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The value of our godly family of musicians
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Earlier this month, First Lady Michelle Obama and San Francisco Symphony maestro Michael Tilson Thomas made news by speaking emphatically about the importance of music in our schools. Both agreed that music should not be considered an “extra” part of our education, but should be valued as “an essential part of it.” The same truth can be said regarding the importance of music in church worship--the education and edification of Christians.
Christian musicians who create worship music are a unique band of souls. As members of the kingdom of God in Christ, they are descendants from the line of the first worshippers of our faith going back thousands of years. Contemporary musicians--singers, instrumentalists & percussionists—follow the precedent established by Moses and David to provide congregational music for the worship of the Lord. A casual study of the Psalms will lead you to the book of 1Chronicles. In chapter 6, the sons of Levi-- Gershon, Kohath and Merari--are mentioned. The Levites, the descendants of Levi, were responsible for facilitating worship in the tabernacle and later for the temple. We rarely hear about those 3 sons. But their worship through music and the subsequent pattern set by the descendants of those sons---Asaph, Korah, Jedethun and their descendants are the wellspring from which our contemporary worship music teams emanate.
One Silicon Valley worship leader puts it this way, “We are not ‘just the music guys’ providing entertainment. We are not an elective in worship. We are the elected by the One who chose us before we came to be. We are the called, we are the anointed, we are the worship leaders and the lead worshippers as part of the Body of Christ—The Church. We minister the word of God through music because like Asaph, Korah, Jedethun and so many others, we are called to lead and shepherd our congregations in singing the Song of All Songs—songs in praise of our Living God.”
Although the world places little value on Christian worship music, God indeed ascribes worth to the music as we ascribe worth to Him who is worthy of all our praise through the power of this art form called music that is ultimately God’s creation. He spoke it into existence. He even sings His songs of deliverance over us (Zephaniah 3:17)!
The value of our Godly family of musicians in congregational worship is sometimes underestimated, but can never be overestimated. And since Christ wants His followers to become instruments of His peace, Christians can unite in worship as one valued musical family; one valued sound of the redeemed.
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