Indeed, it does. This is the time of year when the minister is forced to take a back seat to allow the choir and its master/organist to set the agenda for the worship. To be fair, in rural Ulster, it is the custom to hold a series of special harvest thanksgiving service to thank God that our sustenance is but proof of the bounty of His hand, and His common grace is evidence that He loves all mankind. It is good to give thanks to God for His goodness, and many churches hold these special times in which to do that!
But, and here's the BUT, these are times when the seed of God's Word is often squeezed into the smallest time space so that church members who never appear in the church choir the rest of the year have the opportunity to buy new outfits and to present themselves at the front of the church for all to see.
These services are not under the direction of the ordained minister of the Word, but has, during this period, been devolved, by church custom, to the choir leader. The church choir is given all the time it needs to impress those attending, while an eye is always kept on those from other churches who attending. The choir will sing an introit, two pieces twice, and possibly a piece as the congregation leaves after the service.
Then, if there is a quest soloist or group, they also have to be given sufficient time to sing their two pieces (with the usual five minute explanation), and then a third piece (with explanation, of course).
Now all this has been designed for one object - to curtail as much as possible the preaching of the Gospel. There can be no other credible explanation. Squeeze out the preaching of the Gospel, God's chief means of convincing and converting sinners, as much as possible. Put the preacher under as much time pressure as possible, so as to silence the preaching of the Gospel to the fullest extent.
Now it's no good arguing that the gospel is being presented in the pieces that are being sung. That may well be the case! But should the ministry of the Gospel be limited just to please the musicians? Not at all.
And then, all these people have to be thanked, and named, which takes up an inordinate amount of time, but which must be done otherwise the minister will be faced with the huffers.
I always saw these services as times of thanksgiving to God for His goodness to unworthy wretches like us, but also as evangelistic opportunities to demonstrate that the harvest at the end of life and of the world is coming fast, and that we had all be well prepared for that great Day. It is a time of reckoning for all mankind, therefore also a time for Gospel preaching in concentrated form.
My experience is that choir masters go clean mad at harvest time, and at Christmas time and at Easter time. They take leave of their senses at these times.
But the preaching of the Gospel must not, no how, never, be curtailed just to satisfy the whims and ambitions of the choirmaster. Ministers must have the courage of their convictions about this, and stand up against those 'with power' and who enjoy 'the approval of the eldership' - but that will be costly, very costly. Once a minister attacks the 'sacred cow' that ANY congregation has, he is targeted for removal, by hook or by crook. Church leaders will not tolerate their 'sacred cows' being tampered with! Never!
However,the minister who holds biblical and reformed theological principles cannot sit back and allow the centrality of the preaching of the Gospel to be relegated to the position of a minor congregational nuisance that just has to be tolerated in an otherwise well organised evening of music.
Where are the men of conviction in today's church? Few and far between it would seem. May God, the Lord of all, raise up men who will re-position the centrality of preaching in the worship services of our churches on all occasions, and may they bear valiant witness of the Lordship of Christ over His church in all its work and worship.
No comments:
Post a Comment