by mrs lily 
Sunday we visited a church that I knew had been around in the area a long time. With that, as in most cases such as that, there is often resistance from the older crowd as to going more 'contemporary'. At the risk of sounding judgmental, I will say I think that was the case here.
The service began with a few hymns, and then everyone sat down. Next, the people on stage leading the music sang a newer worship song that I also knew, and started swaying a lot more than before. I noticed all the younger people were singing along and moving to the music, too. I don't know if I was just looking for it, but it seemed very obvious to me and I have been to other churches before where it seemed like this sort of thing was going on. It was almost like the younger people wanted the older people to see that these songs are more powerful and they can worship better to them.
I have had people tell me that singing in worship at the beginning of a church service helps to prepare their hearts for the sermon and focus in on the Lord after a hard week. I understand that there are going to be times when we just don't feel like we are close to the Lord, and I do think God uses music at times to move us and engage our hearts. But every week? We forget about the Lord all week and need some music to motivate us to think about Him?
I am not saying that enjoying music is bad. But I question the meaning of a 'worship service' when people often base what church they go to on how much they like the music. I have watched people flirt and tell dirty jokes and the moment the music starts they sway right along and raise their hands, looking very spiritual.
When a friend of mine walked away from the Lord, one of the things she told me was that when she first started really questioning her faith, she noticed that during a (secular) concert she had those same feelings then as she did singing the worship songs at church. So, she reasoned, God must be in everything and who can really say what is right after all? It made me think that maybe it wasn't Christ that had moved her that way before, it was the music.
I hate writing posts like this, because I feel like such a judgmental jerk and a hypocrite. I know I have done these very things I have noted in this post. So if this post serves nothing more than a confession of what I have learned, so be it. I do not believe that I am always right and I have probably misjudged a lot of people. But if you can relate at all to what I am saying here, I hope that you can learn from it and weigh your motives next time you go before the Lord in worship. If we can't glorify the Lord singing the same words in the form of a hymn that we can to a catchy beat, perhaps we really need to think about why we are singing in the first place.
Which do you think moves you more during musical worship: God or the music?
Comments (19)
I can understand what you're saying. So often I end up depending on the music to motivate my worship. As someone who has litteraly grown up in the church, worship has always been a challenge for me. Not because I don't love the lord but simply because some sundays I'm not just "feeling the music." I've had to learn that my worship should not be dependent on the music but rather the fact that God deserves our outmost best alll the time. I've also learned that worship was never meant to be contained to a sunday morning but rather how we choose to live our lives every single day.
I view worship songs and prayers song to God. I love it but my worship is not limited to this alone. True worship is a lifestyle.
I worship God in everything I do. "Commit yourself to the Lord, trust in Him, and He'll help you." But when I truly worship with music, all I can think of is God, not the music, I only sing the song if I mean it, but nothing is wrong with the "fun" Christian worship songs. (Hillsong's "Take It All" anyone?) In a nutshell, it really depends on the condition of your heart, and how often you do it and whether or not the Holy Spirit is in the place.
I think the problem your friend experienced was that she was equating feelings with worship. It's also a huge, mammoth leap in logic to go from noticing that you get the same feelings in a concert as you do worship to moving to pluralism. I'm assuming that's not her entire logic in leaving Christ, but it seems like a pretty flimsy place to start.
The church I am a member of has full-on rockin' out worship. When they dropped their Saturday night service, the time that I attended, I searched for another Saturday night service. I found one at a Missouri Synod Lutheran church, at a congregation which has only traditional music. It's not my type, but I'm discovering lyrical themes in particular that are not part of today's worship songs.
Those hymns do not make it easy for me to WORSHIP, as in adore God, not now when I am 48 years old, just like they didn't when I was a teenager. But I don't have to have music I like in order to worship God through music--I can adore God through a traditional hymn; it's just a lot easier with music I like.
Throughout the week, I'm not good at spending a lot of time in prayer, but I regularly play Christian music, which helps keep my mind focused on God. I heavily depend on Christian music to help me keep my focus on God throughout the week. Since my favorite musical styles are dance, synthpop, and industrial, it can be challenging to find music with lyrics that are vertically focused, but I have managed to find enough to get me by.
