If today's worship songs are not good, why don't we just sing the Psalms?

An interesting read... It doesn't take away my preparation for Sunday mornings, but I do sense a bit of irony.  :)

A classic from Jeremy Pierce:

Here are some of the things I really hate in a worship song.

1. Too simplistic, banal, lacking in depth, shallow, doctrineless: Consider that one that just talks about unity among brothers that only mentions God in passing at the very end.
2. It’s so repetitive. I mean, come on, how many times can you repeat “His steadfast love endures forever” before you start thinking the song is going to go on forever? Examples: here and here.
3. For some songs, the focus is too much on instruments, and the sheer volume leads to its seeming more like a performance than worship and prevents quiet contemplation.
4. There might be too much emphasis on too intimate a relationship with God, using first-person singular pronouns like “me” and “I” or second-person pronouns like “you” instead of words like “we” and “God.” This fosters a spirit of individualism, and it generates an atmosphere of religious euphoria rather than actual worship of God. Worship should be about God, not about us. Or what about the ones that use physical language to describe God and our relationship with him? Can you really stomach the idea of tasting God?
5. Some songs have way too many words for anyone to learn.
6. It patterns its worship on experiences that not everyone in the congregation will be able to identify with. If you’re not in the frame of mind or don’t have the emotional state in question (e.g., a desperate longing for God), then what are you doing lying and singing it? Worship leaders who encourage that sort of thing are making their congregations sing falsehoods.
7. Then there’s that song with the line asking God not to take the Holy Spirit away, as if God would ever do that to a genuine believer.
8. Then there’s that song that basically says nothing except expressing negative emotions.
9. Finally, there are those songs that have like four or five lines that people just either have to repeat over and over again or just sing briefly and never get a chance to digest.

At this point I’m so outraged that people would pass this sort of thing off as worship that I’m almost inclined to give in to the people who think we shouldn’t sing anything but the psalms.

Oh, wait. . . .

The Lyrics Behind Our Songs

Many times, I find myself wondering why the lyrics are what they are in a certain song. What scripture is behind the words? Who or what is the focus of this song? Does the song reveal something about God's character to us? Or does it reveal something about our walk with Him? Are the lyrics repetitious or "theologically shallow"?

Most songs are written with a purpose in mind. When I select songs for Sunday morning worship, I try to keep one thing at the forefront of my mind. I need to be careful to choose songs which are focused on God and his character, and not on ourselves. There are a lot of "good sounding" songs in contemporary Christian music today that are not necessarily God-honoring. For instance, some songs are more about "me, me, me." "What can I get from God?" "How will my relationship with God benefit me?" "What am I doing for the Lord?" I remember a former pastor telling me that he knew of a fellow who wouldn't sing in church, because he would be essentially "lying to God" through the lyrics of the song. Even scripture can be made more about ourselves than about our God.  Examples:

• I Chronicles 4:10 (commonly known as the prayer of Jabez)
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Luke 11:9 (If I ask God for riches, He must give them to me...not so much)
• Romans 8:28
• Philippians 4:13

Here, we return to my question last week "What is worship?"  Worship can be defined as giving honor, adoration, love, respect, reverence or devotion to someone or something.  As Christians, we need to make sure to direct our praise, honor, and glory upward to God, and not sideways to those around us. Yes, worship should engage and encourage us, but it should never be a lateral or horizontal experience. It shouldn't just be a feel-good moment for us.  Take for instance this quote from an article entitled "How a Terrible Worship Song Drove Me from Christianity":

"The point, she said, isn't really the lyric of the song, but how you feel when you sing it. If you feel good; if you feel like the song brings you closer to God; if you are praising God with the song, then it isn't really important if the lyrics make sense or not."

How sad.  Our feelings should never be the primary benefactor of worship.  Our feelings and circumstances change.  God does not.  (Look at how Paul and Silas reacted in worship when they were thrown in jail.  They worshiped God despite their circumstances.)  Therefore, our worship should always be vertical in nature, looking to God.  Worship shouldn't be an opportunity to compare ourselves to the world, but it should be a realization of just how holy God is when we compare our lives to his example in Christ.

