microchurch and worship, part 1

Since its inception, Christian worship has been liturgical, following a pattern that established a tradition.  Much of Christian worship comes from the Jewish synagogue and temple. The reading of Scripture and interpretation or preaching of it for the gathered assembly certainly comes from the synagogue tradition.  Oral telling of the story of Jesus and,subsequently, the reading of authorized sacred texts that formed the New testament dominated the work of the assembly.  The Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, or Holy Eucharist was an innovative twist on the Passover meal celebrated by the Jews annually. Jesus reconstituted the Passover meal, symbolic of the Exodus journey out of Egypt, as a memorial of his death.  After His resurrection, meal time and the breaking of bread came to signify His eternal presence as Lord of heaven and earth for the faithful.  Early Christians believed that Jesus was revealed to them or present with them in both a physical and spiritual sense in the sharing of the common bread and cup.
The church understood divine worship in the context of a holy rite for God's chosen people, for the fellowship of believers.  One had to be baptized in order to fully participate in the Eucharist.  Proper teaching preceded one's entry to the table fellowship.  Over time, access was limited to the priesthood and those under holy orders.  Lay people had limited access to both the Word of God and the Lord's table until the 16th century reformation.
Music has been a cherished part of worship for centuries.  Always taking on the particular local culture's musical inclinations, it became an essential part of the assembly's collective praise of God.  Western culture produced a lot of sacred music; from gregorian chant to classical music, southern gospel to jazz Christian worship music has evolved over the centuries.  Christian music has told the stories of oppression in the Negro Spiritual.  It has told the story of western triumphalism.  It has brought hope to those despairing and healing to those who are in pain.  For as long as there has been Christian music, however, there has been musical innovation in worship.  Worship music has not been stagnant.  It evolves.  And, at its best, it is inclusive.  That is, worship music ought not to be monocultural.  It ought to help worshipers transcend their cultural location to connect with Christians around the world.  Worship music can give us a sense of what it means to be one choir with one voice singing in many languages.
Now, Christian worship music in a lot of the most popular and growing congregations in the U.S. has become very monocultural.  It is primarily pop rock music with biblically-inspired lyrics.  A lot of hymns emerged this way too.  Well known tunes and popular instruments were utilized to tell the biblical story or share the emotions pious believers attached to the work of Christ.  But today's popular Christian worship music is professional and made for the entertainment market as much as it is made for Sunday worship.  It tends to ignore other musical genre in favor of pop rock music.
A renewal movement like taize, however, has swept through the church and seems to transcend cultural borders.
I am a Gen Xer.  I grew up listening to the Beatles, James Taylor, and the Rolling Stones.  I listen to country, classic rock, R & B, classical, jazz, and pop.  I do not discriminate musically, because music is a gift that conveys meaning to people.  Empathy draws me to listen to music I would not personally choose, because I know what it means to someone else.  This is the future of music in worship.  Eclecticism.  Not because nothing matters, but because everything does!
Microchurches will be musically innovative gatherings; where worship is not monotonic but diverse and rich in musical expression. I have led a coup in my church around weekly worship and music.  We have developed four worship settings that we seem to enjoy here; one musical setting employs worship music from the global south, African and Latin American.  Another setting employs taize chant and Celtic hymns.  We have a setting that is an homage to classic 18th-20th century hymns (often pietistic, from the great awakenings and revival movements). And we sing contemporary worship songs, the pop rock variety. We do not do a jazz service here,although we've had a New Orleans jazz sound in worship before complete with a dixieland band.
Microchurches will embrace music that transcends culture and invites participation from diverse peoples.  Worship will not be vanilla music but 31 flavors of praise and prayer and vocal communion. We will sing a new song to the Lord. Tune in for part 2 on microchurches and  worship...   after  post on microchurches and mission.