Music Mondays: Arresting Lyrics

Last week, I introduced this series and kicked it off with a number of Rich Mullins' lyrics that I find startlingly profound and emotionally powerful.

There are several other artists and categories I plan to feature but as I got into organizing and arranging them all, I realized it will take a bit more thought and time than I anticipated.

So for this week, I thought I'd go with an easier one, Hillsong. I am certainly not familiar with their entire catalog and am certainly aware that they have been criticized for a number of different things. For better, or worse, this Australian-founded outfit took commercialized modern worship. They are significantly different than Mullins if you wanted to compare these back to back. But boy have they written some great songs with lyrics that really stand out.

4. "On a hill you created, Light of the world abandoned in darkness to die" - So Will I (100 Billion X)

This song is unique both for it's lack of chorus and how it seamlessly blends biblical themes from Genesis to the Gospels.

I could easily include the lines that follow "and as you speak 100 billion failures disappear. Where you lost your life so I could find it here, if you left the grave behind you so will I". Really the entire stanza always resonates with me. And the particular point it makes about Christ dying on the ground he helped create (Col. 1:15-16) - it is a perspective I hadn't considered before this song and one I will not soon forget.

3. Now this gospel truth of old, shall not kneel, shall not faint. By His blood and in His name, in His freedom I am free. For the love of Jesus Christ, who has resurrected me." - King of Kings

I originally thought of just the first line and then realized that it keeps building and building and crests with the joyous truth that all in Christ have been raised with him in glory (Rom. 6:4). This is a song about the victorious gospel and the praise of the one who has given that victory to us.

2. "Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name" - Shout to the Lord

The "original" Hillsong hit that felt like it drew you in to worship from the first time you heard it. Mountains bowing, seas roaring - what a way to convey the power of our God.

Admittedly, this song is repetitive. One verse and one chorus repeated several times. For me, it's like watching a great movie and then re-watching it a bunch more times to pick up on all the nuances and things you missed the first time. Repetition can be a weakness of modern worship music, but in this case I think it helps us better appreciate the truths contained within.

1. "You have no rival, you have no equal. Now and forever God you reign. Yours is the Kingdom, yours is the glory. Yours is the name above all names" - What a Beautiful Name

This entire verse deserves the top spot really. I especially like how they come back to this last half of the verse in the live renditions.

This may come off weird, but I think I have probably cherished this song and this verse in particular in the last couple years because of the many funerals I have had to officiate over the past 18-24 months. For me it has become a protest anthem. Death is our enemy, but it cannot hold a candle to our Lord and Savior.  What a powerful name it is!

Music Mondays

I realized it has been quite awhile since I did anything related to music or my ongoing series "Music Monday". A busy schedule has a way of doing that to me.

I thought I'd bring back the feature in a short-and-sweet way this morning with a newer song I'm really liking. I am not going to waste a lot of space to share why, just that I like how in a confessional sort of way, it describes Jesus' life, ministry, and the beginning of the Church.

Music Monday - "Who the Son Sets Free..."

Can you remember hearing a song on the radio and thinking, "I need to look that up later" - only to totally forget it when you get home?

That happened to me with this song, only of course I remembered it thankfully. Yesterday it played on Christian radio on the way home from church. I think I've heard it before, but it really struck a chord in my heart for whatever reason. 

Only, when I tried in my head to come back to it today, nothing. Couldn't even remember the chorus. 
Eventually I figured it was Hillsong and I started scouring YouTube and whatdoyouknow, it turned up. 

If you are still interested in reading more and will indulge my idiosyncrasies, this song does provoke some stereotypical criticisms in my mind. 
It reminds one of U2, it seems to end the same as many other Hillsong singles, and it is very individual-centric. 
But it's musical composition and lyrical faithfulness to God's Word keeps pulling me back in. John 8, 14, 1 Peter 2. 

Yes modern worship can be too much about "me". But the impact on the Gospel upon our identity is a clear emphasis of the New Testament. Let's praise God for what he's done for us!