It was with this context, I researched the Chris Tomlin song, I Will Follow. Whenever I see the word "I" or "we" in the title of a "praise and worship" song, I like to do some digging. Why does the word "I" or "we" appear so many times in the song?  Please take the time to read the next post in my blog, entitled "I Will Follow - Story Behind the Song." I do understand and appreciate the song better now.  However, I am still uncomfortable with how many times it focuses on what I will do (and in reality, probably not do), and therefore I don't think we'll be singing it anytime soon on Sunday morning.

In retrospect, here are some other favorites of mine in the past that are not necessarily good worship songs:

• In the Secret by Andy Park (centered on self, lyrics questionable)
• Hands and Feet by Audio Adrenaline (centered on self)
• Rise Up and Praise Him by Paul Baloche (repetitive and short on purpose)
• Friend of God by Israel Houghton (again, centered on self and not God)

(Note: One other song I discovered through my search of questionable worship songs was "Draw Me Close."  Never once does the song mention God or Jesus, and the lyrics could just as well fit a secular relationship.  However, if the lyrics are sung within the context of a Christian service, and take into consideration our desire for God to draw us nearer to Him, with scripture as a lead-in, I find nothing wrong with this song.  But it could easily be taken placed into context elsewhere without a Christian message.  It's all in the heart, which is where our worship should begin.)

I'd like to close with a thought from Rick Warren. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through his book "The Purpose Driven Life" many years ago. Although I do acknowledge his books do fall short theologically to many people (another thing I learned from a former pastor - most books written by man and not directly inspired by God (i.e. the Holy Bible) include both meat and bones. We must eat the meat to grow, but we must also spit out the bones (I John 4:1)), I thought this particular quote accurately summarized my thoughts in the article above:

"If you have ever said, "I didn’t get anything out of worship today," you worshiped for the wrong reason. Worship isn’t for you. It’s for God."  - Rick Warren

I Will Follow - Story Behind the Song

This article is taken from the Christian music website, newreleasetuesday.com.

Chris explained the song's meaning: "The chorus of this song makes some pretty bold claims: Who you love, I'll love. How you serve, I'll serve. Where you go I'll go. Even if I lose my life I'll follow you. While those words might be a true expression of the heart, when we hear them coming out of our own mouths it should still be a little sobering. Are we really considering the implications of what we're saying? Or are we just speaking with bravado the way the Apostle Peter did in his early days of following Jesus? After all, he was the brash one, the impulsive one who was always making those sorts of big, bold statements. He told Jesus things like "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." But when Jesus was arrested, those claims fell apart. Peter ran and hid and even renounced Jesus. Thankfully, that failure wasn't the end of Peter's story. In time, God's grace and power would transform him into a man whose boldness was based on God's strength rather than his own. But it cost him something to get to that point of understanding what following Jesus was really all about.

Mark chapter 8 contains what must have been one of the most difficult and pivotal points in Peter's journey as a disciple, and it illuminates something about our own hearts as well. In this passage Jesus is explaining plainly to the twelve how he was soon going to have to suffer and die. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him for saying such things. Jesus responds with his shocking "Get behind me, Satan," and then explains: "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus gathers the crowd around him and elaborates: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."

Jesus knew beforehand the road of suffering he would walk in faithful obedience. He was explaining God's plan of redemption to his followers. But Peter—and probably the other disciples too—already had set in their own minds a different version of how God's salvation for Israel was going to unfold. Most likely they were still dreaming of the day when Jesus—with the twelve of them on his right and his left commanding the thousands that would rally to their cause—would take up the sword to drive the Romans out of Jerusalem and restore all things to their rightful place. At the very least, the idea of a suffering and dying messiah wasn't part of Peter's plans. When he had signed up to follow the Christ, it certainly wasn't for that.

That's probably why Peter pulled his master aside and rebuked him for his talk of being humiliated and put to death. You have to wonder if Peter's rebuke of Jesus was born out of fear. Because what Jesus was revealing was threatening the dream that Peter had invested his hope in. And yet, what Peter had in mind was not what God had in mind. How often do we find ourselves in similar positions—feeling disappointed, or angry or scared because God's plans turned out to be something very different from our own expectations?

