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September 2002 Table of Contents
Food For Thought
What's That Noise
By Derric Johnson
 Charlie walked into the hardware store and asked about chain-saws.
"How big a saw do you want?" was the salesman's query.
"I need one that will cut 100 trees a day...I've got a lot of work to do," the lumberman retorted.
"Well, this is our biggest and best model. It should serve you well," the salesman assured him.
Charlie nodded, "Looks okay!" and walked out the door.
Four days later, he was back. "This saw is terrible. The first day I cut down 82 trees... and figured I'd do better with more experience. But the second day was worse... 71 trees... and yesterday I only got 58 cut down. Something's wrong."
"Let me check it out for you," the salesman answered as he laid it on the counter, turned on the switch and pulled the cord.
The lumberman shouted over the roar, "What's that noise?"
That's how it is with a lot of music these days. It all needs defining...and sometimes explaining. As Mark Twain said one time, "Wagner's music is better than it sounds."
And Oscar Wilde added, "If one hears bad music... it is one's duty to drown it out by conversation.
Ringo Starr could have used some help when he uttered, "I love Beethoven... especially the poems.
But maybe Arturo Toscanini summed it all up best when he shouted at a trumpet player, "God tells me how the music should sound... but you stand in the way."
I'm sure you've noticed that everyone seems to be in Arturo's camp today... "I know what music in worship is all about... God told me. Anyone who disagrees with me is wrong... ALL WRONG!" It seems interesting that the Civil War we find ourselves engaged in today is all about us... and not about the people we profess to reach. They could care less about style... what they really want is substance. Dr. Orval Butcher used to say to his staff, "When engaged in spiritual warfare, be sure of your target before you shoot. Beware the circular firing squad."
Of course, this musical conflict is not our evangelical-friendly issue alone. The Associated Press recently reported this verbal encounter...
DANNY BOY is a staple of Irish American home life, but the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, RI, says it has no place at a funeral Mass. When a Rhode Island church recently refused to allow the ballad to be played at a funeral, it prompted a spate of letters to the editor of the diocesan newspaper, THE PROVIDENCE VISITOR. Catholic doctrine dictates that Mass be reserved for liturgical music because it is a time to give praise to God.
Charles McKenna, a "retired Irish cop and proud of it," said in a letter to the VISITOR that he wants DANNY BOY played at his funeral... "And if it isn't, I'm going to get up and walk out."
God Himself has ordained that we sing in worship... check out the Old Testament for the many references to choral-assisted praise in honoring Him with heartfelt songs. God often used the choir to lead the Armies of Israel into battle. (You may have heard some choirs you'd like to send off to front-line confrontation... but these choirs of God were highly trained, highly talented and highly paid... but it could be dangerous to be the soprano soloist sometimes.) They had a place in the battle plans of the day to extol the virtues and values of the Almighty Father. So it's no wonder that Satan would attack the music of the church today... it all means too much to our Creator.
Job (the oldest book in the Bible) states that God loves music so much that at the dawn of creation the morning stars broke forth in chorus. It's as if He said, "I've worked really hard for six days getting this whole thing put together... I think I'll rest for a day. Let Me have some music..." and the stars sang for Him. (I know some preachers who would like to think that God said, "Let me have some sermons..." but it was the music that came first.)
Did you ever wonder why God asked the stars to sing? It's because there was nothing else to make music for Him. It was either God's new creation... or the angels. And you know that there's no reference in the Bible that would indicate that angels can sing.
"Oh, no!" you disagree. Every Christmas we celebrate the singing angels with...
"Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria,
In excelsis deo."
But wait a minute... you must remember that according to St. Luke, chapter two that an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel SAID to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and SAYING,,br>
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace
good will toward men."
There is never one instance in the Holy Word that attributes any kind of music to the heavenly host.
"Ah," you say. "How about that one little passage in Revelation where it is recorded that the angels are singing praises around the Throne?" Sorry... go back to the original Greek and you'll discover that the word used there is not singing... but saying.
