Jubilate Deo 2025: The Musicality of God
2025 Jubilate Deo was an act of kindness! My gratitude to Jarrod Richey and David Erb for their insatiable desire to see the music of God become an integral part of the church’s life.
I am currently in Mississippi, working in the morning while spending time with family members. It’s the first day that I have shifted my attention to something entirely different. The previous week provided me with numerous opportunities for musicality. Let me share a little bit of my own entrance into this musical world known as Jubilate Deo.
Many years ago, I received an invitation to lead chapel and teach Bible at a music camp in Monroe, LA. The invitation was from one of my dearest friends, Jarrod Richey. The music camp was an adaptation of what David Erb has been joyfully exercising in Moscow, ID, for some years. I accepted the invitation and have been gladly accepting invitations for almost a decade. The small music camp has turned into a monumental display of glory with over 375 students.
From my recollection, I went to the first camp alone. My kids were too young at the time for the week at camp to be worthwhile. Perhaps in the third year of my participation, I decided to bring a couple of my kids and invite a family or two from our church ot join us. To fast-forward the story, it seems our photographer couldn’t even fit everybody in this year’s picture:
The Structure of Jubilate Deo Music Camp
The camp is typically divided into four sections:
a) Morning Chapel: Each morning opens with Matins. This morning's liturgy includes prayers, creed, chants, and Psalmic readings. The service lasts around 30 minutes and also provides an opportunity for music instruction on lesser-known pieces.
b) Concert Preparation: The day is primarily dedicated to familiarizing oneself with the concert music. In other words, classes are divided with unique instructors who work through the pieces.
c) Bible Instruction: A small portion of the day is allocated for Bible teaching on the concert's theme. This year’s theme was “Heroes of the Faith.” The text was Hebrews 11. Bible instructors took the time to work through various facets of the text and offer a theology that better equipped the students to understand the theme.
d) Art/Dance: The Fine Arts require Christians to live, and move, and have their being in God. The campers receive art tutorials and participate in traditional folk dance practices. These are not your typical carnal displays, but dances meant for families. They are classy and highly entertaining.
Friday Dance and Saturday Concert
The Friday dance is a highlight for the students. We had over 400 in attendance, making it the largest dance so far:
The Saturday concert was a spectacular display of beautiful music and talent. The truth is, we have de-musicalized our children by failing to remind them that they are created by a singing God (Zeph. 3:17). We have taught them that good music is for professionals, instead of little children. But take a listen to this and see what one week of training can accomplish, and then imagine a lifetime of singing with God’s people:
2025 Jubilate Deo was an act of kindness! My gratitude to Jarrod Richey and David Erb for their insatiable desire to see the music of God become an integral part of the church’s life.
