Reclaiming Stillness

TREE OF MEMORY
©Kathy Hastings  Used with permission.

Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Selah…

Any reader of the Psalter will note a mysterious word that seems to randomly pop up between its verses from time to time. The word Selah is indeed a mystery to Biblical scholars as well. Most agree that it was likely a musical term that signified a rest or pause within the text.

A number of years ago two friends and myself were discussing the idea of creating a worship service at our local Baptist affiliated church that would emulate the contemplative models of worship such as Taizé. Having been to Taizé in the Bourgogne region of France as well as participating in several stateside Taizé service transplants, we each longed for a similar kind of expression of worship. An expression, being Protestant and artists by vocation, which incorporated a love for the proclamation of God’s word and our creative sensibilities with prayer spoken and unspoken. Thus, the Selah Service was born replete with the choruses of Taizé as well as my own original music combined with Biblical readings often focusing on the Psalms as well as such Christian traditions as the Celtic church. The service was enhanced with candlelight and various artistic symbols and renderings that were either displayed or projected on the walls and ceiling of the geodesic dome in which the church gathered.

Over the years, this monthly “experiment” turned into a more serious vocation for me leading Selah services and working with churches to help them develop their own expression of contemplative worship. One of the more memorable ones was a modified Selah for 8,000 people which took place in a large entertainment center for a national youth conference. One might think that the positive response we received was due to the beautiful Celtic music and choruses that were performed or the inspiring projections of sacred images that accompanied the service. Yet for many, it was the four minutes of silent prayer in the middle of the service that was to be the most profound part of the experience. That’s right, four minutes of uninterrupted, absolute silence with the only sound being the air moving through the center’s air ducts. Many people I spoke with afterwards had never attended a worship service that gave such a priority to silent prayer, let alone being quiet with 8,000 other believers in Christ.

Our regular Selah service, like the Taizé model, normally includes ten minutes of silent prayer. It is just one of many examples of how Christian churches and groups are reclaiming the stillness in their expression of faith. To borrow a new phrase, “Quiet is the new loud.” Embracing more contemplation in our worship offers some positive contributions for churches struggling with just what worship is to be.

Indeed, the very word worship is used so often to describe so many different things in the Christian subculture that I believe it has completely lost it’s salt. Perhaps the clarity of thought and content such as Psalm 46 will help get us back to a clearer understanding of what it is to worship.

Psalm 46:4-7
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah…

Notice here that first and foremost, there is a “remembering” of who God is – the Creator and giver of all life. For all of the writers of the Psalms, worship is about remembering. It is remembering who God is and, equally important, who we are as His created beings. David, in Psalm 103, succinctly portrays this notion when he writes:

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more. (vs. 15-16)

He then follows this sobering statement with these contrasting words of hope rooted in God’s eternal nature:

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all. (vs. 17-19):

It is this remembering that gives us the hope that God can be trusted to watch over every detail of our existence. Our only logical response to this wonderful reality is to bow before Him in worship and gratitude. This way of blessing God might be expressed by raising “a loud shout to the rock of our salvation” (Ps. 95:1) or it may equally and most profoundly be expressed in just being still before Him…

Psalm 46:8-11
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah…

At what point in the ongoing discussion about prayer and worship did we decide that contemplation and meditation were bad words? It arises from a legitimate concern over the New Age movement defining these terms as techniques that take oneself outside the realm of the mind into a what is presupposed as a more potent and yet completely subjective understanding of truth.

In the Psalms we find an alternative model of seeking the truth through a different kind of contemplation and meditation than that offered by New Age philosophy. Its practice begins in our God-given minds as we humbly come before Him remembering His past works and faithfulness in our lives. From the reassurance derived from this process of believing and God’s choosing to be merciful, we experience what it means to have faith and hope.

As I think of this, I am reminded again of the weary and faith-drained Elijah when he found himself at his wits end hiding from Jezebel on Mount Horeb (I Kings 19). Significantly, it was not in the strong wind or earthquake or fire that God revealed Himself, but rather it was in the thin silence that the prophet finally heard God’s reassuring voice.

