the deep, theologically-substantive, time-tested hymns. Some groups have sought to put old words to new music (“contextualizing??”), while others have just written their own original songs.

This hymn below, based on a selection from The Valley of Vision, is a hymn that was written by Bob Kauflin in 2006, and has become one of my favorites.

O great God of highest heav’n,
Occupy my lowly heart.
Own it all and reign supreme,
Conquer every rebel pow’r.
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war.
You have loved and purchased me,
Make me Yours forever more.

I was blinded by my sin,
Had no ears to hear Your voice,
Did not know Your love within,
Had no taste for heaven’s joys.
Then Your Spirit gave me life,
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son,
Gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace.
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face.
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed.
O great God of highest heav’n,
Glorify Your Name through me.

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

(By David Giarrizzo)

We read in Luke 2:22-38 that Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, took their son to the temple in Jerusalem according to the Law of Moses to have him consecrated before the Lord. In that day, the temple would have been a very busy place with people coming and going. But in his account Luke mentions only two individuals who noticed the baby Jesus and understood the significance of his presence. They were Simeon and Anna.

It’s amazing to think that out of the crowds of people at the temple that day, only two besides Mary and Joseph knew Jesus was there. In that sea of religious people, amidst the busyness of that place, only Simeon and Anna stopped to notice, only two paused to worship the Christ. How convicting that should be to those of us who get so caught up in the silly little details of the holiday season—the planning and shopping, the decorating and cooking, the wrapping and travelling and eating (and eating and eating!!). There are plenty of aspects of the holidays to distract us from the purpose of our celebration. But like Simeon and Anna, we should never let anything around us take our focus off of Christ.

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:38

We read further in Luke 2 that the aged widow Anna who was at the temple that day not only noticed the baby Jesus, but she thanked the Lord for Him before others and told others about Him. She had bold faith that cared not for the feelings and beliefs of others, but cared for their souls. She was an evangelist in the most religious place in Jerusalem. She knew Jesus as her Messiah and she worshipped Him by thanking publicly and telling others about him. Here is what Luther says about Anna’s faith:

Now faith and the knowledge of Christ cannot be silent. They break forth and testify, so that others may be helped and receive the light. …Faith is too kind and bountiful to keep all such treasures to itself. But when it speaks it is persecuted…yet it does not care and goes right ahead. And who knows how Anna was treated! But perhaps they spared her on account of her age and sex, and simply despised her as a silly fool. Otherwise her life would hardly have been preserved, because she proclaimed such error and heresy, declaring of Christ such marvelous things, in opposition to all the doctrines and systems of the learned priests and teachers of the law. …For if we speak of the redemption of Christ we declare that they are bound in sin and blindness. This however is too much for these great saints, to be called blind sinners! Therefore they cannot endure hearing anything of Christ and his redemption, and consequently they condemn it as a dangerous error and a diabolical heresy.

Therefore, let us imitate Anna and proclaim the Christ of the Bible unashamedly in the face of other religions. Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Islam all teach a different message about Christ. Remember the words of Christ Himself in Matthew 10:32: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.” Even parts of “evangelicalism” are missing the point when it comes to the Gospel of Christ. This is even more reason for us to be humbly thankful that Christ has revealed Himself to us sinners. In response to His love for us, our attitude of gratefulness should bear fruit through our actions as we speak to others about Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of men.

This time of year provides many opportunities for most of us to share our thankfulness to God for sending His Son, Jesus. May we not be like most of society and miss the importance of Christmas. And as we enter another new calendar year, let us make it our top priority, our most important resolution, to be visibly thankful for our blessed Savior with boldness in telling others of Christ.

(By David Giarrizzo)

Each month at Grace Covenant Church a different hymn is featured and sung every Sunday for that month. Usually the goal is for the congregation to learn new hymns or be exposed to old ones. For this month we have been singing “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates” from the Trinity hymnal. As I looked afresh at the words of this hymn, especially the last two lines of each stanza, I noticed the Trinitarian theology that is clearly on display. Consider these words:

We praise thee, Father, now, Creator, wise art thou!
We praise thee, Savior, now, Mighty in deed art thou!
We praise thee, Spirit, now, Our Comforter art thou!

