(I know—I cringed when I wrote the subject line, too. Gotta love a good hook, though.)

Anyways, I was listening to a new podcast this week (called Doxology and Theology, you can listen to it here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGdf8Lc80DE)—

And I was hit right between the eyes with this line (I’m roughly paraphrasing):

“That which you find sufficient is what you base your formation upon.”

Wow.

You see, this line comes from a greater conversation around the need for Scripture to be central in our worship services, and like an electric shock, I suddenly felt a conviction about what I have (or rather, haven’t) done.

I looked back at my years of putting together worship services—all my planning, all my considerations, all my prayers, all my practice—and what was my foundation?

Themes. Moods. Dynamics. Serving the topic and Scripture.

But was Scripture actually permeating the fabric of the service?

The sad answer is: not nearly enough—not even close.

OK—so I think I can give myself a little grace here. For my part, I’ve painstakingly curated our service elements to make sure we sing songs that are good, true, and beautiful. We plan appropriate selections that enhance each moment, transitioning from one to the next to create a frictionless experience that, above all, supports the message/Scripture of the day.

In short: There’s no flagrant sin or misrepresentation of God’s Word or character (at least, that I’m aware of).

This comes from a deep-seeded desire to steward things well, and as someone who has programmed a lot of music, these are the natural steps to take. In fact, by many accounts, it’s a “by the book” approach, followed to the letter as best as I can.

But therein lies the problem: Doing a good job has fallen within a definition that sidelines the presence of Scripture, leaving it to be a mere decoration when deemed appropriate.

As I reflect, the songs I’ve chosen actually DO feature Scripture in the lyrics, or are at least inspired by them. Many of the psalm tunes we sing are paraphrases of the verses you’ll read in the Bible. And, there are numerous other songs that have bits and pieces of Scripture quotes peppered throughout the lines.

But almost no service I’ve planned has made Scripture a focused area of an expression of worship—like, the clear, explicit, undeniable, in-your-face reading of Scripture.

Sure, we hear Scripture in our sermons, and our pastor and teaching team are faithful in bringing the Word to us. But as a music director, I’ve relied on a blending—a sort of “camouflage”—in which Scripture is relayed mostly implicitly, with the explicit reading being reserved for transitions or decorations.

So, how does one go about making Scripture a forefront to the service, but without it feeling forced?

First and Last Words

A great way to keep Scripture as a grounding feature in the service is to give God the “first and last Word,” meaning: open the service with a Scriptural invocation, and then close it with a Scriptural benediction.

The Sermon

It may seem like you’re stealing the pastor’s thunder if you use the Scripture topic for the day, but I promise you—it’s actually a really good thing! When you quote from the primary Scripture before its taught, you’re priming the congregation for what their about to learn, and the accompanying song you use will also cognitively bolster their internalization of the truths contained within.

The Instrumental

There are a lot moments in worship songs that are “dead space” for the congregation, mainly being the instrumental sections of a tune. If you can, have an appropriate Scripture displayed on the screen. The section of music needs to be long enough to meaningfully display the Scripture without feeling rushed or forced, though.

The Call and Response

This is a bit more “liturgical,” but reciting Scripture together outside of music as a form of call and response is a great way to engage together. This depends on the culture and value that you church places on “tradition,” though. Some churches already do this, but if you’re coming from a setting of not-so-formal liturgy, then you’ll need to ease into this one.

The Transition

Sometimes, transitions can be smoothed out with a bit of dialogue, in which case you can give an exhortation that heavily relies on direct quotation of Scripture to lead into another song, the sermon, or other service component.

I’m excited and optimistic about some of these ways to re-focus our services on a stronger foundation of Scripture, rather than keen programming that sidelines the Word of God.

But here’s what I’m even more excited about: Preparing services upon and around the Word of God gives greater time for me to spend in God’s Word on a personal level. Not only would the service yield a more Scripture-centered approach, but personal study, prayer, creative work—they all come under the wing of God’s truth revealed in the Bible.

And where can that ever go wrong?

Be blessed 👊✌️