The Purpose of Music in the Church - Part 4
“...music can be helpful, for times of reflection and meditation, but we need to do this with sensitivity, so that it’s not just a distraction, or something that is purely moving the emotions.”
As we come to our last post in this series on the purpose of music within the church, we’re looking at how it relates to us individually, as believers.
In the last few posts, we’ve looked at three different aspects of the purpose of music within the church. Firstly, we were reminded that our ultimate purpose is to bring glory to God, because He is worthy. Secondly, music is used to facilitate the worship of God in spirit and truth. And thirdly, it is used to proclaim truth to one another. Each of these aspects lays a foundation for cultivating true biblical worship.
So how, then, does music within the church relate to us individually? Well, the fourth purpose of music in the church is…
…to assist with reflection and meditation.
There are times when music can be very helpful in aiding us to reflect, and meditate, upon biblical truth, and upon the person and work of Christ. The context in which this kind of music often occurs, and is appropriate to use, is during times such as when communion is being served, or during the offering. There are also times when it can be appropriate to use even in between songs, to allow for some musically assisted reflection.
However, this really does all depend upon how it is done; We will be talking more about this in future posts, but for now, the main point I want to make here, is that music can be helpful, for times of reflection and meditation, but we need to do this with sensitivity, so that it’s not just a distraction, or something that is purely moving the emotions.
I do love reading in the Old Testament of those times when David played his harp, to Saul, and it refreshed his troubled mind. And then later on, that same David, who would become King David, went on to write many of the Psalms; and these being in many ways the Bible's in-built hymn book.
In the Psalms, we frequently see the use of the word “Selah”. Now scholars are unsure of the exact meaning of this word, but it is generally understood in its context to mean something like “to pause, or meditate”. It may have been a prompt to stop singing, allowing time to reflect and meditate upon the words that had just been sung, as the music continued to play, or it might have been a technical term that meant the music was to be paused for a moment.
Let’s take a look at how it’s used in these verses from Psalm 46…
…3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
... 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
... 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Although we’re not completely certain, the context certainly suggests a form of reflection, and pausing in consideration of God’s truth - and if it’s done appropriately and sensitively, music can certainly aid with this.
As we’ve looked at these four different aspects, I hope it’s helped us to see some of the purposes of the use of music. This really is so important to understand, because all music used in the church service must have a biblical purpose.
So to recap, the four aspects of the purpose of music in the church are:
To bring glory to God, because He is worthy
To facilitate the worship of God in spirit and truth
To proclaim truth to one another
To assist with reflection and meditation
May it be our prayer that the music we use during our times of worship reflect this purpose, bringing glory to God, and not, in any way, distracting us from Him.
In the next two posts, we’re going to continue on from here, and look at the place of music in the church, where we will be considering its function and the role it plays.
[Return to The Church Piano Player Website]
This blog post was written by pastor and pianist Kris Baines, from The Church Piano Player. Kris lives in the UK with his family, having recently moved back New Zealand where he worked as a pastor for the past 26 years (also leading worship/worship teams). Kris has also spent over 35 years writing, recording, and performing music and is now bringing all that combined experience together to help equip church piano/keyboard players.
Check out the church piano player website for more information on online courses by Kris Baines.
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