I was an indifferent high school student. I like to say I had to work hard to make it into the bottom third of my graduating class. I never had to worry about making a speech on graduation day. But I like valedictory addresses, and I especially like brief ones. So, here is my valediction to College Church:

Thank you. Valedictorians are meant to give thanks to the community upon commencement. It seems I’m doing this a lot these days. As is fitting – thankfulness is a mark of being in Christ, and it is a mark of the church. Thank you for the privilege of being your worship pastor, choir director, song leader, hospital visitor, friend and colleague. Thank you for expressing your encouragement and gratitude through my years here. Thank you for lifting your voice week after week, as together through song we have praised God, proclaimed his words, prayed, and committed ourselves to action. I have had the best seat in the house to hear the voice of God’s people. Thank you.

And, really, that’s pretty much it. Thank you. It is all I can say, and all that needs to be said, and it expresses a gratitude that will be with me the rest of my life.

Stay in touch. If you have any interest, you may want to know that I write two blogs. You can read my musings on music and worship at te decet hymnus and about other matters (travel, sport, and most recently the World Impact trip to India) at Awesome Adventures. As with this page, I haven’t kept up the past few weeks, but I will be writing!

And finally, let the Scriptures have the final word: Rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. . . The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:11-14)

Copyright law is complicated. It is important. It is provided for in the U.S. Constitution. But the question in this post’s title isn’t about copyright. It’s a question about what we call the various songs we sing as a congregation.

And it has nothing to do with when a congregational song was written. People who love hymns don’t stop singing when they see the copyright symbol [ © ]. And many a modern worship song uses words (and sometimes the melody, too) long in the public domain. A copyright doesn’t keep a new song from being a hymn. A song dated 2012 surely may be as much a hymn as a poem by Bernard of Clairvaux.

This past Sunday, we ended our morning service by singing “All I Have Is Christ” by Jordan Kauflin. It has a 2008 copyright date, and it comes out of a church environment quite different from College Church. But here it sits, a well crafted modern hymn. What makes it so?

• It is written in a consistent metrical pattern
• The syllables in the phrases match up from stanza to stanza; that is, the sense of the words are preserved rhythmically in each verse
• The language is simple (but far from simplistic) and evocative; “Hallelujah” is the only word longer than 2 syllables, and all the 2-syllable words are common, readily understood words
• The vocabulary and the imagery are biblical
• It has theological integrity yet tells a richly personal story; and yet that personal story is universal, not individualistic
• While most hymns do not have refrains, those with integral refrains highlight, propel, or punctuate the meaning of the verses

So, for those who love to sing new songs in contrast to hymns: sorry! You can sing both at the same time. And for those who want to sing hymns in contrast to new worship music: sorry! You can sing both at the same time. It helps when the new worship song hymn is well-crafted – as this one is. It has a common poetic structure (AABB, refrain) and the rhythms of the syllables (long and short)  are consistently sustained across the verses. The contours of the melody support the sense of the lyric; longer syllables are given longer musical duration; surprises in the melody emphasize strong syllables or highlight important words.

C. S. Lewis infamously said hymns were “third-rate poetry set to fourth-rate music.” Well, they need not be. And when we find a well-written hymn (that is, the text) we always hope to hear just the right tune for it. And then we have a hymn worth singing, no matter when it was written.

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be:
“My only boast is You.”

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI), by Jordan Kauflin

Sing on!

Chuck King

It’s a curious little Hebrew word we encounter in the Psalms: selah.

Scholars agree on one point regarding selah: namely, that it isn’t clear what it means or signifies! Even scholars who make strong assertions of probability acknowledge that we can’t be certain. Nevertheless, there the word sits – 71 times in the book of Psalms, and 3 times in Habakkuk 3. In the ancient Hebrew manuscripts, selah is not a part of the biblical text, but a marginal note. And yet (just like the headings found in the psalter) it is retained in translations of these beautiful Hebrew worship poems.

There is consensus that selah is some sort of liturgical instruction or sign.

• Some posit a musical meaning: insert an instrumental interlude here; or, repeat what you’ve just sung; or, play or sing louder!
• One theory is that the root word is related to the verb “to lift up,” and is an instruction for either the voice to be ‘raised,’ or for hands to be lifted up.
• Some suggest, instead of lifting up, an Aramaic verb source, “to bow down,” and thus a point to prostrate oneself in worship.

