6.ZAMAR – zaw-mar – To sing with instruments. To make music accompanied by the voice. One of the musical verbs for praise in the book of psalms. It carries the idea of making music in praise to God as in Psalm 92:1. The word ZAMAR also means to touch the strings, and refers to praise that involves instrumental worship as in Psalm 150. The one word is usually translated “sing praises”.
I’ve been having several discussions lately about participation in worship, and how we are seeking to use more and more instruments and technology in worship. The thought occurs that we tend to place technolgy on a back-burner, or area of less-importance when figuring in leading worship . . . and what a mistake that is.
I’ve found that some of the best community within the worship ministry occurs within the tech volunteers. With a background in technology, and having served at the largest PCA church in the southeast, I can say that serving in technology brings volunteers together in a unique way. They are the ones that arrive first, leave last, and have the “look and feel” of the service fall on their shoulders. It creates a cool environment to serve in. It builds friendships, and forces personalities to bond together for a common cause – serving Christ through making things look and sound their best. It makes my appreciation for my tech volunteers go through the roof. I love every one of them, and appreciate them more than I’m sure I let on!
It also burdens me to get more people involved. At OMPC, we’re placing a high value on the technical support of the worship service, hiring a fantastic Tech Dir, and setting him up to offer training and service to those who want to participate. I’d love to see a large community of people, who aren’t necessarily called to sing or play, take on a key role in leading worship through tech. No experience necessary!
Are you one of those?
