Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
~Romans 12:1
Every Sunday, Christians gather together to sing songs to God. Why? What’s the point?
If worship is an expression of love between God’s people and their Creator, and people’s entire lives – their behaviours, thoughts, relationships, jobs, everything they are and do – can be an act of worship, then what is the relationship between worship and music?
I’d like to share some thoughts…
Singing opens our hearts to God. There’s something deep in us that gets stirred with music. When we’re singing beautiful words to a God who created us and who gave us purpose, our souls open up, our hearts come alive and we are able to stop thinking about ourselves – our thoughts, our distractions, our life confusion. When we’re vulnerable and open, our hearts can then truly express what words cannot.
Singing also unifies.
There’s power to a song, and you don’t have to be in church to see that. When you go to a football game or a hockey game, and the crowd goes wild, everyone stands and lifts their voices. It’s just in our nature. When we actively participate, there’s something unifying that happens that encourages boundaries of age, nationality, gender and money to fade away. We become a community saying, ‘We’re in this together.’ And as we physically sing the same words and melody, our hearts join – even in all our diversity – our singing hearts become one unified voice.
Worship is NOT about how good the music is… or how exciting the stage set up is… or about how many tears we shed… or how perfectly flawless the presentation is. It’s not about how well composed the musicians, the singers and the worship leader appears… nor is it about coming to be entertained by “rock stars” whom are standing on an elevated stage spotlighted by bright lights…
It’s about people’s hearts being opened up to the Spirit of God. It’s about worshipping Him even when we don feel like it, because He deserves it. It’s about taking time out of our busy lives to honour Him. It’s about surrender. It’s about our souls communicating with Him. It’s about letting Him change us. But that change can only happen if we buy into what we’re actually singing. And it’s about making ourselves available to what He wants to do in our lives so we can all be transformed to look more like Him.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.
