JULY NEWSLETTER

 

 

Spring/Summer Worship Schedule

*No Sunday School*

9:30am   Worship

Please join us after Worship Service for coffee in the fellowship hall!

 

From Pastor Dave Zemke:

We’ve been working our way through the various parts of the worship service in these news letter articles. We’ve visited the Invocation, Confession, and an article on God’s Word. Before we get to the sermon, I’d like to take a break and work through why we sing in worship. Before I get rolling, I need to make a quick note. I refer, almost reflexively, to anything we sing together in worship as a hymn. There are songs in the hymnal that are devoid of true worship and there are songs written last year and played on guitar that draw us into God’s presence. I’m not going to differentiate or prefer one song over the other based on when it was written, who wrote it, or how it’s instrumented. A good song is a good song and a bad song is a bad song.

            At our best times, worship is kind of like a musical. We’re filled with joy and we break forth in song to praise our God. What’s even better at these times is that we’ve got the song memorized and we sing in loud voice. This is essentially what happens on Reformation Sunday when we sing “A Mighty Fortress.” That’s what happens on Christmas Eve as we sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and Christmas Day when we sing “Joy to the World.” And it’s wonderful.

            At other times, we are heartbroken and we cling to the words of our hymns and liturgy because they bring us comfort that we desperately need. We sing “Amazing Grace” and need to believe the lyrics because we’re at a funeral and we need desperately to find that gospel grace. This is what happens at funerals and other services of commemoration. This is also wonderful.

Not every Sunday is like this is it? Each Sunday, as we gather into our Prince of Peace family we come with all different kinds of weeks behind us. We come with different emotional needs. Some of us are on the top of the world and some are at the very bottom of the deepest well. And so we gather together and sing the hymns of the day.

            Frequently those hymns have been picked because they represent the theme of the day. The lyrics are specifically chosen because they reinforce what was or will be said during the sermon. Or the day, like Reformation Day, demands certain songs. Of course some of the hymns that are picked are for the sake of the service. Communion hymns, more often than not, reflect the sacrament that the congregation is currently receiving. And, of course, sometimes the hymns that are chosen are there because they’re old favorites.

            It’s been suggested that we should never sing a new hymn, or an old hymn that nobody remembers because it’s too hard and it’s not worship. “We can’t sing a song we don’t know and we can’t ‘hear’ the words of the song if we’re struggling.” Here are a few thoughts of what you can be doing if you don’t know the hymn. The first suggestion is that the Bible never says you have to sing beautifully. It says that you should make a joyful noise unto the Lord. So make that joyful noise! Many of us will be right there with you. Over time, we’ll learn the hymn and it may even become a favorite. But don’t let a little noise at the beginning keep you from finding a God’s grace.

The second suggestion is to sit and read the words to yourself as the congregation sings the hymn. This does two things. First, it places the weight on the words, where it should be. The words were written to make a point and the music serves that to an extent. Secondly, you can hear the melody while the song is being sung and you may be able to join in by verse 3 or 4.

Finally, keep this in mind. Our worship services are directed at God as a response for what He has done for us. They are not designed so we can make beautiful music. They aren’t designed so we can be perfect. They are designed for us to receive God’s gifts. Music is a part of that, just like God’s Word, Confession, and the Benediction. Keeping this perspective firmly in mind should help to ground our perception of what’s going on in our worship services. We come from a tradition of beautiful music, and great composers. Let us rejoice in the fullness of the musical tradition they have gifted us with.

 

 

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From the Preschool:

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 Spring/Summer Worship Schedule

*No Sunday School*

9:30am Worship

Please call Lori in the Church Office if you would like to volunteer to be an Usher, Lector, Greeter

or a part of the Slides and Sound Team!

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Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
14208 NE 249th Street
 Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-7455 Fax: 360-687-7862
office@princeofpeacebg.com
www.princeofpeacebg.org
Preschool direct line: 360-687-2448

 

Church office hours
Monday - Thursday
9-3pm
Lunch 12:00-1:00pm.

Last Friday of Each Month

8am-2pm

Publication Deadlines


Submissions for the weekly church bulletin are due Wednesday’s by noon. Newsletter articles are due on the 15th of each month.  
Are you interested in learning how to become a newsletter editor or want to share your gifts with the church? To learn more: contact Lori in the church office.