Creating and presenting your own Selah service needn’t be a complicated process and affair. Keeping your offering of music and readings simple with an emphasis on silent prayer should be your priority. In this article, I’d like to write about some of the ‘nuts and bolts’ in setting up and leading a Selah service.
To project or to print
Once a program sequence is determined, I suggest that you create a program sheet similar to what we’ve included in this book. There are three ways in which you can approach creating this:
1) Create a sheet that contains all of the lyrics and responsive readings that will be included in multiple services. It’s fairly easy for a congregation to find the reference once the song or reading has begun. Choosing songs and readings that are often done in your Selah service allows you to reuse the same sheet.
2) This is the option that I use the most. Put together the music, readings and other prompts such as when silent prayer will be into a two column, double-sided 8.5 x 11” sheet. We’ve used this format in the samples of Selah services included with this book. This allows people to easily follow along and gives them something to take with them after the service.
3) If you have someone in your congregation who is particularly adept at graphics and printing techniques, a Selah program booklet can be created that also includes appropriate artwork. Kathy Hastings used to do this in our original Selah services. People loved having them, but it was a significant amount of work and was costly.
Many churches have elaborate projection systems in their sanctuaries. This obviously allows a Selah service’s contents to be projected in lieu of a printed program. Yet, I’ve found the printed piece to be the more effective course. It will often make more sense to present your Selah in a smaller venue where seating can be set up in a circular configuration (more on this later). Also, having to focus one’s attention on a screen all of the time takes away from other important aspects of Selah worship. I’ve been in several “projected Selahs” where people came up to me afterwards saying that they were afraid to keep their eyes closed and heads bowed because they were afraid of missing something on the screen.
Yet, a projected system does afford the chance to help create an ambience in a Selah service. One church that I have led several Selahs at has two screens that they use to project appropriate images and art that relate to the theme of the particular service. Sometimes, even just one strong image shown during the entire service can add much to a room’s ambience.
Setup & ambience
And, having said that, let’s talk about the ‘room’s ambience’ some more. I mentioned earlier about circular seating. Since Selah’s emphasis is on prayer and contemplation, one’s focus should not be on the people leading music and readings, if at all possible. I recommend a circular seating set up where the musicians and readers are all part of the circle and therefore participants rather than performers. I suggest that the people leading the service think of themselves as worship “prompters” rather than “leaders.” Yes, people do need to know what’s going on, but in this kind of service, a simple prompt is all that necessary. If their attention is constantly on the leader, then material selected is probably not appropriate for a Selah service.
A circle-like seating arrangement also contributes to the idea that we are offering our prayer and worship as a community of believers.
It’s appropriate to create a “focal point” in the inside space created by the circle where a simple alter containing a cross or other appropriate symbol is displayed. Those groups who include religious icons in their form of worship might this to be an opportunity to display a single image of Christ, the Pantocrator (Lord of Creation). Yet, in most cases a simple candle will do.
A side note about chairs, make sure they don’t squeak too much! Also, circular rows can be employed for larger groups. Just make sure that there are not so many chairs set up that no one decides to sit in the first row!
This brings up another logistical suggestion. It’s often appropriate to have a couple of people serve as ushers to hand out programs and encourage people to sit on the inside rows. These ushers can really set an important tone of respecting the silence as people gather for the service. But there is an art in effectively doing this. I remember one Pastor friend of mine asked me to help him establish a Selah service at his church during Lent. He and his wife had done a wonderful job of setting up the space. He felt that he should welcome folks as they came in since this was to be the first time they had ever done anything like this. At that point, his pastor persona took over and there was so much banter at the entry point that the beautiful ambience that he had originally established with the room was undermined by the talking at the doorway.
Paying attention
We are so used to coming into church unprepared for meeting and listening to God. The goal of Selah is to afford people an opportunity to be still with one another before God. Whatever you can do to protect that stillness will be critical to nurturing people’s readiness for prayer and quiet. And, did we mention cell phones? Either in the program or on a sign, ask people to turn these off.
While a Selah service should be a simple affair, the attitude and preparation that the leader (prompter!) brings to it is critical. Let’s talk now about some of the issues involved with musicians and readers.
Music & reading
When I lead the music for Selah, I try to go with the congregation’s strengths. I look for other musicians to include that are not only motivated and competent, but who are willing and able to adapt to the necessary ebb and flow of a Selah service. Many of the choruses we use in Selah are designed to be sung multiple times. What happens in this process is that the simple words of the song begin to penetrate our minds and interact with our silent prayer. Take for example, the phrase spoken by the thief on the cross to Christ, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” As we sing this phrase over and over, these words can have profound meaning to us in our own confession and inner cry for God’s mercy. As a musician playing the accompaniment for this, I must make sure that I don’t get in the way of this process. I have a good friend who is a world-renowned jazz musician. We have often discussed how, for a jazz musician improvising, it is more about what one chooses not to play that is important. He also tells me that the older he gets, the less notes he plays in his solos since it’s more about bringing his life experience (he is a Christian) to the notes that he does play.
