Most Sundays do not pose a problem for worship leaders when it comes to choosing songs. However, when special occasions come around, they can feel very limited.
What does a worship leader do for songs on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, or any other day that we celebrate in church? Often, we look into the hymnbook for ideas. For example, we might choose “Faith of Our Fathers” for Father’s Day. Usually, the selection is very small. Or is it?
Allow me to suggest a different approach entirely: Although it may be nice to flow with the topic of a sermon or emphasis in a service, real worship isn’t about that. Worship is about God. In our singing, God can be the subject of our thoughts, no matter what the occasion. The sermon or dramatization can carry the burden of the occasion, freeing up the worship leader to (dare I say?) actually lead in worship.
Corporate worship is celebrating God. Choosing songs just because they fit a theme misses the point. Focusing on God’s attributes and character can be the pivotal point of every other part of the service, as well as our lives. We love one another because of who God is. We honour our parents because of who God is. We pray and encourage others because of who God is. We reach out to those in our communities because of who God is.
As a pastor of a local congregation, I would not be bothered if the song leader didn’t sing a thematic song. In fact, we may also want to re-think what we do during the Christmas season. In December, we often default to the “story” songs of Christmas. These are not ideal worship songs. Actually, if a worship leader really searched, there are some Christmas songs that are worship in nature. They are just not the most commonly used selections. However, on the whole, the traditional songs are narratives.
The bottom line is that a worship leader can never go wrong with God-focused songs, no matter what is marked on the statuatory or church calendar. We appreciate your Comments