Commercial-Free Thanks

worship (Photo credit: vicki wolkins)

Commercial-Free Thanks...If you listen to music-oriented radio stations, you've probably heard the claim that such and such a station has the most "commercial-free music", or maybe a certain hour of the day is "commercial-free" hour.  Music without advertisement and lengthy conversations from ridiculous hosts, this is the airtime that I think most listeners would say they look forward to.  The same goes for sports' fans; we don't want to miss the action so some sports have media timeouts, or as is the case with soccer and auto racing, there are either no commercials during the action or a live view is shown on part of the screen during commercial breaks.  In both music and sports, the audience wants the most value for their time, and feel they have the right to see everything they would if they were in attendance.  With this kind of continuous feed when it comes to my interests, why when it comes to singing back to back songs in times of worship do I feel annoyed?    

That was the thought going through my head as I sang back-to-back songs at church on Thanksgiving Day.  On the surface, my issue is that the accompanists are usually forced to make awkward transitions and the congregation has to change books (+1 to supporters of PowerPoint), but deeper I think my issue is that I can't reflect on what I'm singing in each song.  As much as I generally distaste the pre-scripted "in between" words of many worship teams, I would rather almost have them just so I can catch my breath and either intentionally praise God or draw near in humility.  The authors of song texts and the composers of song tunes don't create just for mindless recitation, but rather they produce out of their gifts and careful intentionality.  The words sang and the tunes played have been chosen because they say and communicate something that is intended to be recognized.  I understand that you might have a turkey or roast in the oven back home that you have to attend to, but can't we take an extra minute or two to think about what we're doing right now?

God deserves our commercial-free thanks and praise.  God deserves honor and glory without us selfishly trying to get something from him or promoting an agenda apart from Christ as Lord and Savior, but we need to understand that slowing down is different from commercializing worship.  God has given us passions and interests, many of which are good and can be used to glorify him, but we have a lot of commercials in our lives.  Giving thanks should be something we do intentionally, whether it be in prayer, song, or using our talents to their fullest potential; we use our gifts, recognizing who we're doing them for and why we're doing them.  None of us want our mechanics or hairdressers or surgeons to fly through their tasks on ourselves or our possessions, so why don't we make a little time in our corporate worship and our daily worship to allow for praise to sink in.

One thing that struck me when I worked for Confrontation Point is that singing as Christians do is kind of crazy.  Those outside the church sing for choirs or as a way to tell a story because they have a great voice, but Christians have the opportunity to do so much more regardless of our skill level (and I know my voice ain't that good to my ears or those around me).  Singing is a natural form of giving thanks when we consider Scripture, but it's not a natural practice to most in the world today.  When others hear us sing, whether indoors or outdoors, while it seems normal, it really isn't.  How does your church use music to make space for letting the message sink on?  Are there more hospitable practices for corporate singing in worship?  How do you give "commercial-free" thanks daily?