The thing about joyful noises.
written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this postA post (at CRN.info) that was meant to be light-hearted quickly turned south as the discussion developed on whether or not a joyful noise was a good enough benchmark to make something not be a mockery of God. You can read that discussion and post here.
Chris L. followed up -- a good idea, I think -- to bring that discussion to the top, fresh: Must a joyful noise be a beautiful one?
One of th first commenters brings up the idea of how we should stay within our "gifts" and know our "limitations", two concepts that sound very good on paper but in the reality of Christina life, have no place. I responded as follows (the double-indented comments were from Mike Corley, which I then respond to):
"I was given the awful task once of telling a sweet brother, who volunteered to lead music in a church whose music leader had resigned, that leading music was not his calling. His heart was sincere and his intentions were noble, but he was not gifted for that position."
Sometimes I think we get hung up on what seems to be, or not be, someone’s "gift." There is an aspect of obedience, and more than once we have had a person lead music (or some other function in church) who I would say wasn't gifted, possibly weren't even looking forward to it, but really felt they were supposed to do this as a matter of God asking them.
The "it's not my gift/it's not her gift" crutch can end up being an excuse, one I hear very much in my small church when I try to find people to sub for me on the piano or teach Sunday School. Sometimes it isn't about the gift — it's about obedience. Small churches such as mine aren't likely going to have a gifted person for every role, and we either end up having one or two people doing everything because "they’re gifted" or people need to trust God to help them meet the needs of the position.
The giftedness -- where does it list such "gifts" in regards to music, in the Bible? I know it talks about gifts like teaching, etc., but some of these other things…where does it say that? Where does it support the idea that if the area (of, say, music) is not your "gift" you should not do it?"Every man has got to know his limitations."
No. That sounds so good, and for the people who are glory-hogs and want attention and to be involved in everything, perhaps it's a relief to rely on that. However, no. People are generally more willing to over-know their limitations and be unwilling to step out and do something in an act of faith. In my experiences, people make lists of limitations, of "non-gifts", and use that as reasons why they can't/won't do something God asks, why they won't do something to help others.
This is a tricky issue, when we start defining who can and cannot or should and should not do something.
I would have said, two years ago, the my limitation was I could not speak in front of people. I ended up having to teach, kicking and screaming, and oh my, I found I could speak in front of people (after a few rough months) after all. I never would have thought that my "gifting" or anything but a limitation unless I had done it and stuck it out, and had people let me stick it out, from the beginning.
I then added:
Look, the "know your limitations" thing -- that really gets me. If there's anything I've seen God consistently do in my life and the lives of those who dare to obey Him, it's that he blasts through our human-understanding of limitations as if they were paper.
How can I, a human, possibly really know my limitations? How can I know what God is doing, preparing me for, wanting to do, if I say "oh, I know my limitations. I can't do that."?
I will say right here that I can't sing, but there have been times when we've had church and no one to lead except at the last minute where it looked like I might have to lead -- horrifying! But if God wanted it, I would struggle through and do the best I could.
I would say "Forget about knowing your limitations. Your understanding of these supposed limitations is limiting your obedience to God." As far as I’m concerned, "with God, all things are possible." This life is nothing about knowing my human limitations, because the God I serve is unlimited. All things are possible, even leading the singing.
It is a strange Christian view to go through life seeing how "a God of order" limits people and puts them in their place that they will not be allowed from, but I think many conversations I've had here, from the place of women in church, et. al., is about throwing of limitations and letting God work.
I should think that if someone were to say, however differently they phrase the words, that what may be necessary in a small church (people needing to help whether it's their "gift" or not) doesn't apply in a larger church with a larger pool of people to pick from, I would seriously wonder about their belief in this different "God of quantity." Does he ask less of his believers if they are in a large congregation? Interesting concept.
Chris quotes a comment earlier in the post made by what I would say is a confused Christian, who states that "God is a God of order, and if he has not given you the talent to sing, you should not try to sing."
Mind blowing, particularly if you take this concept and apply it to more than just singing. Think of how handy this could be if I didn't want to:
- clean the church
- help in the kitchen
- watch the nursery kids
- do anything at all
Order does not mean dead, sour-faced, stodgy, clean, dry -- this same "God of order" didn't mind David dancing about in his under garments. He didn't mind the dust and smell and noise of thousands of wandering Israelites. It is always interesting -- and partly amusing -- that people will often list the fallen or questionable Charismatic believers and point to the beliefs as the reason. However, one of the great strengths I find in such faiths is the encouragement, the openness, and the willingness to let God move in his people however he wants to, with no stern "that's not your gifting, so you can't do that" or no suggestion that "your place is over there, not here."
Make a joyful noise? By all means. It's a matter of the heart, not talent.
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* I attend an Assembly of God church, and am a Pentecostal believer.
Labels: christianity, discussion
Copyright (c) Julie R. Neidlinger 12/08/2007 08:57:00 AM
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1 Comments:
Hi Julie,
I agree with you from the standpoint that you're taking: that is, a person who is unsure of their own abilities needs to be willing to step forward to do something they're uncomfortable with in order to meet a need.
I think some of the other commenters may have been thinking of the issue from the standpoint of someone who wants to do something publicly but does it badly. It can end up being a matter of endurance rather than blessing for the congregation, all for the sake of propping up someone's ego and not hurting their feelings. Such a person often simply wants some moments in the spotlight.
It's the difference between singing out joyfully and tone-deaf in the congregation, and choosing to lead worship joyfully and tone-deaf. The second person has a responsibility not just to enjoy their experience in praising God, but to help draw others into the worship of God. Doing so in a distracting manner (which can be accomplished by an overly accomplished, drawing-attention-to-itself rendition, as well as by an incompetent one) impedes other people's worship. That's the difference between leading in worship and most of the other things you cite. It has a direct effect on the people in the congregation and their ability to focus on God.
