Liturgy, Music, and Preaching
Liturgy, Music & Preaching
Worship: Who is it for, anyway?
The Rev. Eric Williams, rector - St. Luke's, Jamestown
Discussions about worship and music need to be about more than what I like or what you like.
Arguments based on taste are doomed from the start and lead to the kind of "worship wars" that have divided churches. Our worship and music are meant to be first and foremost about lifting our hearts to God and praising God. We can do that in any and every musical style, in the spoken word and in silence.
Let's strive to be a church with a generosity of spirit where we all seek to please God first, one another second and ourselves last.
A place where the old rejoice in singing new songs to please the young, and the young rejoice in singing old songs to please their elders. A place where our worship is designed not just to please ourselves, but also to reach out to those beyond our walls who are hungry to know God, but who haven't the foggiest idea what "Episcopalian" means.
This does not mean that we need to throw out our tradition, but it does mean a different spirit as we continue to try old and new forms in an effort to praise God and bring others into a relationship with God.
Resources
American Guild of Organists - Buffalo Chapter
Local Resource Center
Local Resource Center for AGO Members - Large collection of multiple copies of choir anthems.
North Presbyterian Church, 300 N. Forest Rd., Williamsville, NY, 716-631-9140
Plater's Prayers of the People
Worship Resources from Episcopal Relief & Development
Worship Resources from the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Worship Resources from the United Methodist Church
Worship Resources from Vital Practices for Leading Congregations
