The Role of Music in Christian Worship

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The Role of Music in Christian Worship

Music has played a part in the worship of the church for centuries and

still is very important to a Christian’s spiritual life. Christians

believe that it brings them closer to God spiritually because at

church everyone sings the same song, giving a sense of unity in God.

Worship comes from an old English word that means to ‘give worth or

honour’. People come to sing together as part of worship in order to

give honour to God, praising God with a greater voice than they would

as individuals. Also, music helps Christians concentrate on God; it

can communicate joy or sorrow, influencing the emotions of a person in

a way that just saying words cannot. The words that a choir sings can

bring hope and truth to those that are listening.

Depending on the type of church that a person attends, services will

be structured or spontaneous and are likely to have hymns or songs as

well as Bible readings and a sermon; the one thing they have in common

is that they are all praising God. Roman Catholic and Anglican Church

services normally have a set order of service each week with a set

place for the music. The music tends to be very traditional, made up

of hymns accompanied by an organ. Within Pentecostal or House

churches, the music tends to be more modern, made up of songs and

choruses accompanied by many instruments including guitars and drums.

The different types of church services gives people a choice of what

suits their personality and their approach to the Christian faith

best.

Psalms is a whole book in the Old Testament dedicated to religious

songs written mostly by King David. The Hebrew title means “Praises”

and every psalm contains some kind of praise to God. Whatever mood a

person is in, there is a psalm to match it. For example, Psalm 19 is

a praising song: “The heavens tell of the glory of God …”, whereas

Psalm 43 is a cry to God: “Judge me O God and plead my cause against

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