The good people over at praisecharts.com have given guitarists an early Christmas gift. They’ve posted a free, downloadable book of Christmas carols arranged for acoustic guitar.  I haven’t yet looked them over, but I’m sure they’ll be up to the usual praisecharts standard of quality.   One warning, though… the arrangements are in guitar friendly keys with simplified chords, so don’t expect to be able to play along with a pianist who’s using a hymnal.  But if you’re leading carols with just guitar you’ll be well served by these charts!

Christmas is a time when everything is heightened.  All things are universally amped up.  If everything is coming up roses for you, then Christmas makes things come up poinsettias.  However, if you’re blue, Christmas can  make you very blue.  If you have family problems, they are heightened at Christmas.  If you’re struggling with finances, you’ll struggle even more at Christmas.  If you’re lonely – chances are you’ll feel lonelier during the holidays.  If you’ve recently lost a loved one, you’ll be facing the first Christmas without them.  It is easy for those in mourning to feel forgotten by their church during the month of December.

I’m reminded of the line from Away in a Manger – “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes”.  However,  the Gospel accounts don’t say anything about whether the baby Jesus cried.  Yet we’ve bought into the idea that crying, mourning or any expression of sorrow is incongruous with Christmas.  However, if we strip off the fairy-tale varnish from the Christmas story we find that there is much sorrow – Israel oppressed by the Romans, a scandalous pregnancy, an arduous journey to Bethlehem.  And what do we encounter after the blessed event itself?  The flight to Egypt to  escape the slaughter of innocents (Matt 2:13-18).  Merry Christmas indeed.

The good news is that the Christmas story is about the arrival of God’s light that penetrates the deepest darkness.  As worship leaders we must not ignore the darkness, but rather acknowledge it, and proclaim that the Light has come.  I believe that the third verse of It Came Upon a Midnight Clear perfectly expresses this concept:

O ye beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow;

Look now, for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing;

Oh rest beside the weary road

And hear the angels sing.

In most of the Christmas pageants that I’ve been associated with the drama on stage couldn’t hold a candle to the drama behind the scenes.  I remember dress rehearsals with stress levels were more incandescent than a million strings of Christmas lights.   If you wanted to show someone the fruit of the Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) would you invite them to your Christmas Pageant rehearsals?

These are some of the pitfalls that I think we need to avoid during our Christmas productions:

• Failing to view the “pageant” primarily as an act of worship.  When the pageant becomes more about us than it does about celebrating Christ, we are driven by pride – which means we’ve completely missed the point.
• Outdoing Last Year! – We feel an intense pressure to out-do last year!  But it is unsustainable!  Often we reach a production level that pushes our people to the brink of burn-out (or beyond).  It is unsustainable to continually ratchet up our productions without sacrificing some volunteers on the altar of Bigger and Better
• “Community Theatre” syndrome – If we forget that we’re doing ministry then our Christmas Pageants are reduced to community theatre – and we are susceptible to all of community theatre’s foibles and petty vanities.  As the church we are called to so much more than just entertainment!

The good news is that it is possible to produce fitting celebrations of Christmas that honour God in their content and in the way they are produced.  I believe that if we approach our Christmas celebrations primarily as acts of worship,  in both spirit and in truth, then we’ll succeed celebrating Christ’s advent while enjoying His presence.

In the churches where I’ve  served and attended it seems that we’ve lost our sense of longing for Christ’s advent.  I really appreciate the rhythm of the liturgical calendar that sets aside four weeks of advent.  It may come as a surprise to those of us who are “low church” that liturgical churches do not sing Christmas carols until Christmas eve .   Advent is supposed to be a time of reflection on our need for Christ and our desperate need for Him to come to us.  It is also a time to anticipate second advent.  I know that I need to spend time longing for Christ’s arrival – to be born anew in my own heart, and for His eventual return in which he sets the world aright.  This longing for Christ is an essential antidote to my own tendency toward smug self-sufficiency, and all of the folly that flows such an erroneous point of view.

