So this week is a little tongue-in-cheek so try not to get too offended!  Many churches are returning to in-person worship and trying to figure out how to include music when the CDC frowns upon singing because it exacerbates the spread of germs.  I think a difficult and unexpected blessing of the pandemic is that churches are forced to think outside of the box in order to worship together.  The lessons we’ve learned from a year online are opening doors for a different approach to in-person worship as churches meet together outdoors for drive-in church, or as the doors open for meeting once again in the sanctuary.

At the front of every United Methodist hymnal is John Wesley’s Directions for Singing. a somewhat amusing look into the history of the Methodist movement.  I did a popular comic on this topic a few years back (you can find it here) where I talk in much more detail about the point behind the directions, the idea that John really wanted people to have a meaningful connection to God during the music portion of worship.  Music has long held a central place in the worship life of the church.  St. Augustine is attributed with the popular phrase, “He who sings prays twice” (it’s disputed who actually said it).  The idea is that music is a language of prayer that elevates our senses and experience, using the entirety of our bodies as we pray.  When I lead worship music with students, I remind them that even if they’re not comfortable singing, what we’re doing is praying together, and I encourage them to pray the lyrics along with us as we sing.

So what does the church do when we’re not supposed to sing together as a congregation?  Surely some churches just say, “Screw it” and go back to singing as usual.  But those who are worried about doing harm are faced with a real conundrum.  Certainly we can keep instrumental music and probably use a soloist to provide sung music.  But how does the congregation participate?  I thought it would be funny to come up with a sort of opposite of John Wesley’s Directions for Singing, providing a super lame experience for everyone involved, and hopefully I didn’t step on too many toes if your church is doing any of these things.

I’m interested in how we might revitalize our congregational prayer experience during Covid Church times.  If worship music is “praying twice,” what other ways can we engage the congregation in meaningful prayer experiences that rejuvenate our faith?  I’d love to hear what your church is doing to think creatively during this time. What of your online experience is translating well to in-person worship?  What hasn’t worked?  How are you taking this opportunity to do a new thing in worship?