So I have been hearing an abnormal amount of really old '90s worship music this summer. I went to a church that played a song from the year my sister was born. A quick message to all worship leaders. RETIRE A SONG AFTER TWO YEARS!!! No exceptions (unless you drastically re-arrange the composition on a hymn, like dramatically). You may be arguing with me in your head, but as a worship leader you have been given the divine charge of guiding your congregation into the presence of God. Countless Psalms of David exhort the singing of "a new song." I cannot emphasize the necessity of this enough. It is mission critical to the life of the church to be current in worship, and to always be allowing your heart to be led by the Holy Spirit. I want to share with you a quick story, and I hope you take it to heart.
"And the LORD said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel [Exodus 17:5-6 (English Standard Version)]."
Fast forward, just a bit.
"Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle." And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them [Numbers 20:8-12 (English Standard Version)]."
You have a divine charge to usher the people of God into His presence. Continue to live in the influence of the most high God, and do not allow the worship of His Holy Name to become stagnated!
I have been going crazy lately over something I used to think was trivial. David Crowder re-wrote the words to John Mark McMillian's song "How He Loves," and it has been driving me out of my mind. He changed the lyric "so heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss," to "so heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss." This is theologically reprehensible. The kingdom of heaven in no way meets earth like an unforeseen kiss! It has been the subject of books, and sermons, lectures, and doctoral dissertations. It is the single most anticipated moment that will ever come, more so perhaps even than the coming of Messiah! I have been so bothered by this, and I don't know what the answer is. The words "so heaven meets earth like an anxiously anticipated kiss," don't exactly roll of the tongue. I don't really know what to do here. Now I need you to understand something. I LOVE DAVID CROWDER! He is one of the incredibly small number of actually talented Christian musicitians, and he deserves respect. He is one of the most important artists when it comes to worship music, along with; Hillsong, Passion, Steve Fee, Phil Wickham, and Shane Bernard. Crowder (who typically comes to the rescue of our generation in propagating edgy worship music) has really sold this song short. If you are a worship leader, or a senior pastor, please sing the song the way it was written. Your congregation will get over the original shock, and will learn to embrace the song the way the original artist penned it (which I am always in favor of). Shalom
