Music 1 August 14, 2009
By Doug Davis
A couple weeks ago, PBS aired a special on Pete Seger.
Now, some of you may not know who he is, but I'm sure some of you do.
He was very influential back in the Vietnam protest days, with his music, and was considered a communist, back when all that stuff was going on.
Most of it was before I was born, or when I was to young to care much.
However, at the end, they were talking to him.
He is now 90 years old.
For a long time, back in the 50's, and 60's, his music wasn't allowed on the TV, or radio.
In fact, the only place the government would let him play was at schools, and camps for kids.
To this day, he says that his favorite place to play, is at schools, and his favorite audience is children.
They showed him playing, and singing for children, and how the kids love to sing along with him.
He said that in his 70 some years of playing, he hasn't ever done a show without having the audience sing along at some time.
He said that singing together, is a uniting activity.
That all through human history, people have sung while they worked, walked, and relaxed.
That singing is a way to set a person free, and that we all need to learn to sing together again.
That when people, are singing, and raising the roof by a couple feet, that there is a strength, and a love that goes out to all, and that it brings hope to everyone.
Now, if a secular folk singer knows this, why is it that the Christian world doesn't?
As a kid, growing up in a mainline denomination, we had what was called, "the song service."
In general, it was 3 hymns, never more, never less, and never sing all verses of the songs either, and maybe a chorus or two.
I don't remember any song services being very exciting, or moving, not really.
As a kid, I joined the church band, so I could play the trumpet, and kill a good part of the service, without being bored to death.
Later, as a teenager, I played the guitar, for the same reason.
After Pam and I were married, and moved back to Michigan, she was playing the piano, or organ, and I became the, "song leader."
This time, it wasn't to stop from being bored, well maybe a little, but mostly, I thought I could maybe make a difference in what we did.
I didn't.
The first time I really saw something different with the song service, was later on.
By then, I was back to playing trumpet, and a brother named Dan Drake, a Minister from out east, was the song leader.
He began to kick down the religious doors, sang more choruses, and sometimes more, or less than three songs.
The biggest difference was, the Spirit of God began to move, and people were being physically healed, right there during the music, without anybody touching them, praying for them, or making a scene.
Also, people were giving their hearts to the Lord during this time too.
The bored of that church put an end to that pretty quickly too!
They told him that he was taking away from the preaching of the word, and gave him very strict guidelines to work within.
He literally put his head down on the table, in a room with Pam and me, and cried.
We knew, that morning, that our work at that church was done.
Now, in our more modern churches, it is called "the worship service," or "praise and worship," but why?
We think of worship as slow songs, and praise as fast songs, or at least I have.
People who aren't musically inclined, or really aren't interested in music at all, are bored with it.
Now people stand during the music.
I can see where a person would get tired of standing all that time.
You see, we still have our formulas, our parameters to work within.
They have changed, but they are still there.
Please don't get me wrong, order is needed.
You can't just slop a bunch of people into a room, and play music, and sing, and wing it, can you?
Well, maybe we can, maybe we should, maybe we should think less about the order, and more about the Holy Spirit.
I've said this many times over the last few months, but I'm really liking, and enjoying a house church.
I tried to share this with a couple people in Milford, and they didn't get it.
In fact, I think I shared it with a few more than that around, in other places, and they aren't interested.
You can hear it in their voices.
People think, because I can't see their faces, that I don't know when they aren't interested in what I'm saying.
They think they can look around, and I don't know it.
I am learning that it takes a special person to attend, and enjoy a house church.
It takes a person who isn't interested in formulas, and parameters, but who is hungry for the Lord.
A person who wants to be lead by the Spirit of God.
A person more interested in the power, than the hour.
Let's look into the Bible a little, and see how important music was to them.
1CHRONICLES 15:16 Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
Raise sounds of joy?
That sounds rather out of hand, and maybe even wild to me.
Notice too, " loud-sounding cymbals."
Drum solos, and everything.
Harps were the forerunner to pianos, and keyboards, and Lyres were the forerunners to guitars, violins, and other stringed instruments, even banjos.
David was a musician.
Today, he would be a great guitarist.
I can see King David up there, wigging out, and jamming on his Less Paul, can't you?
Remember, this is the guy who got so excited about the Ark coming back home, that he danced in his underwear.
Out of control, out of hand, getting to carried away.
He didn't seem to care much for "decency, and order."
He seemed more interested in giving everything to God, his heart, his hands, his voice, his body, his everything!
Even his pride, his dignity.
2SAMUEL 6:12-23
2SAMUEL 6:12 Now it was told King David, saying, "The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God." David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.
13 And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
14 And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
17 So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
19 Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.
20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!"
21 So David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord.
22 "I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished."
23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
Let's read the last few verses in the NLT.
20
When David returned home to bless his family, Michal came out to meet him and said in disgust, How glorious the king of Israel looked today! He exposed himself to the servant girls like any indecent person might do!"
21
David retorted to Michal, "I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD. So I am willing to
act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD.
22
Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, but I will be held in honor by the girls of whom you have spoken!"
23
So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her life.
Look back at verse 21.
21
David retorted to Michal, "I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD. So I am willing to
act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD.
Did you realize that God has appointed you as well?
You may not be chosen as the King of America, but we all are chosen to be God's people.
We are forgiven of our sins, our mistakes, and stupid mess-ups.
Isn't that a pretty good reason to get excited about Him?
Oh, we can paint our faces like tigers, and wear Red Wing shirts, and all that, but getting weird, and over exuberant about God?
Well, that's getting crazy.
That's silly, that's foolish.
Now, look at what David went on to say.
22
Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, but I will be held in honor by the girls of whom you have spoken!"
I am willing to look more foolish than this?
The King said this.
Not some country bumpkin, some hay-seed, with a banjo on his knee, singing to Susanna.
It was the King, the president, if you will.
It was the mighty warrior of the nation, the man who fought, and won great battles.
The guy who killed the giant when he was a boy.
Can you imagine, if Mike Huckabee had won the election?
There would have been a praise band jamming in the White house, and our president, would have been with them, whaling on the bass, wigging out for the Lord.
Oh, parish the thought!
Oh, cherish the thought!
Lord willing, we will continue this next week, but for now, let's sum it up like this.
Don't let your pride, your pre-conceived ideas, or even your likes, and dislikes, get in the way of you giving it all to God.
Worship Him, praise Him, and lift up His name, with everything you have.
Forget about what anybody may, or may not think of you.
It shouldn't matter.
It doesn't matter how much money you have, or don't have, or how much education you have, or don't have.
Why can't we just get lost in the Lord?
Let's pray.