A slightly different take: I too find songs that merely (emphasis on merely) proclaim God's goodness and leave it at that. I find much more value in songs with longer texts that rehearse the narrative of our redemption: God is holy, we are sinners, Jesus saves us, Jesus sends us. Songs like "My Living Hope," for example:
How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke your name into the night
Then through the darkness
Your loving kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope
A previous worship pastor made something of a habit of selecting songs for our corporate worship that continually reminded us of the resurrection, reminding us what God has done for us. The resurrection is no mere platitude. That, I think, can be the remedy we seek for those symptoms.
Thanks for this, Eric! I think your remedy here is really important -- music that can bring God's goodness into God's redemptive action can deeply form faith and heal souls.
Also, there were *many* different versions of this piece where the second half was filled with Gregorian chants, hymns, sung prayers + psalms, etc. (I have playlists for each of these on Spotify, if you're interested).
A slightly different take: I too find songs that merely (emphasis on merely) proclaim God's goodness and leave it at that. I find much more value in songs with longer texts that rehearse the narrative of our redemption: God is holy, we are sinners, Jesus saves us, Jesus sends us. Songs like "My Living Hope," for example:
How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke your name into the night
Then through the darkness
Your loving kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope
A previous worship pastor made something of a habit of selecting songs for our corporate worship that continually reminded us of the resurrection, reminding us what God has done for us. The resurrection is no mere platitude. That, I think, can be the remedy we seek for those symptoms.
Thanks for this, Eric! I think your remedy here is really important -- music that can bring God's goodness into God's redemptive action can deeply form faith and heal souls.
Also, there were *many* different versions of this piece where the second half was filled with Gregorian chants, hymns, sung prayers + psalms, etc. (I have playlists for each of these on Spotify, if you're interested).
I also am not moved by many of the contemporary songs sung in our church.