A study of its appearance does not help much to arrive at a single, helpful meaning or application of this term. Yet, there is stands, and we should be wondering what we are meant to be doing with it.

What does it mean, and why does it matter? Can we make it mean whatever we want it to? If it is an enigma or a mystery, is it just best to ignore it altogether? Eugene Peterson (no slouch when it comes to Hebrew translation, or knowledge of the psalms) points out that “Selah directed people who were together in prayer to do something or other together.”* That is, whether we are reading the psalms lone in our morning devotions, or saying or singing them together in gathered worship, when we encounter selah we should be looking around for some kind of response in community with the people of God who also are praying this psalm.

Is this a point to lift our hands? Is this an instrumental interlude to draw us together in reflection, adoration, and praise? Should we be repeating these words of praise, here at this point? Bowing down in silence?  Or interjecting some other biblical expression? (In addition to ”Amen” and “Hallelujah,” already mentioned, one scholar posits that at the selah worshipers would interject Israel’s “benediction” - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!)  What if it means all of these, in different contexts, and we are responsible to determine and apply the right response?

The bottom line is that selah is yet one more reminder that we do not worship alone, and that worship requires response. And that often the Bible itself both evokes that response, and gives us the vocabulary for it. So, whether you are provided a selah for reflection during an instrumental item, or invited to read out scripture in unison, or sing a refrain, or prompted to shout out an Amen or a Hallelujah: know that your selah is meant to be a contribution to the ministry of the Word of God among his people. And let your participation be for the building up of the church, and do it for the glory of God.

Sing on,

Chuck King

* quoted in The Biblical Psalms in Christian Worship (John D. Witvliet, Eerdmans, 2007)

It has been a rich summer, made so in part by interaction with young men who have been in the College Church intern program, helping out in the music ministry.

Michael Devine has taken a position as director of music at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia. Best wishes!

David Doty has finished the M.Div. at Covenant Seminary (St. Louis) and is now seeking pastoral ministry. He and Gloria (who met and married here) are expecting their first child. Congratulations!

Jordan Newhouse had a short internship (fall 2010) and has continued on staff, planning and leading evening services since January 2011. Thanks!

Levi Henkel moved back to Watertown, WI, and is now a full-time musician serving two parishes in his home town. Enjoy!

Andy Bruhn spent his internship singing in the choir, playing in our brass ensemble (which he and his wife Lydia were already doing), and organizing, rehearsing and leading Hyacks students in ensembles for morning worship. Under his leadership we had a very fine student brass group in the fall, and a very good student choir on a morning in March. We last heard from Andy (trumpet) and Lydia (horn) in morning services on August 5.

Andy’s internship began one year ago as a way for him to explore a possible calling into church music. Others have entered the program for the same exploration. Some have continued to serve vocationally, others not. In Andy’s case, the question has always been: orchestral trumpeter, or church musician? He has seen God lead and guide throughout the year; not always easily. However, having been accepted into two fine graduate music programs, it has become increasingly clear that the next step is toward church music. He and Lydia move this weekend to St. Paul, MN.

Andy will enroll in the Master of Sacred Music program housed at Luther Seminary, with music instruction at St. Olaf College. It is a strong program, which we have seen as intern Michael Devine has “pioneered” the Wheaton/Luther connection these past two years. Like Michael, Andy will have opportunity to not only learn and grow musically and vocationally, but he will also have opportunity to serve his seminary class-mates. Some, like him, will be “lonely evangelicals,” and others will be drawn to a more personal and lively relationship with Jesus and His Church, through the witness, presence, and friendship of Andy and Lydia.

Blessings, Andy and Lydia!

Sing on,

Chuck King

I haven’t been on hiatus, but this space has been dormant while I (a) prepared for, (b) went and, (c) now am reflecting on the World Impact trip to India.

I have been writing about India and this trip, at another blog site. You can find it here. Posts in July and August 2012 are relevant to the India adventure.

And I’ll return here next week, in my more expected mode.

Sing on,

Chuck King

Last week I had the joy of participating in the final graduate program of a former music intern. Michael Devine sang in the Chancel Choir as an undergraduate student at Wheaton, where he was a vocal performance major studying with College Church member Jerry Sundberg. Michael served for a time with another church in the Chicago area, and then entered the Master of Sacred Music program at Luther Seminary (St. Paul) and St. Olaf College (Northfield) in Minnesota. Michael’s capstone project was a “recital” of sorts: a fully formed service of worship with hymns, anthems, scripture, prayers, and ministry of the Word. Michael conceived the program, wrote the reflections on the Scripture, led in some of the prayers, conducted the choir and instruments, and led the congregation in song. It was much more than a “recital,” and would have been a well-received service of worship here at College Church.