In conclusion, what better context could there be in which to pray and wait upon the Lord than in the community of other believers in prayer and stillness? And we might also consider, as we open our church doors to those outside the faith, what an impact this oasis of quiet might have, by God’s willing spirit, on hearts and minds battered and overwhelmed by the din of our modern culture which forever seeks to quell that still small voice.

-This article originally appeared in Youthworker Magazine.

 

The Selah Journey – Interview with Jeff Johnson

A common thread in many of Jeff Johnson’s numerous projects is “the journey.” I have often found myself mesmerized by the rich tapestries of keyboards, flute and violin woven together with the elegance of Celtic filigree, sometimes blended with moving vocals characterizing the thoughts of the sojourner. Many times I’ve been carried to a place of prayer and the presence of God through the music of Jeff Johnson, together with fellow musicians Brian Dunning, John Fitzpatrick and others. The journey has always been a good one, with many expressions, much like life itself.

In his own life-journeys, Jeff has been moving musically in more of a contemplative stream of expression in worship which often seems to transcend age barriers and religious walls. Certainly amid the hectic pace of living in this century, our hearts cry out for a quiet place to rest in God. The writers of the Psalms knew this even thousands of years ago as they included in their text; “selah” – pause and calmly think of that.

Aimee Herd: For at least the last 10 years you have collaborated with Brian Dunning and other respected musicians in producing well-loved music with a contemporary Celtic flavor, many times following themes of historical characters. Most recently you have delved into more of a journey of “original devotion” with “Benediction” and “Vespers,” even taking part in Selah and Taizé services. What is it that began to draw you in this direction? What are some of the things you appreciate most about a Selah type of service?

Jeff Johnson: My music has always been born from a kind of “contemplative” perspective and process. My creative work has always attempted to integrate the subjects and ideas that I’ve been contemplating at the time with my Christian faith and worldview. Whether those projects were distributed by Sparrow or Windham Hill, the work has always originated from a passion to be true as an artist and a Christian. “Benediction” and “Vespers” came out of my involvement with a contemplative worship service that I helped begin about six years ago with friends, Kathy & David Hastings. We had a desire to integrate music, prayer and silence with our various artistic disciplines having been inspired by the model of the Taizé worship service. We called this service “Selah” after the Psalms reference to pause or rest.

The Selah service puts a great trust in the power of silence and communal prayer and singing. A typical service will include singing choruses and hymns, instrumental passages often combined with readings from the Psalms or Christian Celtic traditions (ie: St. Patrick, etc.) along with an extended period of silent prayer. I personally prefer this kind of worship since it tends to be less centered on those who are leading and requires a very tangible response from within our minds and hearts. My observation is that much of our contemporary forms of worship today, while very celebratory and inspirational, treats the congregation more as observers rather than participants. The Selah service is just one of many expressions of worship that is emerging particularly in the Protestant church that represents a return to the church’s rich heritage of liturgy and community based prayer and singing.

AH: You’ve become very involved with the youth, leading worship and Selah for “Youth Specialties” events…with a movement among young people towards a more contemplative worship at times, does this surprise you?

JJ: Well, I’m not really sure if we can say whether there is a great move towards contemplative type worship among the youth yet. I’ve had people who study this tell me that it’s not a strong movement amongst youth in the North American church. My observation is that there is indeed a tremendous groundswell of this form of worship going on in the church but it’s not an age-driven thing. That is its strength really. At a moment when you have many churches struggling with what style of worship service to be offering their congregations, this format seems to cut across the age boundaries and offer something for everyone. There’s no question that many young people are expressing themselves together using contemplative based forms, but I think that’s more representative of a desire to return to some of the basic roots of the Christian church as they were established for hundreds of years.

Having grown up in a Baptist tradition that actually incorporated a fair bit of liturgical form in their worship, I had no appreciation for any of this when I was younger. Ironically, that same Baptist church’s service looks nothing like it did when I was a kid. It’s all very contemporary and casual now reflecting the “seeker friendly” model that many churches have adapted. And, much good has come from this approach. Yet, we lost something very important in the switch and we’re now discovering that we may just want some of that back!

