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.
