{"id":372,"date":"2015-10-01T06:10:52","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T10:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/?p=372"},"modified":"2015-09-30T22:57:24","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T02:57:24","slug":"what-to-say-in-the-last-lines-of-a-worship-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/what-to-say-in-the-last-lines-of-a-worship-song\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Say in the Last Lines of a Worship Song"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best way to end a worship song?<\/strong> What should we say or sing in those last lines? We know endings are important. That final statement that punctuates our prayer or praise in singing should be thoughtful and purposeful. So what is the expected end\u2014joy, glory, heaven, hope?<\/p>\n

And what about sad and solemn songs? How should they end? As Christians we can certainly sing in a minor key. We live in a fallen word. Our songs not only express the joy and delight of knowing Christ, they also sound the more somber tones of sin and suffering. We sing in minor, but we don\u2019t like to end in minor. We like our songs to end on high notes with positive lyrics and major chords. You can even find in music history a technique used by songwriters to strengthen the harmonic resolution of the final chord and create a happier ending. The Picardy Third is the use or substitution of a major chord, especially at the end of a piece of music, where a minor chord would be expected.<\/p>\n

On the one hand it make sense to end with the brighter sounds of major. As followers of Christ, we see past the crumbling and broken promises of this fallen world to the sure and certain promises of God in His Word. We look beyond the strife and struggles of this life and rest in the joy and hope of knowing Christ. We have been rescued from sin and despair. Because we have a Savior we are bound for glory and destined for praise.<\/p>\n

Many of the psalms highlight this upward trajectory. They orient us to look away from our own distress and sorrows and up to the glory and joys of belonging to God. Though they begin with pleading and lamentation, they end with hope and praise. For example, David opens Psalm 16 with a prayer: \u201cPreserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.\u201d But he ends rejoicing in verse 11: \u201cYou make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.\u201d The book of Psalms as a whole crescendos and culminates in praise. We reach the pinnacle with the command in the final verse of the Psalms:<\/p>\n

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
\nPraise the Lord!
\n(Psalm 150:6)<\/p>\n

Yet not all of the psalms follow this anticipated climb. Some make unpredicted turns and go down unforeseen paths. When you survey the 150 psalms, though blessing and praise predominate, you find a variety of endings:<\/p>\n