The work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are evidenced in the incarnation and appropriately worshipped through this hymn. In fact, this hymn is a helpful reminder to believers to hold high the doctrine of the Trinity in our thoughts, words and worship. By definition, our Christmas celebrations should be defined by Christ-centered worship and praise. Likewise, our worship should be consistently Trinitarian as we give thanks to God the Father for sending His Son Jesus to save us from God’s wrath and granting us the Holy Spirit to sanctify our hearts.

The rest of the hymn is of great value to read and ponder this Christmas and every Christmas.

1. Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits;
The King of kings is drawing near,
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation he doth bring,
Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:
We praise thee, Father, now,
Creator, wise art thou!

The words of the first verse flow directly from the words of the psalmist in Psalm 24:7-10. Looking back to the birth of Christ we recognize that God opened the gates of the world, the ancient doors of heaven, as the King of Glory entered in. When Jesus took on human flesh and entered this world as a human baby boy, heaven sang for joy knowing that this baby, in fulfillment with prophesy and according to God’s sovereign plan, would be the Savior of the world—a Redeemer for people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 5:9). Therefore, let us sing with joy and wonder at the wonderful love of the Father to send His only Son to save a wretched people.

2. A Helper just he comes to thee,
His chariot is humility, His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress.
The end of all our woe he brings;
Wherefore the earth is glad and sings:
We praise thee, Savior, now,
Mighty in deed art thou!

This same baby boy who was the Son of the most high God come down to save sinners appeared in flesh and was born to Mary and Joseph in the humblest of means. Jesus was not born in a palace and then placed in a golden crib. He was born in a shelter for farm animals and laid upon straw and placed in feeding trough on a lonely night in the quiet town of Bethlehem. Christ’s first coming was not characterized by worldly pomp and circumstance. From the moment of his birth to the moment of his ascension into heaven, Jesus’ life was characterized by humility. Even the highlight of Christ’s earthly ministry, when He was lauded by the Jews as their Messiah, Jesus identified himself with a modest donkey, not a stately stallion (Luke 19:35-38). But the words of the Jews in Luke 19 are reminiscent of the words of the angel in Luke 2—

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord….Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:11-14)

In spite of His humility, Christ is the most glorious King and a just Helper of the neediest of sinners. May we ever remember the truth of Philippians 2:5-11:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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.

3. O blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O happy hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless sun of joy he is,
Who bringeth pure delight and bliss.
We praise thee, Spirit, now,
Our Comforter art thou!

Sadly, just as the birth of baby Jesus went largely unnoticed by many people living in Judea at the time, the reality of Christ continues to be ignored by many people living in the world today. But He is not unnoticed by all. There are “happy hearts and happy homes” all around the world where the reality of Jesus Christ has been known and experienced due to the mind-enlightening, heart-enthralling grace of God. To those whom Christ has been made known, He is truly a confessed Ruler, a triumphant King; “the cloudless Sun of joy He is, Who bringeth pure delight and bliss.” Herein lies “the reason for the season”—Jesus Christ and the joy of salvation that He brings to the hearts of men and women all around the world.

This Christmas, let us focus our thoughts and worship on the only wise, triune God Who is from everlasting to everlasting. And as we adore the One Who was born as a baby to rescue men from their sins, may we “rejoice and gladly sing” for the “life and salvation he doth bring.”

(By: Chad Bennett)

1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. 4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord. 9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;you are exalted far above all gods. 10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

In verse 6 we read that the heavens proclaim the righteousness of God and that all peoples see God’s glory. In Romans 1 Paul states, that God’s invisible attributes are known to all creation through what has been created and we are therefore without excuse. It is amazing when we think of God’s glory being demonstrated to us in what is created. One example of this given in Psalm 97 is lightning. Lightning testifies to God’s glory and causes the earth to tremble. The word for earth used here can be used the same as we do in English as the planet/land or as the people of the earth. Both are true as we know from experience. I was recently reminded of this as my wife and I visited the beach. We were caught in the middle of a pretty severe thunderstorm. Though shielded in our car and later in the room we nonetheless proved the verse true when it says the earth trembles. Thunderstorms remind the earth of the sheer power of God and in humility and fear we tremble. We later watched the storm head out to sea and were awe struck. Because of the terrain of Georgia we often times do not get to see storms the way you do over the ocean. Lightning striking in several places at a time all within eyesight. Beaches that are constantly packed now completely deserted even those who deny their belief in God fled from Him.