"I have watched people flirt and tell dirty jokes and the moment the music starts they sway right along and raise their hands, looking very spiritual. " This is sad. There is something wrong here. A major part of worshiping God is obeying him. I don't understand how they can tell dirty jokes one moment and then feel like adoring God the next. If they can completely skip the step of asking forgiveness for sin, let alone repentance, then they are missing some important things about Christianity.
music is used as a method to DRAW you in...but there have been days where I didn't need music AT ALL to be drawn into worship...worship is not a slow song but a constant mindset to want to glorify God in all that you do...it's a lifestyle...but far too often, people make worship music synonymous with worship...and it's not the same!
Yay! I already responded to this, but I just had to say that you are cool. ;)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience!
As someone who is involved with music in a church a lot like you describe with the tension between the old music and the new music, i found it interesting that in your example its the young ones singing louder to prove their music is more spiritual, holy yadda yadda yadda. what we see a lot of is the opposite on the contempory songs the older people sing very quite or refuse to sing altogether, to the point the musos can't hear the congregation, the opposite is true when they decide to sing (it can make hearing your self hard one minute and defeningly loud the next.) My point here is i'm not sure its just an ailment of those who like contemporary worship music.
But all that aside. do we even as a whole church relie on music to make us feel "connected"? I think thats a really interesting question. one that needs attention both on a personal and a congregational level.
I found you :) Not on purpose, just browsing and recognized the blog.
I find it very difficult to abandon everything at the door and throw myself into worship music. My mind almost always wanders to different things, most often what I sound like (vain), and if I like the song or not. However there are sometimes where my heart is just utterly captivated by The Lord and I feel like the music is emanating from me and raising up to him in praise. These times rarely happen in church and mostly just suddenly come upon me when I am listening to the radio while I am doing dishes.
I know this has little to do with the heart of your post, but I wanted to share with you, because you are the best.
God, music isn't necessary...
Worship is life. It shouldn't be limited to one aspect - like music. Yes, God gave us music and we can worship him with it, but we tend to sometimes make praise and worship music the be all and end all of worship services. What soooooo many people forget is that worship is NOT ABOUT US. It should never be about how I feel with this music or that, it should not be what "draws" me in, or what captivates me. Silence and meditation can be more effective and preparing your heart for worship in a worship service setting! Worship is about GOD. It's about what we give to God --- our prayers, our songs, our ears, our tithing - and then doing so in a God centered manner. The problem with the popular praise music of today is that it can make people focus on how they feel. emotions. Not that emotions are bad, God created them, but we forget that it is God who is receiving our worship - and what exactly are we offering to Him? A bunch of feel good music with words that have little meaning? As a member of a more conservative protestant church, I am becoming more dismayed at how churches today make little to NO use of the Psalms. God gave us worship music --- in the form of the Psalms. And no one uses them anymore. THAT has to be displeasing to God.
I worship all day. When it is church time, I'm already prepared for the Word. To me, it seems like too many folks allow the screwed up leven of the world to run their lives throughout the week. Churches have gotten to the point where the worship service is viewed more as a spiritual attention getter than what it should be.
I understand what you're saying and I don't think it's judgemental. It's just observation. And I've thought about this a lot as well lately. I have several thoughts on but I'm going to make it short. One, I don't think that music should divide God's people. It's not the words that are dividing, it's the music. Two, the people who are against rock or contemporary-type music in the church - I know so so so many Christians who turn their noses at these people, but they never ask why. It's very interesting and very educational to see the reasons why a lot of people are against it.
To answer your question, it should be God, not the music. Music should work with you to glorify God. Personally, what moves me more depends on what type of music is being played in the worship service. If the music is loud and banging, arousing my emotions, then it's the music. For me, it's easier to worship God -in song- through quieter, more beautiful music where I'm more easily able to focus on God and what I'm singing to him. But worship is a lifestyle, and song is only part of it.
I totally agree with what you are saying. I enjoy hymns more than transient "worship" songs. They are real, rich, and lasting.
@PirateofDey@xanga - Perhaps they feel uncomfortable being coerced to sing songs which mean very little to them. I feel this way, too.
@NightCometh@xanga - no i agree thats a lot of it i was just commenting having seen it both ways and how the groups which will be open minded about the other style. We are actually in the middle of bring "back" into our regular song list a whole heap of hymns cause i agree some just can't be beat. but i'd also like to say there are a lot of junky, no substance to them hymns as well. again a failing people like to point out of contempary Christian music but its always been there.
@PirateofDey@xanga - Name a junky, no substance hymn.
@NightCometh@xanga - In the Garden.
sorry for the late response i've been away on a retreat.
@NightCometh@xanga - also junky may not have been my best choice of words.