dancing through the maze

I guess I should continue my rant by speaking my thoughts about modern worship music. I have so many thoughts it is hard to nail down any. The problem is today's worship runs such a wide gambit of genres and styles that it can't be nailed down to a single label, like hymns. I mean, hymns are hymns. You can't say that about today's worship. There are simple repetitive songs, and deep complex songs. There are songs of desperation, and celebration. There is just so much today, and it all serves to express our own deepest yearnings, thoughts, needs, and love.

What I love about modern worship is the variety. I know there are a lot of people out there that love traditional, old, and familiar songs, but I have a hard time with that. The truth is there are a lot of songs that if I ever hear them again it will be too soon, just because they were worn out. I love the chance to not only learn something new and different, but in that to find a new way to say to God what I need to say. Today's worship is not about stating facts about God, but truly giving our hearts to Him in love, adoration and worship. I love learning new songs because in that I think about what I am singing, and I am reminded of my need of and love for God. In all honesty, when a song becomes too familiar I can sing it without thinking or feeling or meaning what is coming out of my mouth, and that is not true worship.

I love modern worship because it points my emotions in the right direction. I want to share 2 things about the way I feel about emotions and God: 1. I don't approve of over-emotional hype that just feels good, but is not truly God centered. 2. I believe God gave us our emotions because he wants us to express ourselves. God has emotions. The bible talks about Him being jealous for us, loving us, being angry even hints at frustration. God wants us to share our feelings toward him. I truly believe God's desire is not for us to stand still and sing a song we've sung a hundred times without feeling. God's desire is for us to engage in worship, to reach out to Him with our hearts, souls, spirits and yes even our bodies. God desires what is on the inside to come bubbling and overflowing out. Modern worship paves the way for that to happen for me. The words that resonate in the heart, the music that builds and subsides, the intensity of emotion released, all work to take me into God's presence. And in His presence is where He wants us, so He can pour out His love on us.

I think the thing I love the most about modern worship, is there is a constant reminder that this thing called Christianity is not a one sided conversation. It is not God did His part now we must do ours. It's not a formal service once a week. It isn't even accept Jesus and be good, follow the rules and get in heaven, the end. This is supposed to be a relationship. Today's worship is interactive, on our part and God's. I love when we sing a song and get to a point that God is in that room so strong that no more words can be said. I love it when we get to one line of a song and it is so exactly what we need to say and what God wants to hear in that moment that we repeat it until the words are truly a part of us. I love it when during a worshipful moment people truly open up and bear their hearts to God and He is there speaking right back to that heart. That is the essence of today's worship.



I think there will only be one more Worship Anyway post. Part 4 is coming and I hope in that post to bring everyone together in worship to our truly amazing God. Until next time. . .

I want to start with a subject that gets a lot of people up in arms. Hymns. That one word makes some people sigh in contentment and others cringe on the inside. I grew up singing hymns in church until I was a teenager and we moved to more contemporary worship. The truth is I love both so I hope I can speak to both sides of the issue.

To my hymn lovers:

I read a book recently about an Amish family living in today's world. I was struck by the rules they follow. Evidently each church district's leaders make the rules they have to follow. These particular people could have gas appliances, running water and a fully functioning bathroom, but no electricity. They could use telephones, but couldn't have them in their houses. They could not own or drive cars, but they could hire a reliable driver to take them places. I just found my self wondering, how do you find the cut off? How do you define what goes to far and where to draw the line? Those are the questions I want you to try to answer.

I keep thinking about how your parents probably didn't approve of Elvis or the Beatles, and their parents may not have approved of jazz or swing. But with the generations come change, and lets face it: every song, every hymn was new at some point. Some were even set to the tune of secular songs. Did you know that Luther wrote some of his songs to old pub tunes? You have to stop putting a line in the sand, saying “if I didn't sing it as a child it doesn't work for me.”

I want you to know that I know the value of something familiar. Some songs are powerful to you because wrap around you like your favorite blanket. Warm and comfy you can access His presence more easily. I get that, more than you know. But think of the people who don't feel that way about those songs. People who a turned off by just how old the song sounds. People whose warm comfy blanket is something more modern. People who also need to connect to God in a real way. Isn't it worth giving up a little comfort to provide a little comfort?

To my hymn dislikers (I didn't want to say haters even though it sounds better :))

Let me set the scene for you. You are in church enjoying praise and worship. Then the piano starts to play these old chords and you know what is about to happen. The “more mature” people get excited and start singing their hearts out while you wonder where they pulled this song from. You stand there and try to figure out the actual meaning of the song around the thee and thous. It can be a bit frustrating. But just take the time to think about it for a minute. Do you think that maybe these classic hymns have stood the test of time for a reason?

A lot of the modern worship songs carry you places. The music is intense and the lyrics make sense and can be easily related to. These songs express raw yearning and need and put people in a place to not only access God's presence but pour out our hearts before Him. But I think what a lot of modern songs miss is the depth and beauty of hymns. For example:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

I nearly cry just reading those words, let alone singing them. This is the 3rd verse and chorus of my favorite hymn. In all honesty it may be my favorite song. What we miss today is poetry in music form. I'm not saying people don't write “deep” songs anymore, because they do, but some things are truly timeless.

I think where people do hymns a disservice is to not only tune out the beauty and meaning of the words, but avoid the sense of history and tradition that comes with singing a song that your mother, and her mother and her mother sang. To avoid the tradition in hymns would be like never again singing your favorite Christmas carols. Think of a Christmas without Silent Night or Away in a Manger. That, dear friends, is the church without hymns. It just wouldn't be the same.


Stay tuned for more on worship. . .

Worship is more than just the songs we sing, more than just what happens on Sunday morning. Worship is the life we live. It is everything that we do according to 1 Cor. 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” But just to make things easier over the next few posts if I say worship I am referring to praise and worship music. I have become disheartened by the seemingly constant battle over how worship should be done, what songs to sing and how to sing them. Some people want high energy, intense music. Some want hymns, and some not just hymns, but they have to be done in the traditional way or they just don't count. Some want free-flow, no songs prophetic worship. Some want 3 fast songs 2 slow songs and we sit down. Some want the whole service to be worship, some just want to get it over with. I have seen and heard it all over the years, and it breaks my heart.

I have been thinking about it a lot lately. About what connects us to God and why. About how we respond to Him and He to us. About what really matters in worship. I think God wants everyone to connect in no matter what that takes, but how can that be accomplished when so many people are concerned about their personal preferences? I have so much to say that it will take much of your time than I want to at once. So I'm going to break it up, and I hope over the next few posts to speak to all of you. To validate your points of view and preferences, but also that of others. I hope that you read everything and maybe see things differently than you have to this point. I hope to bring us all together at least a little bit. So until next time. . .