Rants

Time for my obligatory yearly rant about music and worship.  Leela, feel free to pull out your "Calvin for Dummies: Worship" book...

 

Okay, so last Sunday we Actually Played a Hymn.  No, not a gospel song written in the 50s, an actual hymn written by theologian, logician, author, and poet Isaac Watts.  I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Isaac Watts' "At the Cross" (formerly known as "Alas! and did my Savior Bleed") goes like this:

 

Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood.

 

Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!

 

Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.

 

Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.

 

But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do.

 

Of course, we didn't use the original version of the song.  The second verse is much too bloody and gory, so it's was removed.  And the upbeat chorus

 

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!

 

is added after each verse.

 

And, of course, the original melody is much too churchy.  So we used a newer, bouncier tune. Ya know, contemporary, and stuff.  My surprise started wearing off, but okay, at least it's a bit deeper than what we usually sing.

 

So we started off, in practice, something like this:

 

First verse/chorus: acoustic guitar, male/female vocals.

Second verse/chorus: acoustic guitar, piano, vocals.

Third verse/chorus: Bass, drums, electric keyboard, electric guitar, piano, acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals.

Fourth verse/chorus: ditto, except louder.

Fifth verse/chorus: acoustic guitar, vocals.

 

So I caught the worship leader's eye and said, "You know what?  That sounded so awesome with just the acoustic guitar and singing - why don't we just do the whole song that way?"

 

"The whole song?"

 

"Yeah, the whole song."

 

"You mean all five verses, just the guitar?"

 

"Yes, all five verses.  It sounds really good. It's less distracting without all the extra stuff."

 

"Uh. Yeeeeah.... (nervous laugh, an "Is he serious?" kind of laugh) Five verses IS kind of long for that....without mixing it up a little.  With just guitar the verses will all sound the same and the song will seem like it's taking forever."

 

"Okay, never mind."

 

Tonight at worship night we played this song, which was obviously a shorter, more engaging masterpiece by multi-talented session guitarist, singer, and songwriter Lincoln Brewster:

 

Love the Lord

Love the Lord your God

With all your heart

With all your soul

With all your mind

With all your strength

Love the Lord your God

With all your heart

With all your soul

With all your mind

With all your strength

With all your heart

With all your soul

With all your mind

With all your strength

Love the Lord your God

With all your heart

With all your soul

With all your mind

With all your strength

I will serve the Lord

With all my heart

With all my mind

With all my soul

With all my strength

I will serve the Lord

With all my heart

With all my mind

With all my soul

With all my strength

With all my heart

With all my mind

With all my soul

With all my strength

I will serve the Lord

With all my heart

With all my mind

With all my soul

With all my strength

(instrumental)

(transition/cut to a segment of another, different song in a different tempo)

I love you Lord

And I lift my voice

To worship You

O my soul rejoice

Take joy my King

In what You hear

May it be a sweet sweet sound

In Your ear

I love you Lord

And I lift my voice

To worship You

O my soul rejoice

Take joy my King

In what You hear

May it be a sweet sweet sound

In Your ear

(cut/transition back)

With all my heart

With all my soul

With all my mind

With all my strength

With all my heart

With all my soul

With all my mind

With all my strength

I will love you Lord

With all my heart

With all my soul

With all my mind

With all my strength

I will love you Lord

With all my heart

With all my soul

With all my mind

With all my strength

I will love you Lord

With all my heart

With all my soul

With all my mind

With all my strength

 

And that's not too long? Not too repetitive? Doesn't all sound the same?

 

No?

 

Huh.