Coming out of academia I am fresh with wit and wisdom, so as to spout proper ideals and stoic theological perspectives to whoever kindles the flame. But such practice and vigor hardly prepares one for ... compassion.
Now, I didn't start a yelling match, or shove anyone. I only prodded a little, intellectually. The controversy goes that those who prefer traditional music, usually the 60+ crowd but not exclusively, find modern worship music (I'll use that rather than 'contemporary' as that seems to have lost it's definition and sags a bit around the waste) to be: lacking in skill (not required to read music or explore the complex harmonies), theological depth (it's more about me than God), and heritage (hymns have been passed through the ages - Martin Luther, 500+ yrs ago, wrote some of the best!). And in the other direction, 'modern' worshipers find traditional worship to be: stuffy (up down up down, hold the book but don't share with person next to you, up down...), archaic (I already said it, 500yrs old at least), and dead (well, most of the authors ARE physically gone ...).
Now, these are generalizations about polar regions, and I am one who falls happily in the middle. Put me in either worship experience, and God will be worshiped without complaint. Okay okay, I would say at the times that I do complain, it has more to do with the quality of executing worship leadership than what they chose to sing ... we can discuss that later.
So there I was, happily building my knowledge of congregants, logging names away in my brain, when the conversation began. I was eager. I could smell it from a mile away. My seminary degree was pushing it's way up and I had to shove it back down in order to have a tame conversation. I met a member of the choir, which was on hiatus for the summer. I heard the lament of their absence, and the tensions our church has when there are too many 'contemporary' songs used in Sunday worship during our combined summer services. It saddened me to hear that some congregants just choose not to sing when the song is unfamiliar and does not come from the hymnal. I pondered what it is a pastor might be able to say or do to encourage learning in all forms - be it by reading the music or learning the song audibly.
Arguably, my generation seems to have produced more sports enthusiasts than musicians, and reading music is simply not as ubiquitous as it used to be. Moreover, many my age were not brought up in the church, so their presence there may be a new thing. So what are our expectations of worship - as newcomers or faithful returners, and how can they be, ever so lovingly, broken down?
The most interesting point of the conversation, in my opinion, was in utilizing the term 'praise music'. My new friend brought up her feeling that it is the hymns that are truly praise music, for the contemporary stuff is just pushing for an emotional experience while hymns speak of God in intricate language and doctrinal poetry. When I asked her, 'what does it mean to praise?' there was some stumbling, some murmurs of God centered (to which I aptly countered, using my sharp seminarian wit, that while some contemporary songs do seem to be about me, most of what we do in our services, if not all, point to truths about God), and eventually her shoulders released their tension, and I heard something along the lines of 'I'm not sure.' I think we hit a wall because though praise, I can agree, is something more about God than about me, it also deeply attaches to us emotionally. What she liked, when she felt that spark, she felt it to be praise.
Perhaps you disagree, but I find myself equally joyous and uplifted in singing How Great Thou Art as with Desert Song. I don't believe we should only worship when we feel, or that we should worship to feel, or that true worship only comes with feelings ... no, I just want to point out that when we start speaking of the times we feel most connected to God, others may not feel it the same way. And when we start having preferences about 'how' we worship, are we still practicing worship, or a selfish desire for our preferred aesthetic?
I will continue to ponder these things and process what it means to be a whole congregation - intergenerational and worshiping under one roof, praising one God. In the mean time, here's something we can all agree is beautiful: Flowers. Actually, garden tea parties are probably a very welcome activity regardless of age ... snacks and beauty? Priceless. Especially when those lemon tea cookies make an appearance!
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