Toward the end of the blog posted on Friday, April 19, 2013 I wrote these words:

“PLAYING IT SAFE IS NOT THE CORRECT DIRECTION – CHRISTIANITY NEEDS TO BE RADICAL TO BE GENUINE – A COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT LIKELY DOES NOT CREATE OR COMMUNICATE DOXOLOGY!”

So now I begin the challenge of describing a vision for the arts in Christianity in 2013 that is prophetic and transforming. Immediately I am reminded of the opening text of the anthem that my new choir offered in worship yesterday during my first worship service as Director of Music Ministries for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.

“Awake, arise, the journey’s begun. We travel on together as one. We know not where the road will lead, but we move in faith making love our creed as we follow; The journey is our home.” (“The Journey Is Our Home” – Music by Allen Pote – Text by Nancy Hollis Dillard and Allen Pote – Hinshaw Music, Inc. – HMC-446, 1980.)

For the most part my experience in church has been comfortable – sometimes we have bordered on radical but for the most part that has not been the case. It has been a wonderful journey with communities of faith with programs of music ministry that ranged from outstanding to extraordinary. My worship life has also been filled with sermons by some of the very best preachers anyone could ever hope to know as colleagues and friends. A number of these congregations have had a vision and commitment to missions that appears to be present in only a small percentage of congregations – one even continuing a commitment to dollar-for-dollar benevolence giving for all of its more than fifty years. Membership of these congregations have ranged from around 300 to more than 5,000 – including congregations that are part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Methodist Church, Disciples of Christ, and United Church of Christ. My memories bins are filled with reminders of fabulous concerts, wonderful tours, thrilling worship services, retreats, conferences, and more – but the memories center around people and relationships rather than activities and events. Many of those memories were generated by joyful occasions, but a significant number of them also were generated by life changing events of death and traged.

Without a doubt – the greatest exception to this comfortable experience is the place where it all began for me – a small mission congregation in the heart of the Cherokee nation in northeastern Oklahoma where my grandparents served as missionaries for the Methodist Church (prior to the time when it became the United Methodist Church) – in Bunch, Oklahoma. My life started when I was born in the parsonage next door to the little white frame church that sat across a dirt road facing the railroad tracks of the Kansas City Southern Railway (that location yielded a memory that is still a very active part of my life – more about that later). I will never forget my surprise when we first attended worship in a church that was not multi-ethnic and multi-lingual – apparently I asked my mother why this congregation only included people who looked like us and only spoke our language.

So this journey begins with a number of questions – questions that will provide the primary subject matter for coming posts on this blog.

What types and styles of music are appropriate for worship?

What are appropriate ways to include the other arts – specifically dance, drama, and visual art?

What constitutes a right balance of artistic expressions that are generally labeled as “contemporary” or “traditional”? (I cannot resist my urge to let you know that I do not believe that those label words are authentic or accurate. Also, I am willing to state up-front that I am not a supporter of what is generally meant by the phrase “blended worship” – sadly in my experience that generally means something to offend everyone.)

Is it appropriate to refer to the arts in worship as performance?

What boundaries should be observed concerning use of language?

These are just a few of the topics for coming discussion. I hope that many of you will be willing to offer your thoughts and experiences on these matters – I would love to generate a lively and respectful loving series of conversations.

In conclusion – the following words were part of Dr. Jim Rigby’s sermon at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on the Sunday prior to the beginning of my service with that congregation:

“I barely talked to Tom Mitchell [St. Andrew’s new music director], who will be taking up the torch and leading us. He asked me what I’m looking for in the musical direction of the church and I said, ‘A prophet.’ No pressure . . . no pressure. But in each of the areas of the church’s life we have to look a hundred years down the road, a hundred and fifty years down the road and say what do we need to change into, to have life? What kind of music would it take to appeal to the young people in this church without losing the depth, the beauty, the awe and the wonder? There is a bridge that needs to be built, and I’m very excited that we’ve been striving to do that for years and that we will continue to strive to do that.” (April 14, 2013)

We are called to move together in love – the journey is our home!!