Enhancing worship with music

By Dawn Dawson, Canada East Mission Centre Co-President

How much time do you take to think about the music used during a Sunday service? If you are the one leading the service or part of a group planning the service, then you probably understand the importance and impact a song with the right words at the right time can have. Songs in the service can move the message along and not just be a pause in the content. Music can uplift or confirm a thought through the emotions it evokes. Meaningful words, brought alive through cleverly crafted tunes, can both inspire and linger in our minds.

To further expand on the desire to include those from a younger generation, perhaps using music from various genres would be effective. There are many impactful songs that inspire or encourage thoughtful meditation in the hearts of younger generations that are not necessarily found in our hymn books. Our hymn book contains amazing hymns, categorized for every service purpose, such as gathering, discernment, and justice. To bring some in to discover our wonderful music, they need to understand that we appreciate all kinds of music.

For Youth Sunday last February, I planned a service using a Psalm, and between the reading of each verse, we used contemporary songs to enhance the message. We included songs such as Let the Sun Shine In, Why Me Lord by Kris Kristofferson, Just Breathe (a Pearl Jam cover by Willie Nelson and his son), and wrapped up the service with Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum. Songs can be used with music or as part of meditation study by reflecting on the lyrics alone. That morning, we had twice as many twenty-somethings in the pews. A couple even said they would like to help put the service together next year because they had songs in mind that could be used. Some of these songs are not new, but with today’s access to all kinds of music, older songs are often new to others.

You must confirm copyright approval through a CCLI or Entandem licence for any song you wish to use. Simply looking up Inspirational Songs on music services like iTunes or Spotify reveals well-crafted playlists in every genre. Spiritual life for the next generation is changing, and being open to the new music that speaks to their hearts is just one more tool we can use to bring multigenerational groups together. Incorporating campfire songs or exploring hymns from different countries in the hymn book could also bring great joy to a service.
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Music is a wonderful gift we have all been given. Let us use the gift of music to grow our congregational life, always inspiring new ground.