Note added on 8/7: This discussion is going so well that I want to keep it running for another day. If you haven’t chimed in yet, please do so! We have some worship leaders watching how this pans out. Thanks for stopping by y’all!
Help me out here:
What songs, subjects, and themes do you want to sing about in Church that aren’t already being covered by today’s worship songs? What are we missing in our lyrics?
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Great question.
But for me I can’t really answer it…I mean I don’t think I can.
If I could, I guess I’d say I’d love to see and hear more (even though there’s already a ton) actual WORSHIP music. Music that is directly ABOUT the goodness of God.
Worship simply means ascribing worth to something. So it does not require any me-oriented thoughts at all. For example: if I sing, “Lord, I need you I’m so desperate for You.” Is that worship? Sure, we can be in a worshipful, reverent state singing it, but to me it’s not direct. Those types of lyrics can bring us to the place of direct worship…maybe the next line is “You satisfy because only You are God the Great Provider” (which to me is a direct statement of worth to God).
Anyways, I guess what I’d like to see LESS of is songs that focus TOO much on our own condition and songs that maybe hint at that, but really and truly bring the focus on GOD!
I know we all could split hairs about the content of the Psalms and how most of the psalms are me oriented with turnarounds that point to God. So I’m not saying it’s wrong. I’d just like the corporate gathering to me more of a place where we actually WORSHIP God through the songs we choose and not come each week singing about our desolate and desperate conditions. Maybe we could tell God that during the other 6 days of the week!
So there ya have it, the “I don’t think I can answer this question!” haha.
Songs in praise of His character, His attributes, His ways.
Not about my feelings, so much.
My heart is deceitful and terribly wicked.
He has promised to help me overcome…
So…more of Him…less of me…I think.
I went to church camp with my daughter, and I have been thinking about this all week since I got back.
I think every worship song in church should be set to motions like the children’s worship songs are.
We are to worship with reckless abandon, dance and sing, and make a joyful noise.
It is not he music’s fault that we do not worship well.
I will ad that songs to him, and what he has done for us are what gets me going…
What’s something that He’s done that we don’t sing about much?
OK.. This will be long so I appologize…
If you look at some of the modern worship songs, we sing of God is Awesome (and he is), God is our protector (he is), God is our shield (he is), God is our Guide (he is), and God will provide (He will). What most modern worship songs, miss out on is worshiping in thanks and Joy for the Hope of heaven.
“God of wonders beyond our galaxy, your are Holy. The Universe declares your majesty, You are Holy. Lord of Heaven and Earth Lord of Heaven and Earth”
Don’t get me wrong nothing in those words are wrong, and there is precedence to sing such in the Hosanna’s sung as Christ entered Jerusalem. … God is beyond, holy,majestic, and Lord. Don’t you think he already knows that? Does God really need a pep talk from us in our worship? I just sometimes get the feeling we worship for the affirmation of our faith more than the praise of a God who saved us through his sacrifice. Worship in this manner becomes our identity in a way.
As I listen to the old hymns , it just seems that the old time hymns were much more simple in their praise. The hymns are pure Joy for the Hope that they have because of Faith in Christ, and his death on the cross. Hope that the suffering will end forever. Hope that we will persevere as God walks with us. Hope for the calling to come home, hope for the resurrection of the new body. Hope in a God that does not disappoint. Hope in a God who saves by Grace.
So yes it is ok to worship and sing all out Hossana to the One most high, but we need to make sure we communicate why we are calling out those praises. Not just because he created this awesome universe, not just because he is our provider, but because of the sacrifice that allows us to live in everyday with Joy in the Hope of eternity.
hm. now, i haven’t heard any of your music… but something i’ve noticed in the churches i’ve been in is a trend towards “how we feel when we worship” rather than a focus on the character of G.
well, darn. michelle already hit that idea. guess it resonates.
being a bible major, i tend to analyze songs theologically to see if they’re “right”. one phrase in a popular song that gets to me is “and i know that he’s alive… he came to fix my broken life” – he didn’t. that’s not what he is about. sure, he loves us and cares for us. he does fix our brokenness. but he came to display his glory, to show us who he is. he came for so much more than me, even though he did come for me. it’s personal, but it’s so much more.
shrug. now i’m rambling.
