The Right Choice: What Songs Shall We Sing? (Spirit-led)

Most church choirs are winding down for the season, taking the summer off. And many directors use the time to prepare for next fall. How do you choose what the choir will serve up next season?

When I first began directing, it was in a church that followed a liturgical calendar. Scripture verses were laid out months in advance. I’d look up each of three passages listed for a Sunday, and peruse the files for fitting songs. The choir always sang something that echoed a Sunday’s readings.

That didn’t work well at the next, non-liturgical church, where the pastor chose the Scripture and preached on it. He might know what it would be only a week ahead, and at times, he’d feel led to change it at the last minute. Since a choir needs at least a few weeks to prepare (I tried to give them five rehearsals or more with a piece), I had to choose songs as I went and trust that they’d fit. I learned to pray, “Lord, let the ones I choose be the right ones.” More often than not, it would appear as though the song had been hand-picked to fit the Scripture and message. If not, someone from the congregation would usually come to me and tell me what the piece meant to him, and how timely it was in his life.

After my children came, I needed to streamline my time. I’d attend a summer church music conference, take my calendar, and come away with all the choir pieces for the entire year. I knew the Lord would lead me to the right songs, or make the ones I chose be the right ones (however He does that!).

Now I’m in a liturgical setting again with the choir, and I tried to go back to choosing music by the given Scripture readings. As it turns out, the Lord had something else in mind, and we’ve often had to swap what I planned for a Sunday with a different piece. What was the Lord asking of me? No formula I’d used seemed to work.

Ah, there it is. The Spirit of God does not work according to formulas. It’s a brand-new trusting ground. He seems to say, “You, clay. I, Potter. You listen. I lead. You prepare, you be flexible, you trust. I never disappoint.”

How do you find yourself led in choosing music? Do you enlist help from your accompanist or choir members? Let’s get a dialogue going.