Content vs. Engagement

Author: Matt Redman

“Content” and “Engagement”. These are two phrases that often come to mind when I’m thinking about congregational worship songs.Some songs very much take the “content” route – perhaps like many of the old hymns, which are packed full of biblical phrases and “meaty” theology. Other songs you come across seem to take a different approach – they are simple, uncomplicated love songs, with a big emphasis being placed on engaging with God.Personally I think there’s definitely a place for both types of songs, and yet, as with so many things, there’s a danger when either of the two approaches are taken to extremes. On one end of the spectrum you can write a song which is so wordy, crammed full of intricate theology and deep truth, that singing it unfortunately becomes simply an intellectual exercise rather than an outpouring of the heart. At the other extreme, it is also possible to write a worship song that’s so raw and “touchy-feely” in it’s approach, but captures no real sense of who God really is, and therefore seems a little shallow.Over the last few years my aim when songwriting has been to somehow find a good balance between these “content” and “engagement” factors.I once heard someone comment on the well known passage (John 4) that our worship needs to be conducted “in spirit and in truth”. They relected that our worship songs need to have a sense of being a “spiritual” event, and yet also need to be clothed richly in the truths of who God is and what He has done. I thoroughly agree with this, and personally I think that some of the most valuable worship songs illuminate lyrically the beautiful truth of God, and yet also give us space to reflect, respond and engage with him.I came across a scripture recently that I thought really suited this ideal. Over the last few months I’ve had my heart set on writing some shorter, simpler songs, and for me this portion of the bible said it all. Strangely enough it was from Ecclessiastes (chapter 5) – a book of the bible I never thought I’d end up writing a song from! The phrase that hit me was “God is in heaven, and you are on the earth, so let your words be few.” The section ends by urging, “Therefore, stand in awe of God.” There, in just over 20 words, was a fantastic piece of truth. Of course there’s a time to excitedly express everything that’s on our hearts to God. But there’s also a time to let our words be few, and simply stand in awe of Him with the simplest of love songs.As you read this perhaps you are thinking you have a tendency to take one of these “content” or “engagement” approaches to it’s extreme. I guess none of us will ever find the perfect balance! I would offer two little opinions on how we can pursue a healthy balance though:

1) “Make sure the song starts off as worship.”Seems obvious to say, but if a song is written to end up in worship (ie a congregation), then it needs to start in worship. (ie you pouring out your heart to God). Maybe it’s a theme that the Holy Spirit has been highlighting in your church , and has begun to burn in your heart. Find space to respond to God around that theme and worship Him –and sometimes, as you worship, a new song, or at least a part of it will be birthed. A song which starts off as little more than a cerebral exercise will probably end up being no more than that in the congregation. But a song which begins it’s life as a passionate time of engaging with God will hopefully bring that same dynamic to a congregation when it’s sung.

2) “Next comes the perspiration!”There are some songs (especially simpler ones) which you sing out spontaneously and they feel complete. However, most songs, once the initial inspiration has been poured out, need to be crafted and worked on before they are suitable for congregational use. Spend time being ruthless with both the tune and the lyrics. Is it singable, even by a “non-musician”? In terms of the lyrics there’s always a lot more options available to us than we at first may realise. Take the theme of the song and begin studying it. There’s many ways to do this. One easy one is to find a concordance and simply look up the song’s key words to see if there’s any other scriptures that may be suitable for your lyrics. There’s a great tool on the Links page of this web-site – “On line bible study tools.” Here you’ll find commentaries, concordances and all sorts all at the touch of a button! Maybe also refer to some old hymns and see if they inspire you with fresh ideas as you pursue the theme of your song. A great website, which is also a link from this one, is www.cyberhymnal.com. Here you’ll find thousands of hymns on every theme imagineable. Even if you don’t end up using everything you discover in your finished song, you’ll have had a great bible study!Let us aim to write songs that reveal something of the wonderful mysteries of God, and at the same give the worshipper space to respond Him simply and wholeheartedly.