In time Peter did respond in the only way a disciple can, by laying down his own ambitions and embracing what it meant to truly follow. At the end he even willingly gave his life for Christ. But I think the hard work of divestment from the things and hopes and dreams of this world was already complete by the time Peter allowed himself to be nailed to a physical cross. I think the hardest step for Peter must have come the moment right after this conversation in Mark 8, because that was the moment he realized this business of being a disciple, of following Jesus, was not about seeing his own agenda accomplished and his own dreams fulfilled. It was about seeing them crucified, and surrendering them to God's greater purposes instead.

Isn't that still what it means for anyone to follow Jesus? It means that we lay down our own agendas and hopes and dreams, and faithfully obey day by day. It's a daily dying to self—the crucifying of our own petty and self-centered desires so that we might more clearly reflect Christ to the people around us. In the end, it's not about bravado and bold statements. It's about simple, ongoing obedience to the words of our Lord. To say 'I will follow' is really not so different from saying 'Help me every hour to die to my own desires, Jesus, so that you can live more fully through me.'"

What Is Worship?

As I continue to focus on honoring God with our worship on Sunday morning in song, I asked myself the question, "What is worship?"  We'll be reading from Psalm 150 and Revelation 5 this Sunday to lead into our time of praise and worship thru song.  But how would I define worship?  Or better yet, how would God define worship?

Worship - derived from the Old English, woerthship:  Giving God His worth.

Now, what does this mean?

Well, when we take our offering on Sunday morning, our former pastor, Ben Woodring, would always precede it with prayer.  In closing each week, we "gave God the thanks for allowing us to give back to Him a portion of what He has bestowed upon us."  Money can be tied to worth, so maybe, just maybe we can learn a lesson from this prayer on a deeper meaning of what worship is.

GIVING GOD HIS WORTH:

First, we must recognize that God gave us worth first.  He loved us first (I John 4:19), while we were still sinners and had not turned to Him. (Romans 5:8)

Second, we must recognize, God gave us the very best He had.  He gave his one and only son, Jesus.  (John 3:16)

Third, we must recognize, God gave us everything He had.  Christ, when He came to redeem us, gave up everything He had in heaven.  He came as a servant, despite the fact that He was a king. He "emptied himself" (Phil 2:6-7).  The Amplified Bible states it this way, Jesus "stripped Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity."  In contrast to God emptying Himself for us, we esteemed him not (Isaiah 53:3).

Fourth, we must recognize, God continues to give to us bless us when we live in Christ. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)  What are these blessings?  Verses 4 thru 14 goes on to describe some of these - love, redemption, God's selection (or predestination), adoption as His sons, forgiveness, wisdom, understanding, the Holy Spirit, and the list goes on.

So, going back to our original question, "What Is Worship?"

Reading on thru Ephesians 1, we come to verse 12, " in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."  God wants to bless us, in turn so we can bless Him.  God wants our honor.  God wants our praise.  God wants us to "Stand in Awe" of Him.  God wants us to give our "All in All."  "We Bow Down" and "We Fall Down", knowing we are but sinners offering an imperfect sacrifice of praise.  He wants us to "Bring the Sacrifice of Praise."  (Notice, the focus of the names of some of our praise and worship songs.)

"Giving God His Worth" sounds simple, but I find myself falling short.  Do I give Him my all or do I share my heart with other idols?  Do I obey Him, or do I turn to sin for pleasure?  Would I rather read my Bible or turn on the TV?  Do I forsake my wordly belongings like Jesus commanded of the rich man in Matthew 19:16-22?  Do I follow Jesus with such a passion that in comparison the love that I give my friends and family is so imcomparable that it seems as if is comparable to hate, as Jesus teaches in Luke 14:26?  I admit, I do not honor God and give Him His worth each and every day.  But I am thankful that He is patient and loving toward me, extending His hand of mercy when I fall short or fail Him.

In closing, Pastor Jeff shares with us periodically what our first and foremost thought should be when we approach God's throne with worship.  In the words of the Westminster catechism,"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  It sounds to me that they have been asking "what is worship", for many, many years.  And until we see Him on the other side of glory, we will continue to fall short in giving God what is His due.  Let us pray, then:  Lord help us to become better worshippers for You by learning to give you the "weorthship" you deserve.

For more thoughts on worship as a continuous and growing action, and not just a relational state of being, read the following blog entry with the same title.

http://thinkingworship.com/tag/giving-god-his-worth/