Verse 7 tells us the results of God’s glory and righteous being displayed to the earth. Those who worship anything other than God are put to shame. Lightning is only a glimpse at the power of God and yet it puts those to shame who hope in something other than God. One day we will see God in all his glory face to face, it will be either our delight or our shame. In verse 10 we read that those who love God are to hate evil. We are then given the promise “He preserves the lives of His saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart.”

May what has been created drive us to worship the holy God who created it all out of nothing and alone is worthy of praise. As the psalmist states,

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
And give thanks to his holy name!

(By: Nicholas Kennicott)
The discovery of true Christian worship shook my world as a young believer. And as I’ve shared what I learned since then, it has shaken the worlds of many other Christians as well. It has been a good thing. In fact, it has been a life-giving thing. That’s not to say that my understanding of true Christian worship isn’t controversial – it is. But like many things, it’s controversial because we are quick to believe what we hear without questioning its logic and comparing it with the Scriptures. So what do I mean by “true Christian worship”?

In Acts 17:22-34, the Apostle Paul is addressing the Men of Athens in the Areopagus (on “Mars Hill”). He takes a quick inventory of the various idols, statues, and altars that were objects of their worship and quickly turns to the issue of proclaiming the god of whom they call “unknown” (Acts 17:23). The god unknown to them, Paul argues, is the one true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the creator of all things. Most interesting in this interaction is the beginning of Paul’s explanation: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25, emphasis mine). Likewise, in Romans 11:35 Paul writes, “Who has given a gift to [God] that he might be repaid?” Indeed, God reminded the lowly Job of this reality: “Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine” (Job 41:11). And in light of it all, Paul asks us to consider, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

How do these truths measure with your understanding of worship? I think many Christians understand worship – private, family, and corporate – as us coming before God togivesomething to him. Here’s the controversial part:
True Christian worship, as I see it in the Bible, is a receiving from God.

Many would find this to be shocking at best and unbiblical at worst, but I think this is exactly what Paul is getting at. If God is not served by human hands and if we are unable to give a gift to God because all that exists is rightfully His, a proper understanding of worship must be that we are going before Him empty handed. And if you get this, it’s monumental. It’s ground-breaking. It’s Earth-shattering. It’s life-changing, because all the sudden you are freed to reflect back to God his worth and magnificence with joy, unbound from the chains of obligation.

Here’s where the tension resolves: Approaching God in receive mode is to approach God with the understanding that He alone can satisfy, and that He alone is worthy of our complete devotion. When this happens, you are refracting the glory of God like a perfectly cut diamond in the hot summer sun, refracting the light to all who can see. To glorify God is not to add something to Him as though He could be more glorious than He already is. To glorify God is to expand our view of God, and to expand our treasuring of Him above all things. To glorify God is to see Him more like He truly is. Therefore, to worship God is to go to God with this understanding of His worth and value, longing to be united more intimately with Him, for your joy.

This is why God requires worship. Not because He needs you to tell Him of His worth, and not because He needs to be reassured that He is God. God requires that every man worship Him because it is what is best for man. When we’re thirsty and parched, we go to a source of water to be refreshed. Likewise, when our souls are thirsty, we need the water of life so that we will never thirst again (John 4:14).

Worship God and be filled with the deep satisfaction that He is lavishing upon you the greatest gift you will ever receive, namely Himself. Worship is for your joy, because rightly placed joy is the greatest means available to glorify God, thus achieving our chief end. So as you sing, pray, hear or read from the Bible, or participate in the ordinances of the Church, don’t assume you are doing something great for God – be assured that He is doing the greatest thing for you.