Our Version of Variety

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, Ephesians 5:19

"We don't do that kind of music here."  I've heard it my entire life.  It really doesn't matter what kind of music.  Someone isn't going to like it.  And that's OK.  But is there one kind of music that is better than another when it comes to corporate worship?  I think the apostle Paul would answer with an emphatic, NO!  In this passage he tells the Ephesian church to "speak" to one another using "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs."  Paul's original audience would have understood him to mean three very different forms of music.  For the purpose of this entry I will not go into an in-depth explanation.  It will suffice to say that each form would have been distinct in lyrical content, singing style, and musical form.

So then the real question is, why?  Why didn't Paul simply tell the church at Ephesus to sing to the Lord?  Simple enough, right.  But he didn't, he felt compelled (I believe by the Spirit of God) to include three distinct types of musical expression.  He also included this list in his letter to the Colossians.  (Colossians 3:16)  Here are some reasons I believe Paul may have used this phrase in his letters.

1.  We know from other sources that these churches were made up of a very diverse group of people.  There would have been Jews and Greeks, rich and poor, slave and free, tradesmen, craftsmen, and soldiers.  We also know that the early church struggled, at times, with how to handle that diversity.  Perhaps Paul knew that different kinds of songs would benefit the differing groups.  This is purely speculation, but I can imagine that the Psalms of David would have been important to those of Jewish heritage.  Maybe the hymns would have resonated with the Greek population, because of their familiarity in the worship of the Greek and Roman gods.  Might not the spiritual songs have ministered to those who were poor or persecuted among the church?  Yes, I believe so.

2.  Paul would have known how dangerous overly-ritualized worship could be.  I believe he wanted more than empty ritual for his churches.  He would have seen the value in differing kinds of worship expressions.

3.  I also think Paul would have understood these distinct styles to serve distinct purposes within corporate worship.  In the early church, a psalm would have meant something very different than would a spiritual song.

4.  As the church began to break away from it's roots in the synagogue, Paul was being very prescriptive regarding the kinds of things appropriate in the worship of Christ.  Perhaps there were some Judaizers in the crowd arguing for the use of Psalms exclusively.  Paul was not fond of those folks.  This could have been one more jab at them.

OK, Shannon.  That's all great, but what do we, as a 21st century church, do with all this?  Well, dear reader, how kind of you to ask.

1.  We must be aware and accommodating when it comes to other believers backgrounds.  Some of us grew up in one kind of church, some in others, some not in any church, and still others just never grew up (not sure what to do with those, maybe we can ask Paul about it later).  One of my dreams has always been to be a part of a multi-ethnic congregation, and have the opportunity to explore the rich musical and worship traditions of groups other than my own.

2.  We must be aware of our own propensity for ritualization.  It's a comfort thing really.  We all find solace in familiarity.  But it can be dangerous to get overly comfortable with our worship expressions.  After all, one of the greatest gifts that God has given to His people is change itself.  The ability to change and be changed by our God is a marvelous thing.

3.  We must be open to new expressions of worship, while at the same time not closing our minds to old ones.  In the Colossians 3:16 passage, Paul includes the phrase, "with all wisdom."  In this we must be, "as shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."  A lot of babies have gone the way of the bath water.

We've got to keep variety in our corporate worship.  When we come together, there must be a sense of anticipation, excitement, and expectancy.  We also must "consider others as better than ourselves," when it comes to our own likes and dislikes.  We must establish our own version of variety that both accommodates who we are and challenges us to be more, to be the people of God.