In what I consider some of the finest fortune a seminarian could have, I was placed for fieldwork at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Freeburg, IL under the tutelage of Pr. Bruce Keseman. And in sort of a 2 for 1 gifting, the Lord also there placed me at the feet of Dr. Fred Precht, who was a member there. For those who do not know the name, Dr. Precht served as executive secretary for the Commission on Worship for the LCMS from 1978–1987. In my mind, anything that was right about Lutheran Worship was in some way due to this man. But that is not why I respected him. I respected him because I knew him, if only for a few hours each week. I loved being in bible class when he would all of a sudden quote a hymn in the original language to elucidate its meaning. I know that many things I learned from Bruce, he learned from Fred.
One of the things though that I learned from Fred directly was about one of the more controversial decisions made in Lutheran Worship, the removal of singing in parts. He said it was the opinion of the commission that the congregation should sing as one voice. Obviously this is ultimately a matter of adiaphora, but that does not mean it is unimportant. I believe that just as we speak the creed as one and pray the Prayer, we should sing as one (even if musically singing parts to blend as one). I am not opposed to other forms of singing in the church, but I am convinced the best singing in the Church for the Church is congregational singing in one voice.
I was reminded on this principle when Christina Aguilera picked up the mic at the Superbowl to sing the national anthem. A national anthem is meant to be sung by the nation (or at least those nationals gathered in that place). But in America of course, everything must be individualized. Christina proved that. And even more troublesome that her flubbing of the words was her rendition of the anthem which left everyone else necessarily silent. How could anyone else join in this anthem?
Many times there are “Christinas” in churches too. And just like with her, they are often the best voices in the place. But they come to prove that truth rather than simply blend into the one voice of those gathered. It is most obvious with praise leaders up front or choral standouts from the back, but it can happen right from the pew. Whenever it happens, it is not good for the church gathered because it is always a distraction drawing people’s attention, good or bad, to the person rather than the unity of the congregation’s voice.
We have one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism. It is best when we have one voice.
Phil,
The singing with one voice shouldn’t be interpreted as to mean that the congregation sings the exact same musical notes. I, for one, as a chanter, would prefer that people who have no gifting in that area not sing because it really is distracting. But the one voice should flow from the congregation’s voice AND heart. Many who don’t/can’t sing pray but do not do so vocally.
As far as the national anthem goes, I don’t think it is glorifying an individual and how many times have I seen people both in the stands and on the field, if not audibly singing, saying the same words as the singer. Now, with regards to Christina Aguilera’s (lack of) talent when it comes to singing, she really shouldn’t be remaking the national anthem in her own way.
I am a little unclear as to what your point is however when an entertainer is hired to perform then they are doing what they are asked to do. We shouldn’t be surprised by this. The whole basis of our understanding of music is consumerism. Culturally we no longer participate in music but we consume it. What makes individual performers successful is when their production of music is palatable to the market.
Perhaps your point is that things go awry when music that is to be participated in is performed.
I am reminded of when I taught for a summer in China. For the closing ceremonies of the school, we were asked if anyone had a copy of our national anthem. By chance, I did – on a CD filled with songs about America. So we stood there at the closing ceremonies, while the Chinese anthem was played – a bouncy, militant tune sung by a recorded chorus in one voice, and then listened to our national anthem, oversung solo by Cher. 🙂 I was so proud to hear our anthem, but it was hard not to cringe a little since it seemed so very self-focused and stereotypically American. I kept wondering what the crowd of parents, many of whom didn’t speak English, were thinking about our country!