I find that my longing is short circuited by jumping right to celebrations of Christ’s birth, and I am poorer because of it.  I’m not advocating that all of our churches return to a strict observation of the church calendar.  There are many good reasons to spend all of December celebrating Christ’s birth, not the least of which is the opportunity it provides for churches to reach out to their communities through concerts, dramatic presentations and other artistic celebrations.  I am advocating that each one of us take time this advent season to reflect upon our profound need for Christ to come and be born in our own hearts, and to express our longing for His presence in our lives and in our world.

I’m beginning a series of posts today in which I’ll confess to some of my hang-ups with the Christmas season.  I’ll be sharing a number of observations as an erstwhile worship pastor.

My first confession is that I don’t like Christmas Carols.  OK.. that may sound harsh, so let me explain .  For at least two months every year we are inundated with Christmas carols – in the mall, on the radio, TV, everywhere we go we hear the same paltry repertoire of Christmas songs repeated over and over again.  Only the most robust melodies could resist becoming threadbare after so much overuse. Unfortunately most Christmas Carols don’t fare very well.

However, my superficial preferences on the aesthetics of Christmas carol music aren’t all that important.  The biggest problem with Christmas carols is that they come with baggage.  When many of us sing a Christmas carol our minds instantly conjure  memories of a television commercial or the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, rather than dwelling upon the meaning of what we’re singing.  It is a real effort to push beyond the nostalgic associations we have with most carols and to truly worship through them.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that we ban Christmas carols.  They are a very meaningful part of our celebration of Christ’s first coming.  The challenge for us as worshipers is to avoid using them as an exercise in nostalgia, but instead to make every effort to view them with fresh eyes and fresh ears.  As worship planners and worship leaders we must make every effort to keep them fresh and put them into settings that draw our attention to Christ.

This past August 29 (my 17th wedding anniversary) my wife and flew to New York for the weekend. The apex of our celebration was the chance to see Paul Motian, Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano at the Village Vanguard. For those who don’t know, the Village Vanguard is sort of the like the Vatican of jazz clubs. It is arguably the most prestigious jazz club in the world and only the upper echelon of jazz musicians play there. We arrived at about 8:15 for the line is already snaking down the street blocking the entrance to the nail salon next door to the club. A young woman walks up to the line and asks if it is for the nail salon and is relieved to find out it isn’t. If she’d just looked at the mostly gray haired men in the line she probably would’ve concluded on her own that this crowd wasn’t lining up for pedicures.

The doors opened and we began our descent down the steep staircase to the club. Much hasn’t changed in the in the vanguard’s decades of operation, but they have embraced some innovations. I printed my ticket at home after purchasing it the Village Vanguard website. The tickets are checked and we are seated. We’re at a table in the second row to the left the stage. Being a guitarist I wanted to have a good view of Frisell. I saw that he was set up to the right side of the stage but I knew from having seen him several times before that he’d spend most of the night facing left towards Motian, the drummer. I’d have a good view of him on the left. Of the 100 odd people who can cram into the small basement club, we had some of the best seats in the house.

When we arrived the band was in the corner near the stage talking. Motian was writing down what appeared to be the set list – the evening liturgy for this sacred event. Eventually they retreated to a back room, we placed our drink orders with the waitress and waited for our trio of high priests to return to the stage. While we waited I look around at the people around us and discovered that not all of us were true believers. The woman in front of us nodded perfunctorily as her date explained to her why the evening’s music would be so great. A couple beside us, who looked to be in their sixties, stared at the dark stage in apparent boredom. A loud table of four behind us were loudly talking about “jazz music”. I heard someone mention Manhattan Transfer and ten seconds later the four of them are humming “Birdland.” They were making short work of their drinks and were getting louder. I began to worry that they wouldn’t quiet down when the band took the stage.