Music Mondays - In defense of Contemporary Worship

I'm a pastor, so my world is unique. The people I meet, the conversations I have, the routine of my job - all unique. And one part of the uniqueness of my calling is that from time-to-time, I will encounter people who still want to fight a war that's already been lost. 

Ultimately, in the larger American Christian culture, this issue is settled. The worship wars were waged and the "contemporary side" gained the most ground and is the most favored form of worship music in (American) Christendom. The traditional side still staunchly continues and those of us who prefer a blended approach still hold pockets here and there. But contemporary worship that involves bands and soft-rock music and lights and visual presentations has won the day.

They will lob snarky criticism at contemporary worship, creating straw-man arguments and generalizations about how nobody writes with any theological depth anymore. All the new music is simply sensual love songs repackaged and rewritten with "God", "Jesus", and "the Lord" edited in. The classic hymns passed down throughout history, resplendent with all of their progressive verses and rousing choruses are far superior than the repetitive and shallow songs of this generation. 

And I understand their comments and to an extent they have a point. 

However they are completely fixated on the mediocre while ignoring the large quantity of evidence that contradicts their assertions. 

Well, let's add more to the growing list of modern worship songs that reflect the popular cultural styles but include strong biblical theology:

I'm sure some curmudgeonly nit-picker will find fault with a word or phrase or other detail. 
But wow is this creative and comprehensive. And the best part in my opinion is that it's not merely a feel-good song, but a song of commitment. 

It enlarges our vision of God and pledges to faithfully follow Him.

So Will I, indeed.

Music Mondays

My last Music Monday post was a little silly, tying into the NCAA Tourney that was going on. 

With this post, we're getting more serious and spiritual, tying into the Easter weekend we just went through. 

I've featured these songs before, but I can't think of anything better than to feature these three favorites that highlight the glorious truths of the Resurrection story. 

They don't really need extra comment, but they do all deserve extra contemplation as we "move past" Easter. Even if time marches on, hopefully are hearts will remain  fixed on these realities.

 

Music Mondays

As the pinnacle of the great sign miracles of Jesus, John records for us the Lord's raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is the glorious capstone of Jesus' works and it fully reveals who He is unlike any of the other signs He did.

For critics, John 11 is an easy target to aim at in their goal of reducing Jesus to a mere religious figure. They search for alternative explanations, they cast doubt on it's authenticity, and they deny it's reality. 

For believers, John 11 is an overwhelming wave of hope that washes over us and leaves us forever changed. 

John 11 is the story of Jesus confronting death and proving it is no match for his divine identity. There are beautiful details showing him calling his followers to faith and emotionally responding to the fallenness of this world. 
But the truly impactful part of this story is the dramatic demonstration of Jesus calling Lazarus back to life. It is a showcase of His infinite power and a foreshadowing of what is to come in His own person.

That is why this song resonates so much with me:

You have no rival
You have no equal
Now and forevermore You reign

What a beautiful, wonderful, and powerful name it is - the name of Jesus. 

Music Mondays

Around these parts, this summer has been largely characterized by precipitation. Even this morning a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Northern Indiana and sure enough, the skies opened up around 9:45 and it's been steadily raining for a good hour and a half - with no signs of stopping.

Without any other ideas, I figured I might as well use it as inspiration for today's Music Monday. Scripture certainly uses rain in literal and figurative ways to teach us lessons. 

Here are my top 3 Christian songs that involve rain:

3. Michael W. Smith - "Let it Rain"

2. Delirious? - "Rain Down"

1. Jars of Clay - "Flood"

After the jump we have two honorable mentions that didn't quite qualify since their content doesn't exactly deal with rain, but they were close enough to be considered.

Music Mondays

Yesterday we had a special 'Camp'-themed service as the Rick Miller, director of Camp Shipshewanna at the Brethren Retreat Center, was our main speaker.

