Whenever there are instruments involved in anything, there are decisions about volume. That is certainly true when it comes to corporate worship in the church. On this subject, Mike Cosper has written a helpful article over at the TGC Blog, “How to Make an Appropriately Loud, Joyful Noise.”

Cosper shares a number of helpful insights and even specific suggestions for church musicians and audio techs, but here are some of the more helpful parts for the rest of us:

It was nearly time to begin the service. The congregation was gathering in the building, some clustering in the aisles and halls, others dutifully making their way to the space inside the large auditorium. At five minutes ’til, the musicians took their places, running through an instrumental version of one of the tunes we’d all be singing later in the meeting, and I winced in pain. A sinking feeling ran from head to toe: this was going to be a LOUD service.

As a musician who spends a lot of time recording, I’m nervous around loud sounds. I cover my ears when sirens pass. I rarely sit in the front rows of concerts. I don’t like playing with loud drummers. So as the volume swelled, I reached for my trusty iPhone, opening up the Sound-Pressure-Level meter app. The peaks were around 110 or 112 decibels, which is loud—near the damage threshold, in fact. I put the phone away, determined to do my best in participating without wincing, praying that they would turn it down.

The irony of this story is that the music was as traditional as it gets. The only instrument playing as I took SPL readings was a pipe organ.

…Many assume only contemporary music is loud. This is simply untrue. While a rock ensemble is capable of painfully loud volumes (and it’s often easy to get to these levels), so is traditional or classical instrumentation.

…Music that’s described as “too loud” is often more of an issue with harshness than volume. Imagine the sound of your worship band as though they’re running through your car stereo. Turn the bass down. Turn the treble all the way up. Now listen at a normal volume level for four or five minutes. It’s will make you feel like your ears are going to bleed. In reality, it’s probably not dangerously loud. It’s just dangerously bad. Music regarded as loud, especially in the church where musicians and techs work desperately to tame volume levels, is often simply harsh, imbalanced sound.

The goal of music in the gathering isn’t great sound or even great music. It’s a church gathered and united in song.

Good pastoral decisions related to sound will include wise decisions about songs and dynamics, ensuring that services create space for the congregation to hear themselves, to hear one another, and to join their voices in song.

Mike Cosper writes regularly on the gospel and arts at The Gospel Coalition Blog. Click here for more of his articles.

Easter weekend meant two services and two sermons at DSC, both of them worth hearing again or passing along to a friend.

Here are links to audio, along with the sermon texts:

Good Friday: “Three Criminals”

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
–Luke 23:39–43

Easter Sunday: “Raised with Christ”

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
–Ephesians 2:1–10

For sermons from previous Easter weekends, click here.

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.”
–Matthew 28:6

Those were the words of an angel to Mary Magdalene and Mary, Jesus’ mother, on the morning of his resurrection. This angel’s “appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:3-4). But this bright and fearsome angel brought news that would take the fear out of death itself. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. That is to say, everything that Jesus said about himself was true, and every promise that he claimed to fulfill he really did fulfill. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and anyone who believes in him will never die (John 11:25).

Please join us this weekend in the worship of Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised victorious over death.

We will host a Good Friday service this Friday, April 6, at 6:30 PM. Childcare is available for children 4 years old and younger. Then, our Easter Sunday services will take place on April 8, at 7:30, 9:00, and 10:45 AM, with childcare available for the two later services.

If your situation allows, consider joining us for the 7:30 AM service this Sunday. As a church, we are praying to be joined by numerous friends, neighbors, and family members on Sunday. Arranging to join us at 7:30 AM will help ensure that visitors to our later services feel welcome and have a place to sit, even if they show up a bit late.

We know that the preacher and service leaders have a job to do on Sunday morning. That’s obvious enough.

But what about the congregation?

Colossians 3:16 tells us, for example, that we are all involved in singing: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” That we are all involved in singing shouldn’t come as much surprise. But this principle of participation applies to our hearing of the Word as well, as James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

In short, when we come together around the Word, we should come easily edified. We should hear in order to apprehend, absorb, and appropriate the God’s Word. Sermon listening is not a passive activity.

That’s the point made by Jay Thomas in his helpful post, “Easily Edified.” Below is the intruduction to his post, followed by five points he goes on to make. Go here to read the whole post, including an expansion on each of the five points below.

I recently ran across a statement that has stuck with me. It is this: spiritually mature people are easily edified. . . .What does that mean? There are some people who are almost always blessed by sermons. They do not need to be coaxed into a sermon. The introduction, supporting material, and conclusion are not that important to them. The mannerisms, inflections, and voice command of the preacher are not the make it or break it parts of a sermon for them. They listen closely, but to the right stuff, not the side comments or statement a preacher makes that often trip up and cause many listeners to over analyze or get distracted. The irony is these people often have a great deal of Bible knowledge. They should be the pickiest listeners, but they aren’t. Why?

The easily edified person has a built in hunger, curiosity, and receptivity to the Word of God. By the time the preacher takes the pulpit, they are ready, Bible open, heart unfurled, happy to take in the Word of God – even when it rebukes.

1. Don’t expect the preacher to be the totality of your spiritual interaction every week.
2. Pray for God to give you a love for the Bible.
3. Put to death a critical spirit.
4. Focus on the content and faithfulness.
5. Keep short accounts with the preacher if there is a relational issue that is getting in the way.

For a helpful resource on the subject of good sermon listening, check out, Expository Listening: A Practical Handbook for Hearing and Doing God’s Word, available at the Resource Center.