Eventually a man appeared on stage for a call to worship. The congregation was instructed to turn off their cell phones and remain quiet during the show. I prayed that the Manhattan Transfer fans had paid attention. He left the stage and in a few minutes the lights along the right side of the club were abruptly shut off leaving half the club in total darkness. A few seconds later the rest of the house lights were dimmed and the stage lights were abruptly clicked on, revealing the mess of Frisell’s gear and a web of cables. Some bags and a coat were piled on top of the piano which was pushed to the back of the stage. There’s no pretence or playing to appearances here. No fancy computer programmed lighting system. A couple of wall switches on the back do just fine. Guitar case? Coat? Just put them on the Piano.

A hush overtook those of us crowded into the pews. Applause began as the trio re-emerged from the back of the club. They each nodded politely to acknowledge the applause. Motian looked to count off the first number but Frisell wasn’t ready, fiddling with a pedal and quickly tuning up. As soon as he’s finished Motian counted it off and they launched into Monk’s tune Misterioso. They’ve recorded the song and undoubtedly have played it hundreds of times. Lovano was right up to the edge of the stage, the bell of his horn a few feet from us. He is a powerful presence, almost dancing as he plays. He teeters on the edge of the stage as he solos. The elderly woman beside, however, was fast asleep. Her husband was awake but hardly more engaged. The woman in front of us had her fingers in her ears as Motian pounded on his ride cymbal. No word from the Manhattan Transfer fan club behind us. However, I was determined not to let the apathy of the faithless diminish my experience.

The band was in top form on Mysterioso, which was the only tune I recognized during the whole set. The next song was a standard, perhaps “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” but I’m not certain. Frisell and Lovano read charts for the next couple of tunes and the effortlessness of the opening part of the set was gone. Frisell was working hard, especially during his solos on these songs. If I had my eyes closed I’m sure I wouldn’t have noticed, but I could read it on his face.

On the whole the trio sounds phenomenal. Lovano, the extrovert among the group is forceful, exerting his personality upon us as he plays. Frisell and Motian are much more introverted and introspective. Rather than reaching out to us, they merely open a window and allow us to peer in. Near the end of the set Frisell is really warming up, playing as only he can. One of his favourite licks, an ascending stagger step riff (similar to the melody of Mysterioso) makes several appearances through the night. He’s also creating ethereal soundscapes with his multiple layers of delay. A couple of songs ended with haunting loops of his guitar. Most of the crowd is enraptured. The woman beside us continued to slumber undisturbed, though I suppose she might have been praying.

The band finished the set and Motian took a microphone to pronounce the benediction. He introduced his bandmates, himself, and thanked us for coming. The three of them waved and nodded, acknowledging the applause and then left the stage. The houselights came up and our lady of perpetual slumber awoke and gathered her purse, sweater and husband to go. The Manhattan Transfer fan club enjoyed the music as much as their wine, and the woman in front of us seems to have avoided permanent hearing damage. My wife and I settle with our waitress and make our way up the stairs on to the street. We began our afternoon with the matinee showing of the broadway musical “Wicked”, had pizza at Johns in Times Square and then made our way out to the Vanguard. As we walk hand in hand to the 23rd street subway station we agree that there could be no better way to celebrate 17 years together.

I’ve been bootlegged!  The outrage!

Someone posted “Jesus Only” on youtube.  Here it is:

As music videos go, I’ve seen better. I’ve also seen much worse so I won’t complain.  Of course now that I’ve linked it I guess that makes me an accomplice in this crime.  Please don’t tell the RIAA.

“Remember Me”, the final track on my CD “Jesus Only” has received a Covenant Award nomination for Jazz/Blues Song of the Year. The Covenant Awards are awarded by the Canadian Gospel Music Association. The song is up against some heavy competition, including offerings from Steve Bell and Mike Janzen, but as they say, it’s an honour just to be nominated!

For more info see:  http://www.gmacanada.ca/

You can preview the nominated track at last.fm.

