This article is part 1 in a series on Music in Worship.
Too many choices on the shelf
Have you been paralyzed by choice overload?
You’ve been a victim of choice overload if after you’ve been presented with several options, you feel overwhelmed, highly stressed, and often fail to make a decision simply because you just didn’t know the best choice to make.
I remember when a missionary kid shared her experience about going to an American grocery store to buy cereal for the first time. Little did she know about the daunting, never-ending cereal aisle, stacked to the stratosphere with dozens and dozens of cereal options. Endless choices of different grains, fruits, and more was too much to process!
Whether it’s as simple as choosing cereal or as serious as choosing a spouse, many people feel trapped by choice overload. Instead of moving forward, they remain stagnant. Instead of growing and developing, they wither and decline.
The Remedy
Rather than being paralyzed with fear about making wrong choices, God has gifted liberating boundaries to His people. Within the borders of biblical truth, the Christian enjoys great freedom and abundant life as our Creator intended. Sometimes it takes wisdom and spiritual maturity to discern God’s will in different aspects of life (especially in “gray areas”), but God does clearly reveal His will through His Word.
“We must submit to what God’s Word says
and what it does not say about music.”
This truth applies to the realm of music as well. With millions of songs to choose from how do we choose our music at Morningside? We must submit to what God’s Word says, and what it does not say about music. At Morningside, we use 2 primary filters to guide our selection of God-honoring music in our gathered worship. I’ll simply list them below and flesh them out in more detail in upcoming posts.
