Not all of us are good at speaking off the cuff about the songs we sing, or even have the resources or knowledge to do it well even if we tried to prepare ahead of time. I was talking to James LeFeu about this and he has generously offered to help us in this. All he asks is that you give him enough time, and that you give him the specific song or theme to focus on.

[End important part. Read on for more information and background.]

If you don’t know who James is, he’s the Worship Ministry’s theological resource, and helps us a lot in making sure what we do is scripturally sound, and also provides some insight in creative ways to present theological truths.

The inspiration for this was seeing a lot of mini-sermons before songs that different churches do–in particular, the sermonette on the meaning of “Yahweh” before the Yahweh song on the latest Hillsong album. Without it, the song might still be good, maybe average at best in terms of content. But in context of what “Yahweh” actually means (“our hope is Yahweh, Yahweh.”–why Yahweh? Do you know what that means? What if you didn’t know what Yahweh actually means?), I think it amplified the ability to connect and impact of the song immensely. We can use these opportunities to then connect it back to how worship is part of everyday living, not just part of the song they’re singing.

As a side note in this same discussion at the WAM dinner, I think it’s worth mentioning that we should be careful in introducing new/unfamiliar songs not as “new and unfamiliar.” The general consensus was that by introducing new songs and telling the congregation that it’s a new song and to join in when they feel comfortable is setting them up to have the expectation of not being able to worship here and now, but only after they’ve learned the song.

Instead, try introducing the scriptural basis or themes for the song, and connect the congregation with the lyrics and worship of God. Even if they can’t sing along right away, they can surely read and agree with you in what you’re saying up front, and be worshiping in that way.

I want encourage everyone to think about this and discuss openly. After all, we are in the business of changing lives for Christ, and there are infinite ways to do that.