We see our interns move into places of service and influence, and rejoice in how God continues to shape them. College Church shapes them, and also learns from them. Then they go on to be shaped in, and to shape others in new contexts. It was fun to talk with some of the faculty in Michael’s program, and to hear how his Word-centeredness worked its way out in this context – which admittedly is not the usual academic route from Wheaton College and College Church.

And his two years there have paved the way for another College Church intern. Andy Bruhn is also a Wheaton graduate, who approached me last summer to ask about church music. It seemed that his interest, our music ministry’s needs, and the context of this church were the perfect combination for an internship. Andy began in September, and we have seen his work with Hyacks (working both with brass players and singers) and will see it again at the end of the choir season, in a festive communion service on June 3. Andy and Lydia have also been very involved in our brass ensemble, and he was on the planning and conducting team for an extraordinary concert here of brass and organ music.

Andy will also pursue graduate work in theology and music. He is following Michaels’ path to the Twin Cities, to spend the next two years at Luther/St. Olaf. This is an interesting and unexpected route. It is also a great opportunity for our interns to exercise their gospel commitments in a church context where the gospel can often be unclear. Their musical skills provide an excellent entre into a setting where their biblical commitments and faithfulness will be evident and influential among their peers. Just as with women and men in the workplace – often it is the excellence of the Christian worker that provides the best hearing for the gospel.

The training ground of a College Church internship prepares for advanced study, hard work, and influence in unexpected places.

A word in praise of the College Church internship program . . .

For decades now, College Church has invested time, energy, and risk in young people investigating a church vocation, or already preparing for ministry in the local church. Interns have taught, led worship, preached, headed small groups, run retreats, washed tables, worked missions conferences and preaching workshops. The list goes on, and no one person could sit down alone and list everything interns have done at College Church.

Back in the day, interns were paid an embarrassing token for a significant amount of work. Still, without pay, the program continues strong and the interns serve for all they are worth. Some interns have become our pastors. Many more have become pastors and leaders elsewhere. Not a few have established  internship programs in their own ministry settings. The gift keeps giving in churches across the country.

I’ve been specially mindful of interns lately, as this school year draws to a close and we will say thank you and goodbye to two excellent music interns. And at the same time, I note the many successes of former music interns. One is founding conductor of a new orchestra in suburban New York. Another teaches grade school music and conducts a church choir and writes a very fine blog on church music. Yet another is completing graduate work in theology and music. Story after story of God’s good work in these young men and women whom we had the privilege of working with in years past.

Which brings me to our current music interns, Levi Henkel and Andy Bruhn. More on Andy another time. Levi graduates from Wheaton College on May 6. He has sung his last service here, played organ on his last subbing date, and this past Sunday we were led through a very thoughtful, gospel-rich morning service that was planned, prepared, and led by Levi. This was his “capstone” internship project. He read the sermon passage, conceived the opening acts of praise as a precis of the gospel, selected an interesting and challenging anthem for that gospel story. He did all the work on preparing the choir, and was in every respect their leader on Sunday morning. We had heard Levi several times this year, at the organ. This past Sunday he pulled together a year of our work, four years of study, and his love for Jesus and His church. We send him off with thanks and in confidence that the Lord of the Church will use him to God’s glory.

Sing on!

“Hallelujah” – Praise the Lord! That is the Easter cry that shapes and informs our worship all year long. No matter the focus or character of our services, even the sober reflection in communion or the sharing of grief in a funeral, Christian worship is essentially an expression of this acclamation: “Alleluia!”

It is why the apostolic church met on the first day of the week, instead of the Jewish sabbath. It is “the Lord’s Day” because on this day he conquered death, emerged from the tomb, and met his disciples. Sunday is a reminder to believers, and a testimony to the world, that Jesus is alive and he is Lord. “Praise the Lord!”

We joyfully shouted it together on Easter morning, and yesterday we sang it with gusto in our Easter hymn: “Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son.” As the Sundays unfold, we may lose sight of the Easter-ness of Christian worship. . . unless we remember it in our daily worship, and exercise it in our vocabulary – in praise, in devotion, and in conversation. 