Our church has a long history with the BRC and Camp Shipshewanna and we have given scholarships to 9 kids connected to our church to attend summer camp this year.

Summer camp can be a really special time in the lives of youths. It provides a great opportunity to disconnect from all the stuff of the world and really focus on the Lord. I personally have many great memories from attending my church camp and then later on being a counselor there. And in high school, some of the most spiritually-enriching times were when I attended Word of Life Camps in New York with my Youth Group.

Given our emphasis on Sunday, our worship team prepared a special song set that allowed us the opportunity to sing some of our old camp favorites. 

One song that stands out to me has a classic camp song is our featured selection on this Music Monday. We didn't sing "Shine Jesus Shine" yesterday, but whenever we sing it I think of the fun motions that varied over the years as I was growing up and singing it at Word of Life. Of course, along with being a fun song, it has a strong message about desiring God to shine his light through our lives.

Music Mondays

It is the one that started it all. 
If you wanted to pin the modern contemporary worship movement on one song, it would be Darlene Zschech's Shout to the Lord. Though she technically wrote it in 1993 for her Hillsong Church in Austrailia, it eventually made the leap across the Pacific and by the late 90's was winning awards for Song of the Year as well as being sung by an estimated 25-30 million people every Sunday.

Maybe I'm completely out of the loop and this is still a consistent inclusion in most churches' worship services, but I am making a educated guess that it has peaked in usage. I have no doubt though, that in 100 years, this will be one of the songs from our era that will have stood the test of time. 

Music Mondays

I was first exposed to this week's song through Kristian Stanfill and the Passion 2012 album. Originally a Hillsong creation, it's a sing-able worship song that's gotten some radio play that I've come to like despite myself.

Being a theologically-trained pastor, I almost automatically revert to analyzing songs when I'm listening to or singing them. I'm sure this revelation will come as a shock to those of you who have read this blog.

I appreciate this song for the truth it proclaims about the Lord, but at the same time it seems contrived and formulaic in a lot of ways (much like this somewhat sarcastic "How to" video).

So in the end, I'm left with enjoying a song despite my mental dissonance. It offers a great proclamation and hope that we can run to God's arms and find a love that "will always be enough".

 

Music Mondays

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, where Christians world-wide celebrate the 'Triumphal Entry' of Jesus into Jerusalem the week before he died (see Matt. 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11 etc). 

As he entered the city on a donkey and made his way towards the temple, the crowds responded with singing and laying palm branches and their cloaks on the ground. They held messianic hopes for Jesus and joyously sang Psalm 118 proclaiming their hopes of God's salvation. "Hosanna" literally means "Lord save us!" In it's original context, Ps. 118:26 is actually a call for deliverance, though used in these later days, it seems to have morphed into an expression of praise. 

Interestingly enough, before his death, Jesus would lament his rejection and predict his future coming that will be accompanied by the same proclamation that was made that first Palm Sunday (Matt.23:38-39). It's fascinating to me how Psalm 118 had specific relevance to ancient Hebrew worshipers, worshipers of Jesus' day, and it still holds relevance for the future. 

I didn't completely understand all of this until the very end of our service yesterday when I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to read Revelation 7:9-10:

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

While this vision doesn't directly allude to Psalm 118 or what Jesus described in Matthew 23, I hadn't noticed the palm branches reference the many times I'd read this before. No doubt this is an allusion to the celebrations that first Palm Sunday as the final victory of God is realized on that day.
Hosanna in the Highest!

Music Mondays

I learned of this week's featured song over facebook, as some friends of mine who lead worship expressed their appreciation for this new song by Hillsong.

It is less of a 're-mix' of an old hymn as a new song that incorporates an older tune, in this case "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus".  It's a thought-provoking song for me personally, as I've been more and more sensitive to the idols I've set up in my own heart. To sing "Christ is enough for me" with any sincerity becomes a convicting exercise.

That's what worship is supposed to be, at least in part, recognizing God's greatness and our frailty.