Further more, Protestants have such a great tradition in Biblical study. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox congregations in North America are only recently catching up to us on this. Yet, what the Catholics and Orthodox have in spades is this rich heritage of liturgy and symbol – expressions, when married with a deep Biblical understanding, lead to a rich form of worship together. Particularly when it’s in the context of real community and congregational participation. One thing is certain amongst the youth movement and that is a desire for a greater experience of community. Contemplative worship thrives within that context.

AH: Recently some of the Selah services you’ve led for Youth Specialties events have been followed by the worship leading of the David Crowder Band . . . what kind of a mix has that been?

JJ: It was a real treat for me to get to know David and his band these past couple of years performing at the YS National Youthworkers conventions. They’re wonderful folks and I love their music. Both the modern worship and the contemplative worship have a great energy and spirit at their core. The two compliment and contrast with one another. This is the way music in the Church should be. As a believer, I would never want to only experience a singular diet of contemplative based worship. Fellowship thrives on the variety of the Body of Christ. And, I believe at the core of our experience of Christian faith there needs to be a deepening theology that reflects an understanding of what it is we believe. Any kind of worship without that will soon drift off into an emphasis on experience and practice that may have nothing to do with the Gospel. This is the great challenge for anyone who sets out to lead worship. We need to always be asking ourselves just who we are leading people to worship?

AH: Describe a night of Selah worship, or a Vespers concert . . . what could someone who attends expect?

JJ: The space and the way things have been set up can greatly inspire and put people in a frame of mind that is conducive to silence and prayer. Candlelit always helps and I prefer a chair set up that is somewhat circular when possible. I like to lead from within the congregational circle and the readers sit wherever they sit and read from those places. A simple cross or some other appropriate Christian symbol is often set in the center as the focal point. I don’t like projected lyrics but rather will hand out a sheet which contains all of the lyrics of the songs that we’ll be singing.

The music sets the tone of course, as does the pauses between the songs and the readings. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we’ll sing choruses from the Taizé tradition as well as the Iona community and of course a hymn or two. I may play an instrumental passage that then leads into a reading, then more choruses. Everything leads up to the time of silent prayer which normally lasts for about 10 minutes. Then, another instrumental passage and some ending choruses, a benediction and it’s over. It’s so simple, really. And, I’ve taken the same approach with small groups of folks in a large living room and 8,000 people in the Gaylord Entertainment Center in downtown Nashville! And in both circumstances, it’s that silent prayer together that is the most profound.

AH: Let’s face it, often people are frightened by what they don’t understand. Some have voiced a bit of fear over the meditative and contemplative type of prayer and worship which sometimes accompany a Selah worship service. Can you speak to those questions that some may have?

JJ: I completely understand some people’s hesitation about this issue. As a musician that has had much of his music labeled “new age” throughout the years, I’m quite aware of the importance of defining terms! Yet, the bottom line is that there is a rich heritage of contemplation, meditation and the practice of silence in church history originating in the Psalms and the early forms of monasticism. And I would argue that one needn’t become a monk or a nun to benefit from the practices of prayer and quiet with one another before our Lord. Prayer is about remembering who God is and who we are. It’s about listening to our hearts and to the voice of God as He speaks to us through His word. What better way to do that than with one another in song and silence?

Of course, if you’re going to say that unless you practice worship this way you won’t experience true spirituality, then you’ve taken a perspective that is as dangerous as that taken by the Pharisees of Christ’s day. The fact that we can even claim to be spiritual at all is completely dependent on God’s grace in our lives. True worship takes place in the heart and has nothing to do with the practice of worship. Yet, when we come together in prayer and song inspired by the reality of God working in our hearts, that can be exciting and wonderful indeed.

This interview is derived from an article that originally appeared in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Worship Musician magazine. We appreciate WM letting us reproduce it.

 

Some Selah service nuts & bolts

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.