Music is worthless unless it can make a
Complete stranger break down and cry
This is an intentional overstatement but it still makes the point. Music is powerful. Even without lyrics music can tell a story or paint a landscape just as clearly as a book or a painting. Those pop songs with insipid lyrics about some jackass’s car truly are worthless in most ways that matter. Music like literature can transport people and it can crystallize ideas. I have always thought so. With that being true why then do Christian praise chorus lack so much? With the weight of the truth that they carry why do they often sound simple, repetitive and empty? It hit me the other day as I sat in church. The music was the standard set of songs we usually sing and I began to get annoyed because the music sounded like I felt, empty and tired. I thought about it on the way home and I think it is sad that there are so many powerful songs we don’t sing just because they are not in the conventionally held worship rotation. So I decided that I would write my own alternative worship set, one that would be moving particularly for me. I only put nine songs in keeping with the traditional amount in any given set.
The Transfiguration - Sufjan Stevens
Come, Lord Jesus – Andrew Peterson
40 – U2
Let That Be Enough – Switchfoot
Be Thou My Vision – (full band w/ Celtic overtones style)
Call Me Liar – Plankeye
Don’t You Know I’ve Always Loved You – Third Day
Some Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape – Underoath
Revelation Song – (The John Warren, Full Band version, not the sappy version that seems to be everywhere right now.)
I am not sure about the Plankeye song but I like it as a lead in to Third Day and Underoath. It just seems a bit disjointed from Be Thou My Vision.
Other songs that I would have put on an extended set include:
Lifeline – Brooke Fraser
Abraham – Sufjan Stevens
To Be Alone With You – Sufjan Stevens
The Artist In The Ambulance – Thrice
Dare You To Move – Switchfoot
Learning To Breathe – Switchfoot
And if you did want to use artists that are stock for the Christian music scene:
Consume Me – DC Talk
Entertaining Angels – Newsboys
(Those happen to be two good songs ok! Stop rolling your eyes!)
4 comments:
I'll have to check out your list. I have struggled with "Christian music" like many, I'm sure. For me I must, must, must love the music itself first and foremost. If the lyrics are stupid, I can't even sing them. There's a song that drives me up the wall that our church sings that goes, "No matter what happens or what occurs..." What happens IS what occurs... So you mean "No matter what happens or what happens"? Can't sing it. I also hate lyrics like, "You're always there for me." What does that mean exactly? That's actually one of the reasons I really enjoy scripture set to music... let the Word speak for itself.
Anyway, thanks for the list! I'll try to check it out a bit this week.
I heard that last week during worship at WACC, our church in Whittier, they played Coldplay - "Yellow". They often play U2, Switchfoot and that kind of stuff.
I rarely enjoy music during worship. They usually play the same songs, then there is this one song that says "YHWH" all the time which really bothers me. I don't particularly like using that name. Our church is all big on having all kinds of people come to the service and then they play a song with a word that many Jews would find offensive... go figure.
Good choices, strange mix.
I would include some Nicole Nordeman (Rolling River God, Holy), How Firm a Foundation, In Christ Alone, Our Great God, and How Great is Our God.... But that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
I DEFINITELY agree with the Revelation Song! I miss John Warren.
Oh, and I don't particularly think "Yellow" qualifies as a worship song.
Good choices, strange mix.
I would include some Nicole Nordeman (Rolling River God, Holy), How Firm a Foundation, In Christ Alone, Our Great God, and How Great is Our God.... But that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
I DEFINITELY agree with the Revelation Song! I miss John Warren.
Oh, and I don't particularly think "Yellow" qualifies as a worship song.
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