Core Value: Music Styles
The aim of our celebrative and reflective worship style is to exalt God sincerely from our hearts with songs that are pleasing to Him. There is a noticeable simplicity to our worship services as we seek to reduce as many barriers as possible between the worshiper and God.
Just like at every other baseball park, the "Star-Spangled Banner" is sung before every game at Fenway Park in Boston, and "God Bless America" is sung during the 7th inning stretch. But in the middle of the 8th inning, in a tradition unique to Fenway, a song by Neil Diamond called “Sweet Caroline” begins to play and the whole stadium starts to sing the song together, word for word ... loudly. Everyone in the stadium knows the words and sings out. It’s not a patriotic song, but if you’ve ever been to Fenway to watch a game, you know it’s an unforgettable moment when the closely packed crowd of 37,000 sings together.
One of our greatest desires at Open Arms for our gatherings is that they be times of “the congregation singing”. While we may be just short of the 37,000 of Fenway Park, we want everyone who gathers on Sunday morning to join in as we sing to the Lord. . .loudly. The goal of “the congregation singing” is a large part of what determines how we choose the songs we sing during our worship times. Because we want everyone to join in we work hard to find songs that are not too high, too low, or too complicated for our church family to sing. The goal for our musicians who lead is not to sing to the congregation but with them, and the music of the songs in many ways will either help or hinder that.
While the music of the songs we sing is important, the words of the songs we sing together at Open Arms are even more important. “The congregation singing songs that make much of God, delight in God and encourage one another” is our broader purpose as we meet and sing.
While there’s a time and place for many different kinds of songs, when we gather as a church family we look to sing songs that speak of who God is and what He has done. God is so good, and so just, and so strong, and there is nothing else more deserving of our attention and praise. There are seasons where we may be so aware of the goodness of God and His greatness that we long to sing songs that give voice to those thoughts and emotions. But, there are other times where we can be distracted and overwhelmed by other things that seem larger and more important than God. In those seasons we want to sing songs together that will remind our hearts of who God is and that stir our souls to delight in Him above all else.
We also want to sing songs that speak of what God has done. There’s a powerful truth in the words “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” Though we deserve nothing but God’s judgement, Jesus took our judgement and gives us peace with God. Our constant challenge is to keep our hearts amazed and living in this truth. We sing songs at Open Arms that chronically remind us of God’s grace and the power of the cross. Singing about what we will do for God can quickly lead to discouragement when we stumble. But songs of the power and forgiveness of the cross will encourage us and point the way to restoration and change.
The reality is that as we sing together “songs that make much of God and delight in God,” we will be encouraging each other. We can and should sing songs to Lord in the car, in the shower and as we work. But, there is something different and powerful that happens as we gather and sing songs to the Lord together. As you sing, you are standing in the midst of others who are singing about and to the Lord. As you sing and hear others sing, it’s a reminder that you are not alone; you are part of a larger family. It’s a reminder that you’re not the only one who believes in this great God who has done great things. There are many who believe and that can be an encouragement. As you sing songs to the Lord, in many ways you are singing the truths of those songs to your brothers and sisters as well and encouraging their hearts by reminding them who God is and what He has done. So worship God and encourage one another by singing out and singing strong!
There’s one more aspect to the style of songs that we want to sing together when we gather. We want to sing songs that “make much of God, delight in God and encourage one another for a lifetime.” Are there songs that you learned when you were younger that you can still remember or may even find yourself humming years later? Chances are the song has a catchy melody and you can still remember some of the words that go with it. Music and the messages it carries can stay with us for a long time. Our desire is that the songs that we sing have music that is memorable and words that carry the truth of scripture that God will use for a lifetime. May songs that we sing together today continue to bear fruit in our hearts and in the hearts of our children for generations as we continue to sing together.
Just like at every other baseball park, the "Star-Spangled Banner" is sung before every game at Fenway Park in Boston, and "God Bless America" is sung during the 7th inning stretch. But in the middle of the 8th inning, in a tradition unique to Fenway, a song by Neil Diamond called “Sweet Caroline” begins to play and the whole stadium starts to sing the song together, word for word ... loudly. Everyone in the stadium knows the words and sings out. It’s not a patriotic song, but if you’ve ever been to Fenway to watch a game, you know it’s an unforgettable moment when the closely packed crowd of 37,000 sings together.
One of our greatest desires at Open Arms for our gatherings is that they be times of “the congregation singing”. While we may be just short of the 37,000 of Fenway Park, we want everyone who gathers on Sunday morning to join in as we sing to the Lord. . .loudly. The goal of “the congregation singing” is a large part of what determines how we choose the songs we sing during our worship times. Because we want everyone to join in we work hard to find songs that are not too high, too low, or too complicated for our church family to sing. The goal for our musicians who lead is not to sing to the congregation but with them, and the music of the songs in many ways will either help or hinder that.
While the music of the songs we sing is important, the words of the songs we sing together at Open Arms are even more important. “The congregation singing songs that make much of God, delight in God and encourage one another” is our broader purpose as we meet and sing.
While there’s a time and place for many different kinds of songs, when we gather as a church family we look to sing songs that speak of who God is and what He has done. God is so good, and so just, and so strong, and there is nothing else more deserving of our attention and praise. There are seasons where we may be so aware of the goodness of God and His greatness that we long to sing songs that give voice to those thoughts and emotions. But, there are other times where we can be distracted and overwhelmed by other things that seem larger and more important than God. In those seasons we want to sing songs together that will remind our hearts of who God is and that stir our souls to delight in Him above all else.
We also want to sing songs that speak of what God has done. There’s a powerful truth in the words “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” Though we deserve nothing but God’s judgement, Jesus took our judgement and gives us peace with God. Our constant challenge is to keep our hearts amazed and living in this truth. We sing songs at Open Arms that chronically remind us of God’s grace and the power of the cross. Singing about what we will do for God can quickly lead to discouragement when we stumble. But songs of the power and forgiveness of the cross will encourage us and point the way to restoration and change.
The reality is that as we sing together “songs that make much of God and delight in God,” we will be encouraging each other. We can and should sing songs to Lord in the car, in the shower and as we work. But, there is something different and powerful that happens as we gather and sing songs to the Lord together. As you sing, you are standing in the midst of others who are singing about and to the Lord. As you sing and hear others sing, it’s a reminder that you are not alone; you are part of a larger family. It’s a reminder that you’re not the only one who believes in this great God who has done great things. There are many who believe and that can be an encouragement. As you sing songs to the Lord, in many ways you are singing the truths of those songs to your brothers and sisters as well and encouraging their hearts by reminding them who God is and what He has done. So worship God and encourage one another by singing out and singing strong!
There’s one more aspect to the style of songs that we want to sing together when we gather. We want to sing songs that “make much of God, delight in God and encourage one another for a lifetime.” Are there songs that you learned when you were younger that you can still remember or may even find yourself humming years later? Chances are the song has a catchy melody and you can still remember some of the words that go with it. Music and the messages it carries can stay with us for a long time. Our desire is that the songs that we sing have music that is memorable and words that carry the truth of scripture that God will use for a lifetime. May songs that we sing together today continue to bear fruit in our hearts and in the hearts of our children for generations as we continue to sing together.