Worship 101
My wife and I were talking about worship and worship leading the other yesterday. I had one of those quotable epiphanies as we discussed our concern with “the worship music industry”. I have long felt that worship has been missing something. That with all these great new songs coming out there is an emptiness in my heart. Something that leaves me longing the way the old songs never did. Over the years I attributed that to several things. Most notably I figured it was my tastes becoming older, and not appreciating the new things that God is doing. I am all ready a fan of flashback lunches on the radio, so why would worship music be any different.
Another though was that maybe I have just lost a small piece of my zeal, and don’t have the same passion that I used to. Songs don’t rock me the way they used to because my heart is not in the same place that it used to be. That’s just a couple of the thoughts that I assigned to my problem with worship as of late.
Don’t get me wrong I am not saying anything about my churches worship. This week alone was fantastic, and Gods presence was real. There are many songs that I still absolutely love, it just feels that there are less of them now than I remember their being before. So without further ado, I will present my thoughts on why I have a hard time with a large amount of the new music that is coming out nowadays.
Worship music almost appears to have turned a corner. It wasn’t a minor shift in style or anything insignificant like that. It is my opinion that the function of a worship song has changed. The function today of a worship song is to be worshipful words for a congregation to cry out to God. That is awesome. But I feel like the songs have left the realm in which I am more comfortable. I was raised on songs that’s sole purpose was to lead people into a worshipful encounter. So in one school of thought the song is the vehicle for worship and in the other the actions the song produces is the vehicle for worship. I hope that makes sense to somebody.
I come from a church experience where the worship objective was to meet God in a powerful and supernatural way and the worship music was a tool to bring that about. I miss that so much. I have old cds that are still great to me where you know that there is so much more happening than the simple son that’s being sung. That is how I lead worship to this day. I have said for quite a while that I would like to be a worship leader. I just don’t plan on being the lead musician. A pastor of a church should be the worship leader in the formal sense. There is so much for me to see about the Christian music industry, and anything that involves Christian paraphernalia. That’s a whole other blog entry. We had a great weekend at church this week. From the cool things going on in tribe to the time I had at our services. I want to see a breakthrough in worship in my own life. I want to fall in love with the music again, because of the frame of mind it drags me too. God help me to worship you more.
posted by Thomas at 11:52 PM
9 Comments:
MUSICAL worship doesn't seem to have the same effect on youth group age kids as it did on us. maybe its because of some lacks or faults in our church's worship ministry (and so they never learned HOW to worship through music), but maybe its because God is using something different to draw corporate worship unto himself. i dunno. that's just my observation. i long for the days of old, too thomas.
8:36 AM
I read in the first paragraph how you said, "with all these great new songs coming out there is an emptiness in my heart. Something that leaves me longing the way the old songs never did." and I was thinking YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. After our huge fight about new songs (i.e. yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord) versus old songs (i.e. come Thou Fount....) I never thought I'd hear YOU longing for the "old" songs.
Then I realized..... You just had your silver birthday. "Shout to the Lord" is probably Ancient Future to you. "Old songs" means stuff from the early 90's right? You were just a tweener back in the early 90's.
This is all making me feel really old.
10:41 AM
"Our God is and awesome God" - There's a golden oldie for you.
Katie
10:55 AM
Im not exactly sure what the "old stuff" is. But i think worshiping through music is a way to get you into the presence of God and with some stuff ( like the stuff my church sings) is really hard to do that with. If i can sing at the top of my lungs, jump up and down, and express to God how i really feel, that is what i think works best. I have definetly noticed a change though, i dont know if its for the better or not yet.
5:27 PM
yes jimmy by old stuff I mean stuff from the 90's. You make as if you were alive when come thou foun was written.
And by the way I way, the term is not tweener, it's taint.
11:48 PM
In the past year or so I have experienced my own personal worship revival. It hardly matters what the song is. My worship experience took off when I fell in love with God again. It had nothing to do with what the music was or wasn't. It had to do with my attitude and imagining my savior standing millimeters away from my face as I sang. Now, it doesn't matter if my life is great or falling apart, or if the song is brand new or ancient or from the early 90's. I HAVE to worship and I love to more than anything. A couple things stood out to me in your post: "Songs don’t rock me the way they used to" and "I want to see a breakthrough in worship in my own life. I want to fall in love with the music again..." Thomas, don't look to the songs to rock you. If you want to see a breakthrough in worship in your own life, desire to fall in love with your creator again, not the music.
12:07 AM
Gina, I think you are completly right in an obvious/cliche sort of way. I understand that for myself that I am the only thing truly getting in my way. I could worship to zamphir and his pan flute. I write this as a casual worship leader trying to process my own decisions in song choice. I also write this as a future church planter, wanting nothing but the best for that church. SO as a casual worship leader/church plant philosopher, I want more than what I have seen lately. I want better for my God, and the people entering his presence. You one of my closing sentences, and left out the last part, totally changing the meaning. I want to fall in love with the music again because of the state of mind it drags me into. That state of mind is one of experiencing Gods presence. I understand that God is with us always, and by that reasoning, hey why even have worship music. AS long as we decide that music is the best/most common way to bring God an experiential worship, I don't want to settle for songs that just describe him to himself. He knows all that all ready.
9:09 AM
You write: "AS long as we decide that music is the best/most common way to bring God an experiential worship, I don't want to settle for songs that just describe him to himself. He knows all that all ready." What do you think worship is? Isn't it telling God his worth (worth-ship)? Songs that describe him to himself are a way for us to acknowledge to God who he is to us, why he's worthy of our praise.
1:22 AM
I am of the opinion that we have a new way to worship, whic the gospel entitles us to. God is more pleased by our relationship than by our mere words. I have ascribed him more worth in times of repeating simple choruses of "praise the lord" than I have singing my theology in its entireity. The reason is tha the simple chorus goes beyond the words that I say and to my heart. The song provides an avenue to encounter god, hear his voice, and commune with him, which is more worshipful than anything I could say.
10:23 AM
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