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That's What Your Mercy Did For Me - Leanne White

Music is a form of entertainment. As Christians, we seem to have difficulty separating entertainment and performance from reverent and selfless worship. I see this as a major issue in the Church. If you watch a modern worship team, oftentimes you can tell if they are being genuine or if they think Sunday morning is simply their time to shine. Music, as a form of worship, is not meant to be a chance for us to elevate ourselves and show off our talents, but rather an opportunity to elevate God and use our gifts as tools to glorify Him. For some, singing worship music is a ritual or a traditional activity that you just do because, well, you just do. This is also dangerous. Music in the Church has become a means of emotional manipulation, a chance in the spotlight, or a mindless practice. Worship music is important in our walk with God, just as Augustine began each book with a prayer of praise. Even when he had questions, he said he would praise God for what he did know. One of my favourite worship songs says:

I was hopeless I knew I was lost/Death and darkness were my only songs/I needed someone to come rescue me/Then mercy heard my plea

Just as Augustine praises God in the midst of his confusion, we should praise God for the blessings He has given to us and remind ourselves of Who He is when we are lost in the dark.

You gave me beauty for my guilty stains/And now I'm living day to day by your grace/So excuse me if I can't contain my praise/Cause I know that I've been saved


God is so much more deserving of our praise than we can comprehend. We should be so full of praise and gratefulness that we cannot contain our songs for Him. Worship is not a time for us to glorify ourselves, but to pour out our hearts for Him to Him.


Every morning mercy will restore me/I will proclaim/And even if the world should fall before me/I will proclaim


Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GRU5K3UFmE

I commented on Hailey Morgan and Rachel Gregson's post.

Comments

  1. Caroline TuckerJanuary 24, 2021 at 8:21 PM

    I completely agree! You seamlessly expressed how I feel about modern worship. One thing that I notice in worship that makes it look like a show is when people worship through motion or movement (raising hands, swaying, sometimes even jumping). Do not get me wrong, I believe that worshipping with movement is worship if done with the right heart, mind, and attitude. However, sometimes it feels like people move for show rather than in worship. Sometimes, it draws the audience’s attention to them rather than to God, where the attention should ultimately be.

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  2. Hailey MorganJanuary 25, 2021 at 2:21 PM

    I definitely feel as though modern worship services have steadily adapted to become a sort of musical showcase. Though this isn't the case in all churches, many praise and worship teams have come to see Sunday mornings as a chance to shine and not an opportunity to lead the congregation in praise. St. Basil cautioned that we do not fall into this habit and yet, it seems like we have willingly adopted it!

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  3. kaitlyn terryJanuary 25, 2021 at 7:32 PM

    I totally agree! I have seen so many people in the church leading worship, but you can tell that they feel like it's more of a performance than a chance to worship. That is something that has always gotten under my skin and is part of the reason why I consciously try to focus on the words being sung rather than the worship leaders or the music.

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  4. Emma Kate PattersonJanuary 26, 2021 at 1:26 AM

    I agree that worship is meant to glorify and praise God. I think often times we forget the true purpose of worship. There is a difference in being at worship and being a part of worship. As Christians we should use worship as a way to glorify God. We should not simply be at worship to listen to the songs but we should be a part of worship, praising and glorifying God.

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