We have already noted the importance of recognizing the importance of what kind of occasion this is, and therefore what kind of music should be presented to God. We have also noted the need for expertise. We come now to the question of what kind of people are to perform the music.
And the biblical answer is ordinary people. Because of who God is, and because we are offering our music to Him, it is necessary to offer Him the best we can do. And we should always be striving to grow and mature in our ability to present to Him the best we can do. But here, as in so many other places, there is a snare we must avoid.
Our covenant renewal form of worship is structured in terms of a meeting between God and His people. In some parts of the service, God is speaking through His ordained representatives, and the congregation listens. We have this in the sermon, in the Scripture reading, in the assurance of pardon, and in the benediction. Although mere mortals speak these words, they are doing so at God’s behest and with His authority, which is why the congregation at such points simply hears, listens.
But the overwhelming characteristic of our response to Him is with music. We should present the best to Him, but what we are after is the entire congregation presenting their best.
If we select out the most musically gifted among us, and have them do the singing, the end result will be a liturgical dislocation—designated ministers singing to the people, instead of the people singing to God. In Scripture, the sacrifice of praise is what we offer to Him.
This is why, for example, we usually have the choir singing from the back. This is why we resist the idea of special performances from up front. This is why we want as many of you into the choir as we can get, and why we want as big a choir as we can get singing throughout the congregation throughout the entire service.
Given the nature of the case, the music should be offered to God by us, and we should strive to do well at it. But we should strive to do well at it as ones who have ordinary professions and lives, as ones who cannot perform musically at the level that some trained professionals can do.