Taken from a friend's blog...
i just bought united live's latest album, look to you a few days ago. i was just watching the complimentary dvd and i was struck by the entire process marty sampson, joel houston and gang went through to get the album produced.
while i always enjoyed the nifty electric guitar rifts and their super catchy melodies, somehow or rather the lyrics just don't quite cut it for me. it's super i-centric and the meaning is lost behind the inherent borderline shallow-ness. there are exceptions of course, but when i heard darlene zschech tell the entire united live team to "let go of their gifts..and let God take over" just before their worship and creative arts meeting, my scepticism began to ebb.the songs on the album were actually birthed from the synergy and prayer and the collective annointing of the Holy Spirit from a ministry-wide gathering like this. and darlene zschech reminded them that "sometimes we rely on our gifts too much and we become too confident...and if we don't depend on Him and not let God come through us, that's when we're gonna drown." i don't know about you, but to me, this is utterly and literally "looking to Him."
the dvd is the filming of the recording of this live worship album where a whole bunch of young people, probably aged 15 upwards to the early 20's were having fun worshipping God. but deep down inside me, i wondered how on earth is it possible to praise and worship when people were just apparently so busy making merry, jumping, stomping their feet to the drum beat and body surfing at one stage. scenes that you would normally associate with rock concerts like woodstock - except minus the violence that usually precedes and proceeds the event.
then it struck me the extent of popular culture's effect on the music and culture of christian youths - not just down under australia, but here in singapore as well. and how a youth congregation is considered "dead" if they are usually not "lively" during worship. (read: an average sunday heartbeat service)
don't get me wrong. i am probably one of those people who would jump and make merry. but i think the larger implicit/explicit message (depending on how perceptive you are to such things) is what constitutes our heart of worship.
the rock music is a mere fascade to what is something greater. it is a hook, a means to attract the young people of this age to something greater. for a generation that has been lamblasted by the mediated world of advertising and marketing that zooms in on them, (go watch "the merchants of cool" and you'll understand what i am talking about) the use of rock music is thus a manner of getting the young people to come and experience God - to get them to realise that God is relevant, cool and personal.
just like how in the Bible, when we read of how people celebrate God's goodness, love and mercy, we don't usually get the full idea of the essence of their sheer joy and happiness, people from a century later won't get the full extent of the way we celebrate our joy in having a true and living God. applied in this context, the embracing of the popular culture is just to meet the young people at where they are. it is by far their, and my method of worshipping God.
because unlike secular rock music - where the means is an end to itself and all about the music, and is a representation of the post-modern or some would have you believe, a neo post-modern era we live in where individualism, liberalism and the plurality of choices reign the day; christian rock music , just like how christian music has been all about since time began, is about "proclaiming something bigger than yourself." it's really about encountering God when singing, when seeking, when praising His name. it's forgetting about your own self and exalting the goodness of someone greater - someone who is our Father, friend and Saviour all rolled into one
as such, it is startling how the young people are so honest through songs in down under australia and i am sure singapore as well. yet this honesty comes at a price. because honesty comes from a willingness to embrace the truth in your hearts, minds and souls.
yet this willingness is something very difficult because the truth usually hurts. but beyond the pain of the current reality lies the promise of greater joy that makes the current pain pale in comparison.
but beyond such outward expressions of love, celebration, praise and worship, we must come back and remember that worship is about a celebration of God's work in our lives. we have nothing to celebrate about if we have nothing that makes us "in this world, but not of this world."
at the end of the dvd, joel houston reminds the hillsongs creative and worship arts team that "it is very easy to get comfortable in church and in our worship, but what is it going to cost us?"
2 samuel 24:24 - "i will not sacrifice that which costs me nothing."
we need to seek God first, and let it be manifest in every single area of our life. because if we are Christians, we are little Christs. while we may never attain perfection in this life time, we have got to keep trying and not take His grace for granted.
and in case you were wondering what are some of the areas in your life, don't bother because it's probably e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. period.
yeah, so while the form of worship may have changed to something that i embrace, but nonetheless not too comfortable with, the essence of worship has not.
it's about your heart of worship, your worship posture. you don't have to jump, jump and scream, scream, scream during worship, but you got to work towards a freedom to worship him. to be able to be free of all self conciousness to worship him in public and in the private.
this freedom can be manifest in keeping real still and keeping it very personal. i am a personal advocate and believer that we shouldn't use our denominational traditions as an excuse or reason to explain why we worship a certain way. the only question we have to ask ourselves is whether we have been free to worship and if not, why.
because in all forms of worship, public or private, we are singing only for a audience of only one. so even though i still maintain that there is a certain shallowness about some of the songs, i know these songs are the end result of an encounter the song writer had with God. that the meaning of the words that may mean a great deal for him/her may be lost on us. but it's nonetheless an imperfect attempt by an imperfect being to make an offering unto God that is being shared and ministered to people in far away lands.
i say all of these because it has been a burden on my heart for some time now that the youths of heartbeat throb with passion for God. i have been to conferences and gathering of young people and seen the acute passion for God. while we may throw caution to the wind and not totally dismiss the possibilities that these kids may be "sunday christians," i am still encouraged that kids are coming to know God through such means.
yet i understand that it is not realistic to transplant a whole new culture into heartbeat totally. it's about starting with the small things, and working towards a whole new freedom to worship and offering constant encouragement to the young ones. all this done with the moral strength from the eternal source. because we are not doing this for ourselves, but as a form of service for Him. and it's a privilege that while incrediby sapping physically and emotionally, i take very seriously.
i now throw you the eternal burning question - what about you?
