CAN YOU WORSHIP SINGING “THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY”?

In between services, I was in the middle of editing words in the slides when a man came up to me.

He: “I am gravely disappointed! I feel that this morning’s service was an insult to God.”
Me: “What, may I ask do you think was an insult to God?”
He: “Well, Little Drummer Boy! It’s secular! Why would you allow such a song to be sung on a Sunday morning?”
Me: “Is there anything sacrilegious with that song sung as a special music? ‘Come, they told me…a newborn king to see…The finest gifts we bring to lay before the king….so to honor Him when we come.’”
He: “It’s Christmas! We should sing more carols! All we sang was ‘Silent Night’! We even sang something about Christ death! That is so out of place. That was an insult to God and the occasion.”
Me: (I smiled) “With all due respect, sir. You are not in the position to tell me how God feels about this morning’s service. By saying that today’s earlier service was an insult to God is basically casting aspersions on the rest of the congregation who came to worship Him. Only God knows people’s hearts. We sang other songs: ‘The Heart of Worship,’ ‘Your Love is Extravagant,’ ‘In Christ Alone (My Hope is Found),’ ‘Give us Clean Hands.’ If in their heart of hearts they sang sincerely, obeyed the Spirit of Christ, lifted His name, acknowledged His greatness, praised His excellencies, and surrendered their lives, then I have no reason to believe that God was insulted like you say, as much as He was magnified. And, the message of Christ’s death and resurrection is never out of place, and never an insult.
He: “Well, we pay you to lead us in music. You should be on stage more often. We feel more engaged when you lead. You have the gift as well as the maturity.”
Me: “I lead as often as I can each month. But December is a busy time for any worship pastor with productions, special services and all, I can only thank God for the volunteers we have who can lead worship thru music.”

The conversation went a little bit longer, but my point is: unless people understand that as long as preference is lord over principle, and pattern is above and beyond the Person, they will never be satisfied with “worship.” They will come in and out of a “worship” event without having had the experience and engagement with God in spirit and in truth.

The Bible remains to be our guide of faith and practice. Culture is never above the Word. But also, I am a strong proponent of taking, redeeming and using what’s good in culture as a way to express praise and declare the excellencies of God.

But here’s something that I do know for certain: you and I are now the ones who have been chosen to declare God’s Word, incubate God’s purpose, to give birth to God’s purpose, to deliver and announce God’s purpose, to live God’s purpose. We are, in fact, that valuable to God, we are that beloved and He receives the worship of a person captured by God’s grace and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Good friends, may God, indeed, bless you this Christmas.

Advertisement