Come Let Us Sing

Most of what I know about leading songs I learned from my father, Andy T. Ritchie III.
He taught me how to beat a pattern, how to pitch and lead a song, and how to put
thought into the words and music. He, of course, was influenced by his father, Andy T.
Ritchie, Jr. This larger-than-life figure became an example both of us followed.
My grandfather believed that to lead a song in worship, you must understand and
interpret its meaning. After all, the songs we sing speak to one another and to God, and
should reflect the thoughts we want to express. Sometimes those thoughts are gentle,
like those of “Father of Mercies,” other times boisterous, like “A Mighty Fortress.” Song
leading is not just song starting; it requires thought.
The music needs to complement the poetry. When music fits well with the words, the
two become a single entity. Still, the music should not detract from the words.
Sometimes we are drawn to a song because of the music and not the message. If only
the melody draws us in, we risk pleasing ourselves rather than God in our worship.
By my final year in high school, my mentors had given me a solid foundation for song
leading, but experience taught me another valuable lesson.
At an out-of-town devotional, I was asked to lead “Years I spent in Vanity and Pride.”
I did not care for the song and would not have chosen it. But someone explained to me
that many of those present had come out of years in the drug culture and all manner of
depravity.
This song meant a great deal to them because it described their former lives and the
mercy they had received through Christ. It dawned on me that my choice of songs
should reflect the needs of the particular group that would be singing, not necessarily
songs that appealed to me.
We sing to worship, to praise or declare the worth of our God. We sing to speak to
one another words that teach and those that encourage. My grandfather suggested that
we study the objective of worship and select songs that will best reach that objective.
As leaders, let us teach and lead songs that take us out of spiritual poverty and into
deeper worship.