Praise choruses make up a big part of worship here, whether in school devotions or Sunday services, and generally there is enough variety in them, and they are sung in a sufficiently vibrant and worshipful manner, that they avoid the 'embarrassment' (lets have a song for the CHILDREN) and 'irritation' (turn around with me, we've only been doing it for an hour) stages and are genuinely conducive to worship.
Yet 'tradition' does become a sticking point.
What do you do when no-one does special claps at all between the "shine on me's" (either the northern[?] clapclap-clapclap, OR the southern[?] clapclapclap-clap)?
What do you do when no-one joins you in "nyene kwenkos"ing in siyahamba.
(or indeed, when it is introduced as 'sighahamba', and, when corrected, excused with a 'I don't speak French'. But that could happen to any individual. It just made me laugh.)
What do you do when "Our God is a Good God" is no longer a song of trying to sing thirty plus goods (occasionally with a whole different song being sung by the other half of your choir, courtesy of MIB.)? And what do you do when you've already launched confidentally into the version you know in conflict with thirty schoolchildren singing the version THEY know, all because you were so excited to find a song you (thought) you knew?
What do you do when "Cast your burdens" has an added (and misleading for the younguns who it may well lead to consider Jesus as merely Superman) verse which goes 'super super, super super super, super super super, supernatural power?
There are also occasional choruses with theologically dubious words; such as one which declares "I wish I had a great big box to put the devil in, I'd take him out and stamp him down and put him back again. I wish I had a GREAT BIG box to put my Saviour in. I'd take him out and MWAH MWAH MWAH and share him with my friends." I am VERY glad to say this is the exception rather than the rule, and actually is generally confined to the classroom and not church! Most of them are very good, and I might post the lyrics of some of my favourites at a later date.
Meanwhile, here is the congregation at Corozal doing actions to 'I looked down the road and I wondered, how far I am from God? So I buckled up my shoes and I started to run, my journey back to God. And now I am happy rejoicing, rejoicing in the Lord.'
I'm confused. As a southerner, I have only sung Shine Jesus Shine in the south (until it was banned for 5 years from our church in London!). In both London & Gloucester we used clapclap-clapclap - I've just checked by tapping the rhythm onto my desk. [My colleague is a little bemused.]
ReplyDeletePerhaps I have got it the wrong way around then. Or maybe it actually goes north-middle-south. I have a weird interest in the regional distribution of Shine Jesus Shine clapping patterns. this may be one of the saddest things I have ever confessed.
ReplyDeleteWe had this at school near Exeter.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately no clapping was allowed.
What's theologically dubious about stamping on the devil! Makes plenty of sense to me :)
At my school the clapping bit was virtually the only bit anyone did! It wasn't cool to sing, yet it was cool to clap...weird.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe this could be a new research project for me. Intriguing!
(And as far as 'sad' goes Caroline, don't get me started on London bus routes or disused tube stations!)
teehee J, it's more the putting Jesus in a box (GOD in a box!) and then taking him out and kissing him that I had most issues with.
ReplyDeleteBut also the concept that the Christian life is as simple as stamping on the Devil, as if characterising the devil as, say, a cockroach, was a helpful or accurate way of teaching children.
I can think of at least two arguments you might come up with on my second point. I anticipate them keenly.
Ok I see now! Imagine if someone confused the boxes, and took out Satan by accident, maybe at an important occasion like an elderly relatives birthday. People might be upset.
ReplyDeleteJ.x
In Ely, Durham and Edinburgh I am a kin with the clapclap-clapclap technique
ReplyDeletein ghana, the whole 600-strong congregation would fold at the waist at the mere mention of 'bowing down' in a hymn.
ReplyDeletealso, caz do you remember the time in st philips in the most un-tropical destination of penn, wolverhampton, when the congregation spontaneously burst into appluase at the mention of the resurrection?