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| Worship
Arts: A Mandate for Excellance |
| Grace
and Virtuosity in Worship Leadership |
| Steve
Griffing |
| Christian
ministry flows from grace and faith, motivated
by love. St. Paul writes, “We all have different
gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s
gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion
to his faith” (Rom. 12:6). We are able to
serve the church only because the Holy Spirit
has graciously has given us unmerited gifts that
faith (also a gift — Eph. 2:8) sets in motion. |
| Yet,
when it comes to worship, most of us prefer leaders*
who have augmented their gifts with some degree
of discipline, like proficiency on the piano or
organ. We also want them to maintain a rehearsal
regimen so that they can conduct our worship in
an orderly fashion with attention to detail. In
other words, we want our worship leaders to have
some level of artistic skill — that is,
we want them to augment what the Holy Spirit has
given them with some old-fashioned “elbow
grease.” As a worshiping community, we look
for a balance between two seemingly contradictory
elements: divine gift versus artistic virtuosity. |
| The
Worship Arts Dichotomy |
| But,
isn’t the grace and gifting of the Holy
Spirit enough? After all, doesn’t Scripture
say, “My grace is sufficient for you”
(2 Cor. 12:9) and “open wide your mouth
and I will fill it” (Ps. 81:9)? Why should
effective worship leadership require both divine
inspiration and human perspiration? |
| The answer is this;
God really cares about “good music.”
“Play skillfully …” (Ps. 33:3),
the psalmist instructs us. But how skillful do
we have to be to qualify for God’s music
department? |
| God
upholds a standard that balances both inspiration
and hard work and resolves our erroneous dichotomy
between divine gift and human virtuosity. |
| Most
dictionaries define “virtuosity” as
“exceptional skill.” By almost any
standard, most of us would consider the concertmaster
of the Dallas Symphony, Emanuel Borok, to be an
extraordinary violin virtuoso, but folks at the
Mesquite Rodeo might prefer master fiddler, Mark
O’Connor. So, our determination of who is
skilled and who is not is subjective. |
| However,
there is one thing these two musician have in
common — a consistent, systematic, and driving
pursuit of artistic excellence. That is what virtuosity
is all about, and it is a pilgrimage rather than
a fixed destination. But why does God care about
excellence? |
| Virtuosity
imparts beauty to our worship. At least two psalms
eulogize the beauty of Zion’s holy temple
(Pss. 48 and 87), and another proclaims, “From
Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines
in glorious radiance” (Ps. 50:2). The primary
reason we gather in worship is “to gaze
upon the beauty of the Lord” (Ps. 27:4).
Therefore, those who lead in public worship should
create an environment that reflects God’s
divine aesthetic of beauty. |
| Art explores the
breadth of human experience and creates sensory
experiences that parallel life itself. As one
of the arts, music moves us at the most profound
level. In worship, it expresses not only our human
but also God’s divine sentiment. The ability
to perform worshipful music with virtuosity requires
musicians to bring contrast and clarity of expression
to their performances. As St Paul’s exhorts
us, we are to “sound a clear call”
(1 Cor. 14:8). In order to express by finite means
the person and purposes of the infinite God, worship
leaders must to pursue excellence in every aspect,
whether that be sound, light, symbolic gesture,
or environmental design. |
| The word “glory”
appears frequently throughout the Bible. It is
a poignant description of God’s majestic
splendor, but the term actually derives its meaning
from a very mundane setting — the ancient
market place. It means, literally, “weight”
or “value” and refers to the process
of weighing precious metal in payment for goods. |
| We
are to “ascribe to the Lord the glory due
his name” (Ps. 29:2). Artistic excellence
reflects the cost and value of worship because
those who exhibit it “buy” it at the
price of diligent study and practice. King David,
the Bible’s quintessential worshiper, refused
to bring an offering to the Lord that cost him
nothing (2 Sam. 24:24). Today, the work and preparation
by choristers, music directors, instrumentalists,
altar guilds, acolytes, and preachers demonstrate
how much they value the presence of God in our
worship. |
| The
Lord’s song cannot flow from someone in
bondage. (Pss. 137:1-4; 126:1-4; Jer. 33:11.)
Lack of artistic skill fetters expressive fluency.
Conversely, the most difficult music flows easily
from the hands or voice of a polished virtuoso.
Virtuosity releases worship leaders’ minds
from the “bondage” of technical mechanics
so they can concentrate on what the Spirit is
saying to the church through worship, and it lifts
the congregant to rapturous delight in Christ’s
presence. |
| We
often use the words “command” and
“mastery” to describe a fine performance.
We not-so-great virtuosos can also display mastery
if we don’t overreach our limitations (out
of pretentiousness) and stick to a simple repertoire.
The biblical principle requires leaders to develop
exceptional skills — the best they can give
— at whatever level of expertise they possess.
Scripture lauds King David as a man of God, but
it attributes his leadership to his extraordinary
skill (Ps. 78:72). Although Kenaniah, David’s
choral instructor was qualified to be a priest,
it is his mastery of vocal technique that distinguishes
him from his peers (1 Chron. 15:22, 27). When
members of a worship team apply their best efforts
to their craft, they reflect God’s infinite
mastery. |
| God
requires us to add virtuosity to His gifts because,
in the pursuit of excellence, we develop self-control,
dedication, patience, and even humility. Artistic
arrogance generally obscures limited training
and experience. As worship leaders pursue excellence
in their craft, they reflect the beauty and personality
of our Lord as they take on His character and
demonstrate His mastery in a finite sense. |
| The
Holy Spirit empowers the church’s ministry,
but He is not a laborsaving device. Nowhere in
Scripture does the sovereign grace of God release
us from the responsibility to pursue excellence. |
|
“When
natural music is sharpened and polished by art,
then one begins to see with amazement the great
and perfect wisdom of God.” Martin
Luther. |
| *While
this article discusses the use of the Holy Spirit’s
gifts in worship ministry, it applies to the manner
in which all of us exercise whatever gift God
has given us. He demands excellence. |
©
2007 Steve Griffing, ZionSong Ministries. All rights
reserved.
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