Welcome to the ramblings of a guest blogger, or ballad-eer. Ever listen to a ballad, a song that tells a story? As a fourth generation Church of Christ family member, I have verses one, two and four of most church songs memorized. Even before I could read music or understand what soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts were, I could sing these verses from memory because ‘that’s the way we always did it.’
I was shocked when a guest song leader added a verse in “To Canaan’s Land I’m on My Way,” only to find out the verse was actually written in the song book. While singing the many verses of “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” I realized most hymns tell a story, and singing all the verses was important to understanding that story. I was disappointed as a twenty-something song leader when I learned the number of verses sung was usually determined by the amount of time left in the worship service. Adding or dropping verses in the songs was the best way to ensure the worship service ended at the right time. Timing is everything, and verse selection had little to do with telling or singing the story.
As I read Judges, Chapter 5, I realized Deborah and Barak were singing praises to God after a victory for Israel. This song tells the story of how the Lord delivered Israel during Deborah’s time as a judge. All of the verses are important, giving credit for the victory to the Lord. So, don’t be surprised the next time I lead singing if the service is a little long as we sing all of the verses.
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