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Today’s post is a continuation of a conversation we started around an article by live music producer, Tom Jackson, called Seven Ways to Captivate a Live Music Audience With Your First Song. To fully engage with this, take a moment to read the introduction and part 1.

• Today’s post is a continuation of a conversation we started around an article by live music producer, Tom Jackson, called Seven Ways to Captivate a Live Music Audience With Your First Song. To fully engage with this, take a moment to read the introduction and part 1. Tom’s second point in “Seven Ways” is one that doesn’t take any stretching or modifying to fit a worship setting.
• How Long Is a Typical Worship Service? The typical length of time for a church service is anywhere.
• It is important to understand that this exemption covers only your congregational worship service in your church. It does not cover copying, broadcasting, telecasting, webcasting, recording,.

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Tom’s second point in “Seven Ways” is one that doesn’t take any stretching or modifying to fit a worship setting:

2. Make Sure The Content Is Right.

In the last post we talked about the energy of song. I stated that you likely wouldn’t start a worship gathering with I Surrender All or Revelation Song.Both of the songs have plenty energy if done right. But not the right kind of energy to open a service.

What about their content?

Revelation Song takes us right to the high and awesome throne of the King. To begin with that would be like bypassing base camp and starting vertical ascent to the peak of Everest.

I Surrender All is falling down to give all to Him. This doesn’t lend well to an opening song either. Most people just aren’t ready for that out of the gate.

So what kind of content would Tom recommend?

To + For =

“The first song’s content needs to be for and to your audience….”

Remember, Tom’s writing for performing artists. So while our worship is to be for and to our “audience of One,” we also have a job to bring along the rest of the “worship team”—the congregation.

And let’s face it: Who, more often than not, look and act a whole lot like an audience.

So our role as priestly worship leaders is create a meeting place for man to meet God. Our opening song should help move people from passive reception to active worship.

Come. Join. Enter.

There’s the category of worship song that is more of a horizontal “encourage to worship” song. The older chorus “Come, Now is the Time to Worship” by Brian Doerksen is the quintessential example of this.

But isn’t worship to be directed to God?

Biblical worship includes calling people to worship, to join in, to enter in. The Psalms are filled with calls to worship and praise. Listen to this call to join from Psalm 66:

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name.” Selah
Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man’s behalf!

This worship leader not only calls the people to worship, but he gives them the words to say to God. Yes, this psalm is glorifying God, but it’s “to and for” the psalmist’s “audience.”

And you can’t leave out Psalm 100. The psalmist/worship leader encourages worship (shout to the Lord…), and prescribes how (“with gladness…with joyful songs”). Then it follows it up with why (the Lord is God. It is He who made us…). And then it repeats that pattern one more time in verses 4 and 5.

So look for those songs invite and connect with people and draw them in. They are often horizontal songs (sung to each other with God as subject). Gateway’s “God Is With Us Now” is a great example of that.

But songs don’t have to horizontal to achieve this. “Here For You” by Redman/Tomlin is an example of an opening song that draws people in and towards the throne, but is still directed at God.

Take time to read this point in Tom’s article. He continues to bring out the idea that the opening song is about how we’re introducing ourselves and establishing a relationship with audience. Something we need to remember as we want to connect and lead our congregation.

So what songs work well for your church as openers? What’s the content that draws/invites people? I don’t know about you, but I could stand to find a few more of those. Would love to hear your input.

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Disclosure: a couple of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. But I only endorse what I love and think you will, too.

A service of morning prayer designed with musicians, composers and worship leaders in mind.

Theme of the Service

Welcome and Call to Worship

O Lord, open our lips,
and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
- Psalm 92:1-2; 95:1-2

*Hymn of Praise: 'For the Music of Creation' (SNC 37)

*Prayer

Creator God,
because you make all that draws forth our praise
and the forms in which to express it,
we praise you.

Because you make artists of us all,
awakening courage to look again at what is taken for granted,
grace to share these insights with others,
vision to reveal the future already in being,
we praise you.

Because you form your Word among us,
and in your great work embrace all human experience,
even death itself, inspiring our resurrection song,
we praise you. Yours is the glory. Amen.

*Psalm 148

Prayer of Confession

Lord, you have called us to worship you. We gladly gather!
As we praise you, though, our own inadequacy reminds us
of how we have broken our relationship with you.
Because we have sinned against you,
even our worship fails to be what it could.
We often treat it as a show. We simply go through motions,
failing to recognize that you want to engage us deeply.
Renew us, we pray, according to your steadfast love.
Remind us of your covenant faithfulness
and have mercy on us in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Receive the good news of the Gospel:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Alleluia!

Sung Prayer of Dedication:
Have We Any Gift Worth Giving (SNC 214)

Scripture

Old Testament:
1 Chronicles 23:1-6; and from 25:1-8
2 Chronicles 5:11-14

New Testament: 1 Peter 2:4-6, 9

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A time for meditation in silence.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession,

Beginning with: 'Take, O Take Me as I Am' (SNC 215)

Concluding with
Creator God,
you have made us in your image to reflect your goodness.
You have called us to use our gifts to build your kingdom.
As we begin this day, we seek to reflect your image.
Help us not only to focus on how to develop our creativity,
but also to seek the wisdom to use our skills to your glory,
and for the building up of the people we serve.
In the name of Christ and through the Holy Spirit we pray, Amen.

*Hymn of Praise (text by Brian Wren)

*Closing Prayer

God of majesty,
whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven:
Be with your servants who make art and music for your people,
that with joy we on earth may glimpse your beauty;
and bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection
which will be ours as we stand before your unveiled glory.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Blessing

May the blessing of God,
the giver of every good and perfect gift;
and of Christ, who summons us to service;
and of the Holy Spirit, who inspires generosity and love,
be with us all.
Amen.

Bless the Lord.
The Lord's name be praised.

SNC refers to Sing! A New Creation (CRC Publications, 2001)

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