Striking a religious chord

I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord... -- from the motion picture "Shrek"

Quick now: Think of any movies that come immediately to mind. Time magazine film critic Richard Shickel, who has written about the motion picture industry for three decades, says 20 million Americans go to the movies every week.

Likely, then, there are quite a few films that might occur to you. Maybe it was a film you saw recently. Perhaps you think of it because of a memorable character (like Oskar Schindler in "Schindler's List"); possibly you thought of it for its eye-popping special effects (like the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park").

Consider this: How many outstanding motion pictures can you recall that did not have a powerful soundtrack? OK, I'll give you "Twelve Angry Men." That's a notable exception. Nearly every great movie has a musical score that gives it life: "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "The Magnificent Seven," "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "The Pink Panther."

Imagine any one of the films mentioned in my last sentence divorced from the music written specifically for it. Can't do it, can you? Jeff Tyzik, conductor of the Rochester, N.Y., Philharmonic Orchestra, says no great film can endure without the foundation of its musical composition. But, he adds, every movie soundtrack can stand on its own without the movie. Think of the stirring theme music to "The Magnificent Seven," as Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen strut their way atop their mounts into another western town. Think of the magnificently-hooded Darth Vader prowling the star base without John Williams' "Star Wars" score. Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly sans music in "High Noon." Unimaginable.

Similarly, when our thoughts wander to the church, sooner or later we begin thinking of hymnody and praise music. My colleague, Pastor Cecil B. Thomas Jr. of Second Missionary Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, says without music, there is no worship service. Period. That's a bit of an overstatement since Quakers manage to worship in silence, but given that exception, his point is taken. It is true, isn't it? What words make clear, music makes alive.

Music stirs the heart. On the Sunday following 9-11, when churches were filled to capacity with worried Americans, so many of us were consoled by the Isaac Watts hymn, "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," based on Psalm 90. At funerals, families in bereavement will so often choose "How Great Thou Art," based on the Swedish tune "O Store Gud," to help them through difficult days. There are hymns that connote God's power: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty," "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" or "Thine is the Glory."

There are hymns that celebrate God's love and mercy: "Fairest Lord Jesus," "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go" and "Amazing Grace." I cannot imagine worship without any of these compositions that continue to make our spirits soar.

The newer music from the hot genre known as contemporary Christian also has this power. It is unfair, it seems to me, to dismiss it merely as "7/11 music" -- that is, seven words repeated 11 times. That's a slap, I'm persuaded, from those who heard a snippet of a contemporary tune, decided it didn't match up against hymnody and wrote it off. Give this newer music a chance: "Dancing Generation," "Beautiful Scandalous Night," "Here I Am to Worship."

Not much 7/11 in those compositions. If you get a chance, listen to these songs and see what you think.

Whatever music is preferable to you for worship, remember that God is pleased by it. The words of the psalmist are clear: Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with the psalter and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organs Praise him upon the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 150:3-6)

Jeff Long is pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau.