My friend, pastor Aaron Frasier, responded to my plea for blog ideas that might help readers. At first it sounded -- because I'm still plagued by pride -- like a self-centered subject. But then I sought some input from Aaron, and came up with some of the reasons behind what these songs taught me. These are 10 songs that made me a better worship leader. There are a few sentences with each, talking about what I learned that has been helpful to me... and which I believe has helped me lead others well in worship.
[Click title to hear see/hear songs.]
1. In the Garden -- This was my grandmother's favorite hymn. When I plan worship, I remember that someone's grandma is in the room hoping we sing their favorite hymn too. I'm also deeply grateful for the heritage of worshipers that have gone before me.
2. Victory in Jesus -- The first solo I sang in church. I was in middle school, and as part of "Youth Week" I got to shadow our worship pastor (Barry Cavin) and then stand in his shoes on a Sunday morning. I sang this great hymn of our faith in that role. I'm thankful for a church that risked giving leadership opportunities to 7th-12th graders.
3. It Is Well with My Soul -- Every song has a story. Some of them are stunning, even transforming. This is one of those stories. I learned from this great hymn the power of knowing what is behind the lyric, and the power of sharing it with those we lead. To learn more about the story, watch THIS.
4. In Christ Alone -- Unlike any congregational piece I'd known before the year 2000, this magnificent modern hymn introduced me to the idea of unleashing the drama of the gospel through lyrics. Using the third verse to "paint" the resurrection is one of my favorite tools. And it has helped me look for other opportunities to let the music make the lyric come alive.
5. Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer -- It is so fitting to have two Getty songs in this post. Keith has influenced me greatly. This particular song, less popular than many of his, taught me two things: to make songs "my own" and to seek songs that connect with every generation. (It IS possible!) I wrote an arrangement of this modern hymn, and that gives it unique power in my ministry. I know it deeply.
6. 10,000 Reasons -- Matt Redman has challenged me in many ways over the years. The line in this lyric, "sing like never before" gave me pause. At first blush it sounded to me like this meant every time had to out-do every time before. But after reflecting on it further, I decided the brilliance of that phrase is to remember that we are never entering the presence of God in the same way twice. So we sing like we are coming to God THIS time, not like we were last time or wish we were next time. It joins the timeless and the timely.
7. Who You Say I Am -- My pastor seldom, VERY seldom, suggests a song to me. But he made an off-hand comment to me about how he thought our congregation would embrace this worship song. I wish I'd listened faster. He was right. Good pastors know their congregations well. Worship leaders are wise to listen to their pastors when it comes to song selection.
8. King Forevermore (God the Uncreated One) -- I first encountered this song at the SING! Conference, led by it's writer, Aaron Keyes. I was one of the older people in the room, and this modern hymn--which few of us had heard before--immediately connected with the overwhelming majority of people there. A new song can connect with young people even if it's written in an older form.
9. Is He Worthy -- This is one of my favorite songs of the last decade or more. It is based strongly on Revelation 5. It is antiphonal, a worship style that I thought had gone the way of the Ford Pinto. My friend Martha Christian introduced it to me at a local worship event and I was UNDONE! It is honest. It is unusual. The new song can employ the old thing and connect in new ways. This is important for us to remember as we walk into coming days.
10. The Blessing -- This is the newest song on the list. In many ways, there are elements of what I learned in the first nine songs wrapped up in this one. It's scripture set to music. It's power is undeniable. Listening to an interview with the writers, they said that when they wrote it, it was like heaven gave them a peek into what was happening there and gave them a taste for us to use on earth. Interestingly, this is very much like what G. F. Handel said when he was writing the "Hallelujah Chorus." God is so generous to give generation and generation a peek into the worship of heaven so we can get a taste of it on earth.
I'd love to know one of the songs that made you as a worshiper or worship leader. Leave a comment!