Since my childhood, worship has typically gone hand-in-hand with music. I was taught from a very young age that singing, listening to, playing and participating in music were some of the very best ways to express oneself, deal with frustration, grieve, and of course worship.
How exactly that looked varied from year-to-year, and sometimes even day-to-day. However, most of the lessons I’ve learned through music and worship remain true to this day.
From singing as a youth in local choirs, to helping out with folk worship as the soundboard technician prior to joining the band, time spent with enjoyable company for the sole purpose of praise and worship has generated countless memories within my bank.
Crystal clear recollections of singing Just a Closer Walk with Thee as a preschool student with my grandfather at the front of the church come rushing back into the fold. Sitting up near the altar for the children’s message and listening to my pastor teach us the words and actions to Shine, Jesus, Shine is another such remembrance.
My Sunday school teacher once gave me a burnt CD of popular Christian pop/rock music, circa 2008; I listened to that during home workouts for years! He also took me and a couple friends to one of my first concerts. Oh, and he also doubled as my weekly guitar teacher. His mother was my long-time piano teacher, and she and I have gone on to lead the music and accompaniment at various festive celebrations and funerals over the years.
It just seems right.
From attending a private junior high, high school and university, I was provided with weekly chapels, where I quickly put my name in for roles on worship teams. Attending three Canadian Lutheran Youth Gatherings—which have since become CLAY: a joint endeavour between Lutheran and Anglican youth—completely opened my eyes to other forms of music, skits, themes and games now found more commonly among the less “traditional” congregations.
This helped in later years when called upon to use various techniques to keep young campers attentive during beach worship or campfires in my summers serving in outdoor ministry. I continue to rediscover past evocations as I think back upon the countless experiences and lessons learned in my youth through a variety of forms of worship.
If my mother didn’t sign me up for piano lessons or half of the vocal groups she did, I’d probably have gone on to be a much better hockey player…but I would have missed out on such an important element in my faith development. Sure, there is always time to pick up an instrument or join a choir or band, but as they say, the most important time for growth is in the developmental years. So, I am forever grateful for the opportunities I have been given.
WITH GRATITUDE
That said, I must express my thanks and gratitude for being trusted to oversee the past four issues of Canada Lutheran. It has been an enjoyable experience joining the team and one that has also served as an expanded form of worship. I will be returning to my regular role as Communications Specialist with the ELCIC going forward this fall, while the new editor steps into her role for the October/November issue. It is my hope that the thoughts and stories shared over the past half-year have been as meaningful to you as they have to me.
With that, I will depart with some wise words from the prophet Paul, as found in Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord….
Carter Brooks
Interim Editor
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