WorshipCentral

Worship of the Heart - Marcus Green

“Christ leads our songs and is the chief composer of our hymns”

If I remember, I’ll tell you a bit later who said this, but for now, I’d like to take a bit of time working out what he meant!

Just before I was ordained, a group of friends gathered to pray for me: friends from my homegroup, friends from a worship band I was a part of, friends from a school where I had done some work, friends who had been friends forever. One of them, Debbie, told me that evening that I should sing the song of my heart.

For a while I tried to write an actual song - a worship song that represented my heart, my desires, my life. But actually it slowly dawned on me that what Debbie meant was nothing to do with music, and everything to do with living truly a life that worshipped Jesus. This was to be the song of my heart: nobody else’s song, my song; my friend was telling me not to copy anyone else, nor to live in fear of what others might think of me. I should live my life out loud: that would be singing the song of my heart.

With that in mind, to say that “Christ leads our songs and is the chief composer of our hymns” is to say that the songs all our lives sing (in other words the worship of our whole lives) ought to take their melodies, their chord patterns and their lyrics (in other words their whole shape) from the great song that was Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. The songs of our hearts, if they are well written, are supposed to sound like his.

But if I am really honest, the song of my heart has many verses: and some of them are all about Jesus, and some of them are all about me, or my dog, or the music I love, or football, or all sorts of things like that. And try as I might, sometimes the stuff that oughtn’t control me somehow ends up with the volume turned up really high! I know the best verses, the ones that stand out, the ones where everything really works - the tune, the harmony, the words - these are the verses about Jesus; and when I let those verses really sound out, they transcend everything else, and they even make all the other stuff better. Yet time and again it’s the other stuff that I can’t get out of my head. Know what I mean?

The guy who wrote my quote for the day was actually commenting on a verse from Scripture - a verse in Hebrews, where the writer there puts these words from Psalm 22 into Jesus’ mouth: “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” Does he mean there was a day when Jesus went to church and sang a solo?

I don’t think so! Rather, he means that Jesus sang the song of his heart when in front of doubters and scoffers he poured out his life on the cross, a perfect offering of worship to his Father. This worship was so total and so pure that it transforms all who will hear it, an all who will join in with it. Jesus’ song transforms our songs. Jesus’ life changes our lives. Jesus’ worship of his Father on the cross means his Father is ours too, and we can join in his worship.

When I get things wrong, or just out of perspective, what must I do? I have to go back to the cross. I have to listen to Jesus’ song there. And his worship draws me back to where I should be; his song reminds me how mine should go. The music of the cross is powerful stuff.

Oh yes, by the way - it was Swiss reformer John Calvin who said, “Christ leads our songs and is the chief composer of our hymns”!

Marcus Green is an Anglican Vicar in South Wales and has taught about and led worship for many years.