Songwriting is on par with rocket science, in my estimation. How anyone can arrange notes to form chords, melodies, and harmonies, is beyond my ability to comprehend. Even more astonishing is how anyone can compose a new song. Over the thousands of years of human history, hasn't every imaginable song arrangement been composed?
Psalm 96 admonishes us to "Sing to the LORD a new song" (Psalm 96:1). If this means what I think it means, God is sure to be disappointed. Any song composition I bring before Him will likely resonate with discord rather than well-arranged chords. The Bachs and Beethovens in the crowd will have to offer the compositions, because I am sure to fail.
But, what exactly constitutes new? Does God seek original compositions from His children? Or, perhaps what He seeks is something fresh; something new to our experience.
I've arranged more congregational worship services than I can count. Typically, planning involves looking over a list of familiar songs and hymns and selecting those which are most appropriate to a particular theme. Often, just the right song isn't there to choose from. How wonderful it would have been, on those occasions, to have been inspired to compose that perfect song.
I wonder if rote singing of well-written songs doesn't border on blasphemous plagiarism. Unless the song is truly ours, it hardly qualifies as "singing a new song". In other words, until we take ownership of the meaning of a song through our own personal worship experience, it's just another song. When a song is infused with personal meaning through the dynamic of our experience with our Creator, it then becomes our new song.
The Psalmist further appeals to us to "Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength." (Psalm 96:1-7)
Our song is a new song when active expression is our passion. A heartfelt desire to sing, proclaim, tell, praise, and ascribe constitutes a new song, regardless of the melody and harmony.
And one other very important consideration: a passion for truly knowing this magnificent God that we praise is foremost. As we are reminded, "all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens." This LORD is Yahweh our Father, and eternal life is inseparably linked to a knowledge - intellectual and experiential - of Him, and our Savior, Jesus, who makes Him know to us (John 17:3)
May your song today have a newness that truly pleases the Father.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
Psalm 96 admonishes us to "Sing to the LORD a new song" (Psalm 96:1). If this means what I think it means, God is sure to be disappointed. Any song composition I bring before Him will likely resonate with discord rather than well-arranged chords. The Bachs and Beethovens in the crowd will have to offer the compositions, because I am sure to fail.
But, what exactly constitutes new? Does God seek original compositions from His children? Or, perhaps what He seeks is something fresh; something new to our experience.
I've arranged more congregational worship services than I can count. Typically, planning involves looking over a list of familiar songs and hymns and selecting those which are most appropriate to a particular theme. Often, just the right song isn't there to choose from. How wonderful it would have been, on those occasions, to have been inspired to compose that perfect song.
I wonder if rote singing of well-written songs doesn't border on blasphemous plagiarism. Unless the song is truly ours, it hardly qualifies as "singing a new song". In other words, until we take ownership of the meaning of a song through our own personal worship experience, it's just another song. When a song is infused with personal meaning through the dynamic of our experience with our Creator, it then becomes our new song.
The Psalmist further appeals to us to "Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength." (Psalm 96:1-7)
Our song is a new song when active expression is our passion. A heartfelt desire to sing, proclaim, tell, praise, and ascribe constitutes a new song, regardless of the melody and harmony.
And one other very important consideration: a passion for truly knowing this magnificent God that we praise is foremost. As we are reminded, "all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens." This LORD is Yahweh our Father, and eternal life is inseparably linked to a knowledge - intellectual and experiential - of Him, and our Savior, Jesus, who makes Him know to us (John 17:3)
May your song today have a newness that truly pleases the Father.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
posted by steve @ 9:03 AM
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