Today at work I had my iPod on shuffle. I made a playlist of songs for work, it's about 21 gb of music (9days) and ranges from Sigur Ros to Oh Sleeper, from Rihanna to David Crowder, from Johnny Cash to Daft Punk. The guys I work with are a little confused because my music just jumps around from one extreme to the next. But I love good music, and good music can be anywhere from old country to new hardcore and everything in between.
So while I was listening I heard 2 songs back to back that made me think. First it was a song from one of my all time favorite bands, As Cities Burn. The song that followed was from another one of my all time fav's David Crowder. They were very different songs and I loved them both, but for very different reasons.
First of all, one the reason's I love As Cities Burn so much is because of their honesty. They say so much with their lyrics and they are willing to say things that alot of Christians aren't willing to say or are to scared to say. I love the raw honesty of these guys and I don't think I'll ever get sick of them.
Then David Crowder came on, and I realized that I loved these lyrics for a different reason. I love the truth in his lyrics, the scriptural truth about God. It's the same reason I love hymns, they are so rich in truth about God's character and His mercy and love.
I'm not saying that there wasn't truth in the honest lyrics of As Cities Burn, or that there is a lack of honesty in David Crowder's lyrics. I'm just trying to point out the differences between the two. Truth and Honesty often go hand in hand, but they aren't the same thing. We can be honest about the way we feel, but it doesn't mean that we are speaking the truth.
This thought made me think about corporate worship. I think that quite often we get confused in church and we think that because a song is honest it will make a good worship song. But I think it's the truth that makes a good worship song. Consider the difference. If I wrote a song about the way God makes me feel, it could be the best song in the world but I don't think that it would necessarily be appropriate for corporate worship in church. Not everyone around me is going to feel the same way I felt the moment I wrote that song, not to mention that no matter how honest I'm being, my feelings might not be true. I might feel that God hates me. If I wrote a song about it, it would be honest, but not true.
It's the truth that needs to define our worship, and in that truth there needs to be honesty. Consider this... If I wrote a song about the goodness of God, or the greatness of God, or the majesty of God and it's based on scripture, that is a song that is based on truth. It is a song that every Christian can sing no matter what they are feeling. It doesn't matter if you had a terrible day or a great day, your day does not define the splendor and majesty of God Almighty. That to me is what defines a great corporate worship song. A song that is based on truth, not necessarily honesty.
I think that we have made it to common to sing songs in church that are subjective and based on feelings. They may be honest songs, but they aren't based on the truth of God. And if we are singing songs based on OUR feelings and OUR experiences, who are we really worshiping?
Take a look at the songs you sing in your church. How many are based on feelings? Is the most common word in the song "I" or "Me" or "We"? Or are the songs based on scripture? Are they about God and to God and for God? I challenge you to look and if they aren't scripturally based or based on truth, maybe you should ask someone why you are singing them in church.
Maybe I'm wrong. But then again, maybe I'm not.
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