I’ve been preaching a Christmas series that looks at the music of Christmas.  Not our popular Christmas songs, but the songs and poems found in the New Testament narrative of the birth of Christ. It’s been a very instructive reminder to me at least about the power that music has to shape and inspire the human soul.

The great church reformer Martin Luther loved music, and said a lot about it.  Here’s just two quotes from him:

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.

Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.

Luther is right about the power of music, and he’s right that it is, or it’s supposed to be at any rate, an art! Something that flows from the heart and the soul of the musician into the hearts and souls of the listeners.

Today we’ve turned music into an industry, and because of that it’s getting harder and harder to find real artistry there. This is true by the way of both the secular and the Christian music industries.  Since all the major Christian labels are owned by secular parent companies, that ought to come as no surprise.

Perhaps this lack of real artistry is the major cause (or one of them anyway) of the declining sales in the music industry. Sales have been dropping for years now, and show no signs of stopping either.  The music companies love to blame the internet for this, and I admit it’s played a huge part in changing the way we buy and listen to music.

But you can’t put all or even most of the blame there.

The real problem is a lack of artistry.  The recording companies think they know exactly what a song should be like, and they push artists hard to conform their songs to that image. Radio, both Christian and otherwise, has surrendered too this idea as well.

The result of all this “expert” knowledge and advice?  Declining sales!

Which just goes to prove that Luther was right. What people want is art!  Music from the heart, that speaks to their experiences as well.

It also proves that old saying about experts is true.  What is an expert?  A drip under pressure!

So sing from your heart this Christmas season, and let the Spirit move through the music and lift up your soul!