WORDSMITHS

I’m concerned about some of our worship songs.  Some of the songs are fine; but some are disappointing, with weak or meaningless lines.  Others are more dangerous because some of their words or images are unbiblical.  And since songs tend to stick with us, they effectively become vehicles that teach bad doctrine.  As a pastor, I always told the worship-leaders, “Look at the words before you fall in love with the tune.”  Nowadays I find myself singing an edited version of many songs.  In all good conscience, some of their lines I am unable to sing.

I could offer examples, but that might just divide opinion.  And it’s not the point anyway, because it’s not really the songs that I’m attacking, just whether they are suitable for use in corporate worship.

For years, I’ve participated in the performance of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.  Now if you know anything about Gilbert and Sullivan, you’ll probably know that Gilbert wrote all the words, and then Sullivan set them to music.  Each was proficient in his field.  Sullivan didn’t do words.  Gilbert claimed that he knew only two tunes, “and one of them is ‘God Save the Queen!’”  Someone asked, “And the other?”  “Isn’t,” Gilbert replied!  The point is that there was a division of labour, and each of them was very skilled in his own area.

In more recent years, Elton John had Bernie Taupin.  In ABBA, for the most part Benny wrote the music and Bjorn then put the words to it.  Yet Bjorn is also a musician.  Other practitioners are singer-songwriters, who write both words and music, and then sing them.  There are many models, and apparently all of them can work.

Terry Virgo said many years ago, “Worship has been hijacked by musicians.”  I think I understand what he meant.  Yet the reality may perhaps be better expressed as: those who are not top musicians have abdicated from worship.  Now that the simplicity, or some might say the crudity, of early charismatic worship has developed into the more professional, band-led approach, many of us have left the worship to the musicians.  But we’ve also largely left the song writing to the musicians.  We’ve gone for the singer-songwriter model.  Perhaps we’ve capitulated to the singer-songwriter model.  And sometimes it works well.  But it puts a lot of responsibility on musicians—musically gifted, melodically creative, and able to craft biblical truth into a balanced and accurate lyric.  It’s a lot.  Is it any wonder that we sometimes get questionable phrases and poor doctrine in the songs?

And so I ask this:  Where are the wordsmiths?  Where are those who have the gifting to craft biblical truth into a good lyric, that the musicians can then set to music?

Then I realise, maybe I am one!

George Alexander
October 2023
Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash

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Copyright © 2023 by George Alexander.  All rights reserved.

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GETTING THE WORD OUT — PART 2

We've been talking in Part 1 about the message of the Incarnation and "getting the Word out". Picking it up where we left off:

As He got the Word out, God’s glory is made known

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father 

What is glory anyway?  Definitions include: splendour; triumphant honour; resplendent brightness; honour resulting from a good opinion; God’s manifested excellence.  Hebrews 1:3 tells us that the Son is the radiance of God’s glory.

Jesus revealed His glory in the healings and miracles and signs and wonders. 

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.  He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.    Jn 2:11

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.”    Jn 11:4

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”     Jn 11:40

They beheld His glory at the Transfiguration.

Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.    Lk 9:32

He made God’s glory known in completing the assigned task.

I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.    Jn 17:4

They glimpsed the glory of Jesus.

If we really see Jesus, it’s a jaw-dropping moment that results in wide-eyed, open-mouthed wonder.  Yet as we follow His example, it can be true of us too: people can glimpse the glory of Jesus even through us.

This Christmas, and this year, as we reach out in faith for healings and miracles and signs and wonders, and see these happen more and more through us, we make His glory known.  And as we do the work God gave us to do, we make His glory known.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.   2 Cor 4:6

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.   Mt 5:16
 

As He got the Word out, God’s heart is made known

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 
 
John 1:17 says, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
 
Grace is God’s free, unmerited favour.  We can’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it.  It’s the goodness of God in our badness — it’s the completeness of God in our incompleteness — it’s the riches of God at Christ’s expense.
 
Truth is the reality of how things are.  Truth shines clarity in the midst of confusion.  Truth confronts deception and pierces tradition.
 
If it’s all grace, things can get fuzzy.  If it’s all truth, things are too black and white.  Grace and truth belong together.
 
Jesus is full of grace and truth, and reveals these in His teaching and behaviour.  Truth shines through.  He always calls it like it is.  He doesn’t compromise the truth for the sake of guarding feelings or avoiding offence.  Yet He models for us grace—unmerited favour—a non-judgemental application of truth.  The Christian message is a message of grace and truth, not law and guilt and fear and shame.  Jesus revealed a God of grace and truth.
 
This Christmas, and this year, as we know and interact with Jesus for ourselves, let’s know His grace and truth.  It doesn’t mean we’re passive—we reach out in faith.  But it does mean we’re released from law and guilt and fear and shame.
 
And as we teach, as we model, as we share Jesus with others: let’s not be legalistic Christians; let’s not be guilt-mongering Christians; let’s not be fear-producing Christians; let’s not be shaming Christians.  Let’s be full of grace and truth.
 
 
 
George Alexander
December 2003

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Copyright © 2003, 2023 by George Alexander.  All rights reserved.

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GETTING THE WORD OUT — PART 1

From the beginning, Artios Ministries has been committed to “getting the Word out”.  Having spoken in the past through the prophets at many times and in various ways, in these last days, Hebrews tells us, God has spoken to us by His Son (see Hebrews 1:1,2).  In other words, God spoke Jesus—He “got the Word out”.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  …  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.     Jn 1:1-4, 14  NIV

“The Word became flesh” — essentially, Christmas, the message of the Incarnation, is about “getting the Word out”!

In John 1:18 we read, “No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”  He has made Him known in three ways:
 

As He got the word out, God’s presence is made known

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

The Word was pre-existent.  He was with God, in the beginning; and He was God.  The Word became flesh.  First He was not, and then He was.  He made His dwelling among us.  The word literally says He tabernacled among us — pitched His tent among us.  This is a strong picture of the Tent of Meeting in the time of Moses, where God’s presence would be manifest amongst His people.

He was fully man.  He did not simply seem to be human, but He actually was human.  And He was fully God.  He did not in becoming human cease to be divine.  Yes, He chose to minister as an anointed man so that He could be a model for us to follow.  But He still had all His divine attributes.  What He laid aside was the independent exercise of His divine attributes, and did only what He saw the Father doing (see Jn 5:19).   

Jesus was fully man and fully God.  It’s a mystery!  Our minds can’t get hold of that or put it together.  Poetically, many have tried.  Charles Wesley wrote: “Our God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man”; and again  “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity”. 

Jesus referred to His body as a living temple filled with the presence of God.  God didn’t say, “Come into the temple where you will find My Presence”, but rather He said, “The temple filled with My Presence will come into your midst.”  That’s the Incarnation!  And according to Corinthians, we’re temples too — our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

Christmas time in reality is celebrated once a year.  When you are a child, it may seem less frequent.  When you are over forty, Christmas comes every two months!  Or so it seems.  It's never very long until Christmas, and then a week later the New Year prompts us to reflect and take stock of our lives.  This Christmas, and this year as the New Year breaks upon us, as we get the Word out, let us each operate as a temple of the Holy Spirit.  As we allow God in us to come through, as individuals and as a corporate Church, we still make His Presence known.  And who knows but that your example may be the only “Jesus” someone sees.

We'll continue this in Part 2.
 

 
 
George Alexander
December 2003

 

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Copyright © 2003, 2023 by George Alexander.  All rights reserved.

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