A month has now passed since I resigned from my position as a pastor.   I have an offer to go back to the world of hi-tech which I have accepted.  I’ll soon again be a software developer- cubicle dweller.  I’m really looking forward to a job where I can walk out at 5:00 p.m. and not think about it again until the next morning!  I’ve had some time to reflect and here are my quick-hit thoughts on what I’ve learned through the last few months:

• It has been a real joy to step off the ministry treadmill.  Sunday happens every seven days whether you’re ready or not.  It hasn’t taken me long to get used to leisurely weekends.  Saturday’s used to be spent pre-occupied with the next Sunday’s service and Sunday was “game day”.  And there is no off-season.  Anyway, it’s been nice to re-acquaint myself with how the rest of the world lives.  I’ve also had an amazing summer with the family.  My boys will only be boys for a few more years.  I’m so thankful to have this precious time with them!

• What I’ll do differently if I return to ministry:  I would not let frantic activity become a substitute for true spirituality.  Now that I’ve experienced life off of the treadmill I won’t go back to the pace I was keeping.  I’d put much more of my time and effort into developing other leaders and share the work much more than I did the first time around

• I’ve reflected a lot on my own identity.  Much of it was tied up in my vocation.  In some ways it’s easier to do ministry when you have the title to go with it… of course the title has its pitfalls as well.   Now I’m really puzzling through the concept of the priesthood of all believers.   I’ve been on both sides of vocational ministry and back again.  I can’t tell which I prefer yet.

• I’ve rediscovered my love of music.  Over the last couple years I’ve hardly done any playing for the sheer joy of it.  Any practicing I did was to get ready for the next service or the next performance.  I’ve been playing for fun again – no pressure.  Just for my own enjoyment and as an offering of worship.  I feel like a kid again!

• God is good.  When I resigned I had nothing to go to.  It was a huge step of faith for Pearl and me.  Yet we felt completely at peace with the decision.  Still there were some anxious weeks.  I sent some resumes around to other churches in other cities and there were some possibilities, but it would mean uprooting from Ottawa (20 years here), selling the house and starting from scratch in a new city.  After what we’ve been through leading up my resignation we really didn’t want to add further stress on top of it all.  And then this opportunity in hi-tech (in this terrible economy!) came along.  I believe that we’ll end up back in full time ministry at some point, but this job means we don’t have to leave Ottawa this summer and can take our time looking for the right place for us to serve.

Thanks to all of you who’ve been praying and supporting us in so many ways.  We really feel loved as you’ve let God’s love for us flow through you.  Your countless expressions of love have ministered deeply to both Pearl and to me.  Thank you!

When we gather as a church our purpose is to worship God.  So is it right to celebrate mother’s day and father’s day at church?  I mean, those holidays are certainly not Christian, biblical holidays.  You could even argue that mother’s day has its origin in pagan springtime fertility celebrations.  So why are we celebrating a pagan holiday? (Full disclosure – we celebrated mother’s day at my church).  I brought up this question during our devotional time at a recent worship team rehearsal.  These are some of the issues that we came up with:

• Is it biblical?  Well, we certainly aren’t commanded to and they didn’t celebrate mother’s day during bible times, but at the same time we aren’t prohibited from thanking God for our mothers or encouraging mothers.  So we have to grapple with whether we take Luther’s view – anything not prohibited by scripture is permissible.  Or Calvin’s view that only what scripture expressly commands or demonstrates is permissible, also known as the “Regulative Principle of Worship”.  Most of us come down on Luther’s side with this one.  I’m guessing that reformed Presbyterians (who follow Calvin’s view and don’t use musical instruments in their worship services) don’t make a big deal about mother’s day.
• Inclusion and Exclusion – if we decide that it is OK to have a service that is still centered on Christ but of particular encouragement to mothers how do we handle all those who aren’t mothers?  Is it OK to exclude some people from some parts of a service?  Where do we draw the line?
• Expectations and Perspectives – If we totally ignored mother’s day at our church there would be some upset people!  They are expecting us to acknowledge and celebrate mothers.  But there are also people for whom mother’s day is very difficult.  If you have a strained relationship with your mother or she was abusive, or she recently passed away you might find the day very difficult.  As worship leaders we need to be aware of these perspectives and account for them as best we can.  For instance, a video with pictures of mom’s with their newborn babies will have totally different effects on a new mom as opposed to a woman who unable to have children yet longs to be a mom.

Nobody said being a worship leader was easy…  and by the way, I love my mom.