I like organ music, and it’s been great having Joy’s organ back in service. Tambry’s playing has brought back two good organ memories from when Paulette and I lived in North Carolina. The first was a Christmas service about fifteen years ago. Our church and another held a joint service, with joint choirs, in their two-foot stone-walled sanctuary. They also rented a digital pipe organ, which was placed in front of the congregation. It and the pipe organ in the balcony then played several pieces antiphonally. All of the music that evening was a blessing, but the organ pieces especially so. Their music just reverberated off the stone walls and seemed to permeate our bodies. The second was in 2013 after the special 260th anniversary service of our congregation. The organist played a very short postlude, after which he started playing Widor’s Toccata. People stopped their conversations, sat down and listened until the end of the piece. I had heard our pipe organ many times, but it had never sounded like that before. It seemed alive and was wonderful.

I enjoy the worship contributions of other instruments like the piano, guitar, harp, trombone and even drums. Not all Christians agree, however. The Churches of Christ, which have many wonderful Christians as members, do not use instruments of any kind. One of their founding goals is to be a restoration the New Testament Church. Since there is no mention of instruments in the New Testament and Christian worship only started using instruments about 600 years after Christ, they feel their services should be a cappella. This is true, but many, including St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274), have not seen this as a reason to forego instruments. In his writings he quoted Psalms 33:2, “Give praise to the Lord on the Harp, sing to Him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new canticle.” Aquinas said that the early church did not use instruments, but it was for cultural reasons, since it was trying not to imitate the services of the Jews.

The Churches of Christ do like music, however, and incorporate hymn singing as a part of every service. They usually have a group of good singers who practice in advance to help lead the congregation. They also like instrumental Christian music and will play it at some gatherings, just not at worship. I have a friend who together with his wife just moved from a Church of Christ congregation to a Christian Church. He said that while it wasn’t a religious issue with them, it did take a while to adjust to the use of instruments. In talking with him and doing some other reading, I find there is another theme in the churches of Christ reasons for having a cappella services. The most important part of worship is the Word, and this is best conveyed by words.

I believe that in our worship we, like the Churches of Christ, should also place emphasis on the Gospel message, and that we should intentionally pay attention to the Word, including the words of our songs. Our hymns may be the strongest way we have to convey our beliefs. I also believe, like Luther, that all music is a gift from God. Furthermore musical instruments convey joy and help us see the unconditional love that God has for YOU and me.

Jim