A brief statement on my philosophy of church music:
Whereas in the most pragmatic sense, I would concur with Martin Luther that music is the handmaiden of theology; serving to buttress the truths of the Gospel; to reinforce the teachings of the Church and to quicken wisdom, courage and forbearance to our hearts, I believe that music may also be a ministry in and of itself. Truth is sometimes best conveyed through a painting, a woodcut, a sculpture, a stained glass window. Wisdom may be at times best expressed through the steps of a dance. There are moments where the Gospel is conveyed most fully through a gentle smile, or the touch of warm hand. In the same way, I am convinced that the majesty, might, and even the loving kindness of the Almighty can be told forth in that language of sound juxtaposed against time which we call music. I understand music as applied spirituality. When spirituality is at its best and therefore its purest form, it is engendered in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. That is to say, that while communion, or even relationship between the worshipper and the Divine is established and fostered, at the same time community and fellowship is created among the worshippers. Perhaps that is why so many of the world’s religions tend to have a profound communal aspect. Even in traditions where the sacred is encountered with unmitigated meditative silence, there is still a zeitgeist of divinely inspired community. I believe that a spirituality that involves only the indiviual and the object of his or her spiritual devotion is devoid of much of its incarnational power and immediacy. On the other hand the community that does not seek to further the depth of its communion with God becomes impoverished in its spiritual nature. I am convinced one must have both: The vertical and horizontal relationships combine to form the full matrix of the human spiritual experience. So too music, regardless of the style, scope or genre, when it is serving its truest purpose draws listeners, in some metaphysical way, one to another as well and simultaneously to That which is above, within and without. The potential exists that musical performance, even outside of the religious venue may, much like ancient Greco-Roman theater, be a corporate religious experience. To that end, I believe that the church musician may be, in a very real sense a minister, not only because he or she is laboring at the musical craft in a sacred space or in the employ of the church, but because music itself may edify the souls of God’s beloved children.Although I have carried out and continue, from time to time, to be involved in many different kinds of ministries within the church, it is the above to which I am most led and where I believe I realize my truest vocation.AML2008
Posted by amlamort
at 10:08 AM EDT
Updated: Monday, 3 November 2008 10:18 AM EST
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Updated: Monday, 3 November 2008 10:18 AM EST
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