So where did we ever get the idea that angels sing. Well, it came from the prolific hymn writer, Charles Wesley. You remember, he wrote, "Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the new born King." And in so doing, he convinced us all that angels have beautiful voices and sing wondrous praises of worship and adoration to God. Actually, he was using poetic license. After all, it's much nicer to sing his lyric... and it surely is more memorable than a literal rendition like...
"Hark! The herald angels say, Glory to the child in the hay!"
We can all agree that poetically, Charles did well. He may have missed the scholarly mark, but he surely gave us a euphonic treat for our ears and souls.
So, back to the point... what's that noise? The song that we raise in praise is ours... and ours alone. We don't even share it with anybody, not even the angels. The song of redemption is for us to have and to hold and to share.
While I was Minister of Music and Collegians at Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, there was a remarkable young man who came to Christ during one of our Beach-Evangelism weekends. Jim Dudleston was an unusually gifted guitar player, very good looking, keenly intelligent...and strung out on drugs. When we found him he had lived in a cave along the coast for 18 months, coming out to play his guitar for swimmers and surfers in exchange for an apple or a sandwich...or a quarter or two now and then. He'd eat the food and use the money for dope.
Meeting Christ was absolutely life transforming for Jim. He got back into college (he has a PhD now and runs his own consulting firm in Phoenix), cleaned up his act, left his old habits behind, got married, had children and today impressively leads an 800 person Bible Study at his church. But he never forgot how to play his guitar and write music (he's had songs published and recorded on a major label), but to me, his best song was called "HE'S MY FRIEND."
The first Sunday night of every month, my Skyline Collegians would "attack with music and kindness" a dorm on the campus of San Diego State University. Nothing is deader than a dorm on Sunday night... all the activities are done and there is the slow wait for Monday morning and the resumption of the academic schedule. We'd invade a different dorm every month with lots of cookies, punch, music and enthusiasm. You can imagine 100 vibrant college students full of love and on a mission for the Lord Jesus Christ. Acoustic instruments abounded, banjos, tambourines, basses and of course, guitars. The collegians would take 45 minutes to fill the lounge with excitement and happy music... and the dorm students would pour into the room to catch the Happening.
Then it was time for Jim to share his testimony of "lost-and-found" and offer his "HE'S MY FRIEND" song. I'd wrap up the session with a short statement of invitational interest and they'd all eat the food and talk about the verities of the Gospel. Wonderful friendship evangelism.
One Sunday night after the evening service (yes, we still had them then), the collegians had to move out to San Diego State for our monthly happening, but I had to stay behind and do some follow-up counseling. My Chairman said, "We can't do this without you. You've got to come."
"Nah," I replied. "You've watched me do it five times. It's your turn now. Just get it started... and I'll be there as soon as I can."
When my spiritual duties were done in the sanctuary, I got to my car and raced toward the campus six miles away...praying all the way, "O God, don't let Karl embarrass himself."
When I got to the dorm, the lounge area was packed with people. I couldn't even get in the front, so I kept circling the building until I found a side entrance and knocked. A resident opened the door and I slid in along the wall next to her. The place was as quiet as a tomb... Jim had just finished sharing his testimony and had started to sing..."He's my Friend... He is my Friend."
I looked at the intensely focused faces in this mob of college students, transfixed by the reality of this message. I heard a knock on the door next to me. Another resident was returning from a weekend away... and couldn't even get in her Hall. I opened the door and she dropped her suitcase outside and slid in along the wall with me.
She studied the crowd and was obviously confused by the event. She leaned over and whispered to the resident next to me, "Jesus Christ... what's happening?"
Her dorm-mate whispered back, "Jesus Christ... that's what's happening!"
So when someone at your church asks about your music with the question, "WHAT'S THAT NOISE?" tell them that Jesus Christ is happening. May it be true always... so help us God.
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