People sometimes ask me how I pick the music for our worship services, so I thought I would take a moment to give you a peek behind the curtain and explain my process. Selecting the right hymns and anthems/solos each week is a deeply rewarding task, but there are quite a few moving parts that go into making sure our musical offerings enhance our time together in the sanctuary.
I usually start with the lectionary, a structured, three-year calendar of Bible readings used for worship services around the world. As a Disciples of Christ church, we follow the basic liturgical calendar of the church year—moving together through Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and ordinary time. Naturally, the first step is ensuring the hymns match the liturgical season we are in. If you want to see how this works in practice, take a look at the top corner of each hymn in the *Chalice Hymnal*. You will notice they are intentionally organized by themes. Furthermore, if you look at the index in the back of the hymnal, you will find the hymns categorized by both topic and scripture reference, which is an invaluable tool when planning a service.
That brings me to the next major step: finding hymns that closely match Ben’s sermon topics. Currently, Ben has begun an ambitious new sermon series, preaching through the Bible in one year. This requires a slightly different approach on my end. Because our faith traditions and hymnody focus primarily on the New Testament, there aren't many hymns that directly retell Old Testament stories. When we are in the Old Testament, I do my best to find hymns that match the broader *themes* and theological lessons of the weekly readings, even if the lyrics don't mention specific biblical characters by name.
Finally, the familiarity of the tune makes a massive impact on the congregation's experience. I’ll admit, there have been a few times in the past when I realized I was the only person singing an unfamiliar hymn! To avoid those awkward solos, I do my best to ensure the hymns we sing are well-known to the congregation. When we do introduce new music, I try to pick melodies that are intuitive and easy enough to learn that people can catch on quickly.
While it is sometimes nearly impossible to match the themes perfectly, I hope you can see the effort put into ensuring that worship is a time of deep connection with scripture and the Holy Spirit. Removing any distractions or barriers to that connection is always my primary goal. My prayer is that the music we sing and offer in praise will be found pleasing to our Lord's ear and honor Him for all He has done for us.
As we lift our voices together each Sunday, I am often reminded of the words of Psalm 95:1-3:
"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
I look forward to singing with you this Sunday!