In my previous letter, I mentioned that the goal of Incarnation’s music is to preach the gospel “as it is expressed within the context of our congregation.” While the gospel itself does not change, the way that we preach the gospel can vary. Our social, geographic, and temporal contexts uniquely shape our identity as a local church. We proclaim the gospel through the unique characteristics that define us as that particular expression of Christ's body which we call Incarnation Anglican Church. I believe this to be especially true in regards to the culture surrounding our music.
Our former Music Director, Beth DeRiggi, previously alluded to the creation of this culture while recounting the formation of our music program. (It’s part of a series which retells the “History of Incarnation” from 2017-2022. If you haven’t read it, you should!)
"What our musical worship program had from the beginning was an embarrassment of riches. God sent so many musicians to worship together at Incarnation—flute and ukulele players, pianists, guitarists, bassists, djembe players, French horns and flugelhorns, vocalists, and no less than three cellists! There was an intention from the start to value high participation over perfectionism. God really blessed that endeavor by bringing vocalists and instrumentalists out of the woodwork who would otherwise not have felt “talented” enough to stand up and lead a congregation (including me!). But they blessed and were blessed in return by making musical worship seem accessible to all worshipers. We sang in the languages that represented our church and local community as well as those that reminded us of our partners throughout the global church. Some bold vocalists even put together a beautiful choir for special services, and the kids’ music from atrium was incorporated into the main service as a link between our youngest members and us grown-up worshipers."
What strikes me about this quote from Beth is how much this culture has remained the same throughout the years. Despite so many transitions within our community, the seeds planted by these early musicians have sprouted something beautiful which remains to this day.
A few months ago, I reached out to a few of our lead musicians to discuss the culture surrounding our church’s music. We eventually determined that the three best words to describe the music at IAC are contemplative, collaborative, and eclectic.
Contemplative - We are thoughtful about the songs we sing and value the ways that beauty draws us closer to Jesus.
Collaborative - We encourage participation regardless of skill level and celebrate artistic and cultural diversity in our music.
Eclectic - We like to try new things and aren’t afraid of being experimental in musical arrangements, instrumentation, and song choices.
These words are not meant to be exhaustive nor are they meant to describe a particular “sound” or “musical style.” Rather, they are descriptions of how our particular context has shaped the way our music proclaims the gospel. While many things have changed, these three characteristics continue to define the culture surrounding our music team. It is the unique way that our musicians “preach” the gospel through the songs they lead us in singing.
I believe that God has gifted us in unique ways and calls us to use those gifts for his glory. As the Worship Pastor, I want to make sure that that we musically preach the gospel in the ways that are unique to us. I am not trying to copy what other churches or Christian bands are doing. My goal is to draw our attention to the “embarrassment of riches” within our community and to encourage our community to use those riches in proclaiming the gospel.
I am so grateful for this music culture which is part of our legacy. It is the result of the long, loving labor given by our earliest volunteer musicians (especially Beth DeRiggi, Jamie Floyd, Eva-Elizabeth Chisholm, and Cory Warden). It is precious, beautiful, and spiritually healthy. By God’s grace, I pray that it will continue to flourish.
So if you would like to join the music team or have any ideas to help our church’s worship, please reach out to me at russell@incarnationanglican.org! I’d love to have a conversation with you about how you can join this contemplative, collaborative, and eclectic culture which surrounds our worship. You can start by joining the All Y'all Choir which will be reconvening for a Lessons and Carols service this Advent on December 22. Just reach out to me or Grant Sung.
Come join the team! I promise it’ll be fun!
Your fellow worshipper,
Russell Vick
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