I often describe the process of playing a song to other musicians that I’m working with as discovering the shape of the song together. In Selah, the shape is often one of an elongated bump as we begin with simple accompaniment with more development in the middle and then coming back to simple accompaniment or a capella singing at the end. In Selah, musicians must learn to serve the song rather than let the song serve them as it might in a more performance-oriented setting. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we can’t bring a high level of musicianship to playing this music. But, like my jazz musician friend, we must express our skill in a more subtle and deeper form.
Readers, too, must bring this kind of approach to reading the scriptures and prayers. Since readings are usually done from wherever the person is seated, it’s important to read clearly, loudly and slowly.
At this point, let me back up a bit on this subject and state clearly that, while we always want to strive for quality in our music and readings, we do perform these tasks to the best of our ability. When I’m leading a Selah service for several thousand people at a Youth Specialties convention, I’m grateful to be doing so with other world-class musicians. But Selah is not dependent on this. For most congregations or small groups, a simple set up of a keyboard, piano or guitar with a few people within the congregation who have been asked to read will be just the thing. Most of time, none of these people are professional musicians or actors. So be it. Yet, the same principles relate to these as they do to professionals – serve the song or reading by playing or speaking in a way that communicates and enhances the words and spirit of the moment.
One more word about choosing readers. When I’m with a group that I’ve never been with before and I haven’t had a chance to meet many of it’s members, I will often stand at the entrance to the Selah room and just ask quietly if a person would like to read one of the prayers or passages of scripture. A person usually has just enough time to read through the passage for themselves once or twice before the service begins and, because they haven’t practiced it to death, will often read with a very natural and spontaneous affect.
With music, it’s different. Be prepared. Don’t be practicing the songs right before the service begins. The more you know the song, the better chance you have of entering into the contemplative nature of Selah as a participant.
Leading by participating
This brings up an observation that I’ve had in my experiences of performing at various churches. I often observe that the “worship group” leading worship in the service is completely disconnected from the congregation itself. They come on stage and “lead worship” and then go back to the green room and wait for the next section or service for their cue often never sitting through an entire service.
One of the reasons that I suggest we musicians be part of the circular seating in a Selah service is that it keeps us participants rather than performers. Yes, we’re indeed performing, but in that respect, everyone is to be “performing” when it comes to worshiping God. The difference is subtle, but there’s a fine line that seems to be quite easy to cross when it comes to leading worship in a church.
Now that I’ve made you completely paranoid about leading, let’s talk about leading. It’s really a fine art, isn’t it? We’ve all been part of services that for one reason or the other, we found ourselves distracted by the person leading.
I’ve already suggested that the Selah leader think of themselves as a prompter. Over time, what you will find is that people will need less and less of this, if you’ve done your job well. We’ve stressed in this book that any speaking during the service should be limited to the readings. Yet, it is not unreasonable to ask people to join you in the singing so that they know to do so. In time, you’ll find that they join you as soon as they think they recognize the song or chorus.
With the nature of utilizing repeating choruses in Selah, the leader has the challenge of discerning when to end. Again, if you think of the shape of the song as an elongated hill, most groups will understand that things are coming to an end by the way the accompaniment is winding down. Yet, if you’re part of a group that loves to sing, don’t be afraid to let a few more verses go by without the instruments. The effect can be quite moving.
Everybody, now!
I was once asked to say the blessing over a dinner we were sharing with about a dozen other folks. I decided to sing the doxology (Praise God from whom all blessings flow…). Little did I know before I began that I many of these folks came from a church background that only sang songs a cappela. These people not only sang the doxology with heart, but also sang it with parts! This little story brings up something that can really enhance a Selah service. If your church has any kind of choral group and, even better, you or someone else is the choral director, working with singers to sing parts and descants with the choruses can really add to the music. Many of the Taizé songs have corresponding descants with the simple, repeating choruses. In the church where we initially developed the Selah service, there was a small group that participated in each rehearsal and learned many of these parts. Of course, singers have to be as flexible as the instrumentalists and they must take the same attitude as being participants as well as performers if you’re going to maintain the communal nature of Selah. But because Selah is so communal, the more people who participate in the various elements of the service, the better.
In fact, there are so many ways for people to participate in the creation of a service like this at your church. One church that I work with here in the Seattle area has a Selah once a month on a Friday evening. Traffic in the Seattle area on Friday is horrendous and for those who work, driving home, eating dinner and then getting over to the church by 7 PM is simply not possible. So, this group provides a simple soup and salad meal prior to the service that is supported by donation. This allows people to drive directly from work and then eat, visit and then prepare to sing and pray together. Of course, this involves a number of willing people to take care of the food and cleanup. Yet, for many of these folks, it’s my observation that they see it as their way to help allow the Selah service to thrive.
Every church and group is different, though, and the rule of thumb with a Selah service is to keep things as simple as possible. As the person or group responsible for presenting the Selah at your church, come prepared, be creative, include as many folks as you can, but never let the service become such a burden to present that you no longer can enter in as a true participant.
