Welcoming the Biblical Drum into Your Congregation 

This service of worship was first used at the General Council Offices of The United Church of Canada but can be easily adapted for other contexts. This is also be one way of introducing Biblical drumming in a Sunday morning worship service.  This service can be easily adapted to welcome each new drummer or to renew the congregation's openness, acceptance, commitment to the Biblical Drum.

Service of Welcome and Blessing

 Prelude: “Nubia” Hamza el Din   (played by one tar drummer)

***silence***

Welcome and Entry of the Drums:

         One: Every sanctuary is a holy place

         All:    preparing us to hear,

                    and opening us to

                    the heartbeat of creation.

         One: Our life is a journey

                   of discovery, and rediscovery,

                   of God’s heart beat,

         All:  drawing us ever

                   into lasting Truth

                   and Life and Joy.

         One: In this historic and cosmic journey,

                   there are moments of great heartbreak

                   and moments of celebration.

         All: Today we celebrate the return

                   of the Biblical Drum

                   into the Christian Church

                   and to this sanctuary

                   of The United Church of Canada.

***boxed drums are processed in***

Address to the Drum:

         One: Stir, Ancient Sacred Drum,

                  for you are again at-one with the Body of Christ!

(Drummers slowly remove drums from boxes, play Rattlesnake 1 hen slowly set drums in a place visible to all.)

*** silence***

The Biblical Drum's Story    (give a brief history of the drum with PowerPoint as possible)

Prayer for the Holy Spirit:   (presider moves to  center of drums facing congregation)

   One: With a sense of awe and joy, O God,

            we bow in reverence before You,

            Maker of Sacred Sound.

***silence**

            We long to hear the beat of your Heart

            in creation,

            in our personal lives,

            and in the life of your Body, the Church.

***silence***

            We know you yearn for us

            to walk with the rhythm of God’s Cosmic Dance.

****silence***

         All: Send your Holy Spirit upon us

                   and what we do here.

                   May your Rhythm once again

                   Be heard in the sanctuary

                   And in each one of us.           

                   May your heartbeat of Love

                   Echo through our sanctuary and through each of us,

                   out into the world and into all your creation.

                   May we hear the sound of your Pulse again

                   and so help to bring your Harmony, Health, Joy, and Peace to all.

         One: Come, O God, birth-er of the universe,

                   for we pray in the name of Christ,

                   the Word, your first Holy, Vibrating Sound.

Scripture Readings:

(Have drummers recite or read a verse or two of Scripture where tambourines are named. These readings could follow a Biblical order or be a joyous cascade of verses.)

Sharing about our Drums

(This is a time for the group to ‘teach’ about Biblical drumming. This could be in place of a sermon or a Children's Moment. Perhaps 4 drummers each name one of the strokes as his/her favourite and demonstrate how it is played. Another drummer might share in a sentence or 2, the Drum's gifts of Practice and Patience = Power.  Another could share about the Drum's gifts of Precision and Endurance. Finally, a drummer might share how this congregation got involved in Biblical Drumming and invite any who are interested to join them at their next regular practice. And some drummers could share briefly why they are part of the group and how drumming has enriched their personal  life, etc. In all of this keep, Sharing about our Drums short  -10 minutes max in total! )

Blessing of the Drums:

         All: In the name of Jesus Christ,

                   and of our Creator,

                   and  the Holy Spirit,

                   we bless you, Biblical drums and drummers.

         One: Whenever and wherever these drums are played,

                   may God be with you, their drummer,

                   and with all who listen to you with the ‘ear of their heart'.

         All: Let Christ’s Body now resonate with the sounds of Joy!!     

Responsorial: “Happiness”  played by all drummers

The service would continue as is the practice in your congregation.

A Christmas Eve Scripture Reading

What follows is a suggested reading of the Luke 2:1-20  story involving both tambourine frame drums and tars. It was submitted by the Mark Street United Church drummers -who got quite exciting about it from their first rehearsal onward.  Adapt it for your sanctuary size and acoustics, for your drummers numbers participating and their drum abilities.   Adapt it also for your reader's style when reading dramatically. The reader , if a drummer, may play his or her tar at appropriate moments during the reading.

 Tars enter with a slow walking pace and take their places:     

Dt  Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt  taka

Dt  Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt   taka

                    Dt  Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt  takataka  D

Reader    And it came to pass in those days

          That there went out a decree

                          From Caesar Augustus,

 That all the world should be taxed

                  (And this taxing was first made

                  When Cyrenius was governor of Syria)

Dt  Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt taka   

 & continue on

Reader:     And they all went to be taxed,

         Every one to their own city.

         And Joseph also went up from Galilee,

         Out of the city of Nazareth,

        Into Judaea, unto the city of David,

Which is called Bethlehem;

(Because he was of the house and lineage of

       David)

         To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,

           Being great with child.

Dt  Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt taka  &  stop

Reader:    And so it was, that while they were there,

         The days were accomplished

That she should be delivered

  Tars:   fast     Doums           

Reader   And she brought forth her first-born son,

       And wrapped him in swaddling clothes,

       And laid him in a manger

       Because there was no room for them

In the inn.

Doums fade away 

Tambourines:   D  t  T  t  & continue this pattern

1 tar  plays a peaceful tempo

Reader     And there were in the same country

       Shepherds abiding in the field,

 Keeping watch over their flocks by night.

Drums  faster

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them

And the glory of the Lord shone around them:

And they were sore afraid.

Drums calm

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not:

drums        louder, excited

For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,

Which shall be to all people.

D  t  T  t                               

 stop

Reader   For unto you is born today in the city of  David

       A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

       And this shall be a sign unto you;

Tars:          D  soft but fast            

continue on

Reader     Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling

       clothes, lying in a manger.

Drums           Doums fade

 Tambourines      Shakes

Reader     And suddenly there was with the angel

      A multitude of the heavenly host

      Praising God , and saying,

All drums D  t  T  t

      Glory to God in the highest,

      And on earth, peace, good will toward all.

Tambourines: shakes  &   stop                       

Reader   And it came to pass,

                    As the angels were gone away from them into

                   heaven,

                The shepherds said to one another,

       Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,

       And see this thing which has come to pass,

      Which the Lord has made known to us.

Gradually faster

Tambourines:     D K taka  D  taka  K  K taka     

Tar:            Dt Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt taka

& continue

Reader      And they came with haste,

                And found Mary,  and Joseph,

                  And the babe lying in a manger.

                  And when they had seen it,

                  They made known abroad the saying

                  Which was told them concerning this child.

                  And all that heard it

                  Wondered at these things

       Which were told them by the shepherds.

Tambourines:     D K taka  D  taka  K  K taka

Tar:                     Dt Kt taka  Dt  taka  Kt  Kt taka  D then

                  Tars: (Omalu)              DDDt  DDDt  DDtD  tDDt

Reader     But Mary kept all these things,

And pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherd returned,

glorifying God and praising God

For all the things they had heard and seen,

As it was told to them.

Finish last Omalu pattern.

Then straight into Baladi with both tars and tambourines:

          D D   takata  D taka K taka  

A Wedding