For the moment, in the grand unfolding story of redemption, thedisciples were breathless. Jesus alive and among them kept them running, and alert; kept them surprised. But the day was coming, and Jesus promised it would be soon, when they would be filled with Breath, with Wind, with the Spirit of God. Then their “Hallelujahs” could not be contained. And so on through the ages, we are a breathless people filled with His Spirit; and so, never empty of praise.

Sing on!

Chuck King

A brief word is in order, regarding the musicians of College Church. They work hard, and they understand their work to be worship.

Oh yes, they love to be in gathered worship. And they understand the privilege and responsibility of being “worship leaders.” But their labor, which the congregation never sees, is their worship. And, by they way, that is (or ought to be) true of everyone else who gathers for the assembly of worship. “Worship” isn’t what we “experience” in church; worship is the work we’ve done – by God’s grace, and in faith, with joyful obedience in response to God’s great gift of salvation – before we come through the sanctuary doors.

That bears teasing out, but today I just say it to contextualize a few observations about the most visible of the musicians of College Church. Last night we had the privilege and joy of presenting “Messiah” in our evening service. Most listeners will guess that there was a lot of time and energy behind that event. True! Long rehearsals, extra rehearsals, and for many of the singers and players time spent on their own as well. They all add this time to the things that already keep them very busy.

But do you know what? They aren’t done yet! Singers and players have yet another long, late rehearsal to prepare for our weekend of services: Good Friday Communion and Easter Sunday morning. And do you know what? Even then they won’t be done! Because – in case we hadn’t noticed – Sundays keep rolling. So the Choir will be back in their chairs on Thursday night after Easter. And so it goes.

Why in the world do people keep this up? Because this commitment is an act of worship. We see it also in Sunday School teachers, volunteers at Twice is Nice and the STARS resale shops, Kids Korner workers for Women’s Bible Study . . . you get the picture. And when we all bring the actual work of our worship into the weekly assembly, rather than expecting to find it there, then we have a glorious meeting with God and rich fellowship with one another.

Sing on!

Chuck King

The canny programmer will not provide an intermission after the “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s Messiah. Part of the audience just won’t come back for the rest of the story. Some, because they think the oratorio is over; others because they finally have heard the one piece they came for in the first place! What a pity. Those who miss Part Three miss the most personal music of the Sacred Oratorio.

After the heavens and earth have proclaimed Jesus “King of kings and Lord of lords,” the tender Soprano aria brings it all down to a very personal level: “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19:25) Whereas in Part Two, the fact of the Resurrection is limited to a single brief aria, Part Three not only speaks of the living Redeemer, but affirms with the Creeds that because He lives, we too shall live: “For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20) The ending of Messiah is a lovely exposition of this glorious truth.

The Chorus intones, “Since by man came death,” then exults, “by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” Again, the bad news: “For as in Adam all die,” and the good news, “even so in Christ shall all be made alive!” Frisson and brisance in the same chorus. The nature of this miracle of transformation is celebrated in the Bass recitative and aria (click here for a reminder about these terms): “Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible; For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-23)

Since this is in our future, in light of the resurrection, we do not fear death. The Alto continues from St. Paul’s great resurrection chapter: “Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” And the Tenor joins expressing this ultimate joy: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Cor. 15:54-56) The Chorus can’t not join in worship, “But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ” (verse 57) Listen for the exultant, heroic word ”victory” throughout this chorus!

No Resurrection in Messiah? But wait! There’s more! “If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:31-34) And now, for those who have looked at the program, and seen that there is more Messiah after “Hallelujah;” for those who have decided to just see what else could be said after “Hallelujah;” for all who wished there was an intermission for them to slip away after “Hallelujah” – the real crowning glory of this amazing work.

The final scene of Messiah again shifts to the Revelation, from which Charles Jennens compiled the final text for George Frederic Handel to set. And it really is the last word. For those who know and love the Messiah, it is our eternal song of praise:

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Blessing, honor, glory and power be unto Him who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever. Amen!

And so may we Sing on!

Messiah, parts 2 and 3 – Sunday, April 1, 6pm at College Church in Wheaton, 332 East Seminary Avenue, Wheaton.

Chancel Choir, Orchestra and Soloists: Robin Wiper, soprano; Sarah Holman, alto; Daniel Buchanan, tenor; Gerard Sundberg, bass

Chuck King