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When my first church home divided over musical issues and others aspects of our public worship, many hearts were broken. I remember the final act of our final service together. We were asked to form a circle around the sanctuary and join hands. Together, we sang the chorus, "We Are One in the Bond of Love." Then we closed the service with prayer; many hugs and tears followed.

It was very emotional. It was also very hypocritical. We were not, of course, one in the bond of love. Far from it—we were the victims of self-seeking from the various sides. We had not obeyed the admonition of Philippians 2:3-4, nor that of Ephesians 4:3 to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace," nor Christ's new commandment to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).

My earnest prayer is that such scenes will occur with far less frequency as the people of God think more deeply about the nature and purposes of worship, and that a renewed approach to music and hymnody will lead us all to greater love of God, love of one another, and love for all our neighbors.

Gary A. Parrett is assistant professor of Christian education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is coauthor of A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation (Baker, 2004).

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February 2005, Vol. 49, No. 2