Thoughts from a fellow WorshipGod 09 attender
August 14, 2009
Zach Nielsen, a fellow church musician and a blogger I read (and to whom I’ve linked a few times here), writes some significant and helpful thoughts gleaned from his time at the WorshipGod conference. His main point:
If a majority of the songs that we sing are more weighted towards how I feel about God or my response to God, it may tend to produce false affections that have no enduring value. Think about it like this. When I tell my wife I love her, I have a backdrop of 11 years of experience of living life with her that colors my deep affection for her. Pondering all the ways that she has loved me, served me, and blessed me makes my statement, “I love you” have significant depth and meaning. Telling her, “I love you” about fifty times on our first date (while being extremely creepy) would be hallow, shallow, and rather meaningless. The depth of my love for her is informed by the content of our past shared experience and the ways she has loved me so well.
In the same way, in our worship gatherings, our time of singing should start with reflection on who he has revealed himself to be in the scriptures and in Jesus and also what he has done through all of redemptive history. With this backdrop of his greatness, compassion, mercy and love in view, we can fix our minds upon these glorious truths. How could we keep from responding with joy, thanks, and heartfelt gratitude?
This falls right in line with what we’re trying to do here at FCC. We want to focus on the reality of who God is and what He has done for us in Christ–to celebrate these realities, to revel in them, and to respond to them in adoration and service to our God.