Worship Music

Times, they are a-changin'. This has become obvious in our cozy little church on Sunday mornings. Some people seem to be of the "it's about time!" mindset, while others preferred things the say they were, and still others have adopted a "wait and see" attitude.

We now have an actual "band", with drums and guitars and everything. But we also have a piano and organ playing --- and this works much better than I had thought it would. We are learning "new" music and trying new things. And, in the eyes of some in the congregation, it's a mixed bag.

Part of me is a bit anxious about this. Musical preferences and ideas about what should and shouldn't be part of the Sunday morning service --- these things can run deep and highly emotional. As I have been pondering all this, it has been causing me to think much more about the entire concept of worship, especially how much we have limited ourselves in many churches by too often equating worship with the music. At the same time, we sometimes act as if we have forgotten that the object of that worship is God, not us. That seems the only explanation for complaints of, "I didn't get anything out of that worship service" or "The worship experience did nothing for me". Even worse are what some have called the "worship wars", when people argue bitterly over styles of music.

I've been listening to the song, "The Heart of Worship" and pondering the words:

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the things I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the things I've made it
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

I wish I could say that I now have some brilliant insights that will solve the worship dilemmas in churches throughout the land, but I don't. But I did find a lot more to ponder in Kim's post today, and would recomment it highly --- The Upward Call: A few thoughts about Christian music - Part 1