Worship Is Like Seasons

It has been my experience that worship often occurs like seasons.  It has themes and feels, but they all move and change and never really stay in one spot for very long.  I'm sure that many, if not all, of you have noticed that churches get "stuck on a song" (or songs) for a while.  For a long time in my youth service we sang From the Inside Out by Hillsong United, as well as Fire Fall Down.  Currently, we often do Your Love is Strong by Jon Foreman and Revelation Song by Jennie Lee Riddle.  Why do I mention this?

The simple fact of it is that we as humans are habitual in nature.  We love things that don't change because they provide comfort and security.  Unfortunately, with the advent of Comfort and Security comes the departure of the Need for God.  In planning a worship set, you not only repeat songs because they are well known by the congregation but also because they are well known by the band (which can be really helpful when the band you are playing with is young and inexperienced).  The danger that this poses is large, but maybe unnoticed.  The congregation, especially if you are playing at a retreat or summer camp type venue, can become emotionally attached to the song.  Now, don't get me wrong, emotions are wonderful in a worship service.  Emotions should point the way to God, they should tug at our heart strings and invoke our Reason and Intelligence to ask the Spirit what He would tell us, but often we don't get that far.  If a congregation becomes "emotionally attached" to a song, the danger for them is to rely on their memories, on how they first felt when they heard the song for the very first time, and to stop seeking God and how He chooses to reveal Himself each time the song is sung.  The band can become so comfortable playing that song that it can go from playing a worship song and leading people in worship to just having fun and playing a great song.

Humanity's love of comfort doesn't just show itself in what song we sing either.  It is revealed when churches stick with just one style of music (Traditional or Contemporary), one style of worship (Structured or Spirit-led), one element about the atmosphere ("I can only worship if...").   My caution, and essentially my reason for writing this, is so that you can look at yourself and determine where your heart is when it comes to worship.  It is a lie of Hell to say "I can't worship unless...."  If you can't worship unless conditions are just the way you want them, then is it really worship?

John 4:19-26