Traditional versus Contemporary

One of the great debates in worship today is traditional versus contemporary. I'm not one for the labels. Isn't worship worship, whether you use music written 400 years ago, or 10 days ago? I attended a lecture a few years ago by Marva Dawn, and she reminded us that those words (contemporary and traditional) have different meanings. For example, she said something to this effect: If you're doing it now, it's contemporary; as soon as you do something, it's traditional.

I'm thinking of the music we are singing tomorrow: two spirituals, and several pieces written in the last twenty years. The piece composed in 2008 is contemporary, because we are doing it now; it's also traditional because we have used it in worship all of this month. In the same way, the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" has been a part of the tradition of the church for the better part of a century; yet, because we sing it tomorrow, it's music for today - contemporary.

The terms we use reflect our preferences. I can't tell you how many times we've sung "contemporary" music, only to have some say, "Why can't we sing songs we know?" I also love the statement regarding "contemporary" music: "it's easy, because you just keep repeating the same words over and over again." Isn't that what we do when we sing a "traditional" hymn that has several verses and a repeated refrain? I assert that the labels we use are not to describe worship, or music in worship, but our preferences for music.

Does any of it really matter? I've heard people say, "I won't go to the contemporary service, because I don't get anything out of it," or "I'm bored in traditional worship!" Guess what? Worship is NOT about you! It's about a living, breathing God who continues to be active in our lives and in the world. We do not come to worship ourselves; we come to worship God. And you know what? God doesn't care if it's traditional or contemporary. God doesn't care how many hymns you sing, creeds you say, dramas you do, or how many guitars and PowerPoints are used. God cares that we worship in spirit and in truth. If we remember that nugget from Scripture, we can meet God's preference, no matter what the style or content is.