Roo,
That happens to be my favorite song.
You are quite correct about that particular line. Theologically, he made us new creations and not simple repair our broken selves. However, I love that song because of the lines after it: “I’ll sing to glorify the holy name, Jesus Christ.”
Some reason, that line always gets me.
I concur. I do like the rest of the song. Maybe that’s why that line bugs me so much?
totally resonates…
Of course, God’s chief end is always to glorify Himself whereas our chief end is to worship Him by enjoying Him forever.
I like songs that are less me and more Him. Songs like Red Letter’s “Led to the Slaughter”:
May we not seek false saviors
in worthless things
Collapse our knees beneath us
You are our King
i much prefer songs TO God than ABOUT Him for a worship setting.
I agree with that, alece.
Great prepositions you got there, Alece.
I think for the most part the songs that really bring me into HIS presence, are songs that remind me of who HE is, and what an honor and privilege we have been given to come into HIS throne room. Worship is very personal tho, and i dont think we all do it the same…
Lyrically, i would like to hear more songs that portray a real conversation between us and HIM..some of the wording is starting to get so familiar that people rarely think about what they are singing.. Great song…Did you see the mountains tremble?, but honestly no , no i didn’t.
well..thats all for today
Hope you are doing well, praying for you sista
What would that conversation look like, Darla?
Oh yea, more songs that guys would sing.
Elaborate, Joe. I think you’re on to something…
and maybe less talking between songs..some really get going, and then my focus is on what they think, then i struggle to get back there, ya know?
Hi Mandy,
I remember doing a study once on the Psalms. The book of praises. It’s in between Job and Proverbs, the books of truth. I suppose that’s what I want to hear, praises, that speak God’s truth. Alot more to Him than what He can do for me. Songs about praise, relationships, how He overthrows the wicked, and repentance. Not only about what He’s done, but what He is doing now….just songs that bring us to our knees and take us to Him.
I would tell you, but I don’t want us to start writing the same songs!
But seriously, I’m trying to come to terms with Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God, so my song-writing has been exploring that, and I’m particularly drawn to songs explicitly about the Kingdom, Kingdom principles, and Kingdom living.
I guess to piggy back off of Roo’s and Joseph’s comments about the lyrics to that particular song, I would have to agree but I think the song writer has taken some artistic license. When I sing the line, “He came to fix my broken life” I understand that Jesus was the remedy for the sin condition of mankind. God was glorified through the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, for all of us. I truly believe that we need more songs that worship God for WHO HE IS. However, this is a worship song giving God glory for WHAT HE’S DONE. There’s nothing wrong with worshiping in this way as long as we remember WHO worship is primarily for.
Hi! Hi! HI!!!
Mandy, I was thinking about this just today. My answer to your question?
You can’t go wrong with scripture.
I love the “Glory Revealed” project because it’s God’s Word set to music. “Seeds” Family Worship does a great job of this as well.
The problem is we don’t sing these songs in “big church.”
So–more musical settings of scripture. That’s what I’d like to hear on Church Day.
Can you wrote those? I have some text suggestions if you’re interested.
I so enjoy your blog. AND your music.
Yes, Candi – I’d love a list of those passages!
Here are some passages that I’d like to see set to music (I’ve been reading the New Living Translation, and it really helps me see familiar passages in a new light):
Turn us again to Yourself, O God. Make Your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. (Psalm 80:3, repeated in 19)
[The LORD said,] Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12)
Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has saved you from your enemies. (Psalm 107:2)
All praise to Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding His blood for us. He has made us His Kingdom and His priests who serve before God His Father. Give to Him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen! (Revelation 1:5-6)
As we know Jesus better, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness! (2 Peter 1:3)
These are all fantastic ideas. Thanks Candi!
“conversation between us and God” i will try to elaborate on that..
its alot like prayer..start with Adoration/praise of who HE is, and all that HE has done and doing..moving into Confession, we are not worthy nor deserving of such a great honor, and we need to clean up our hearts to proceed. Moving to Thankfulness which alot confuse as Adoration/praise..but really HE is worthy of Praise,even if we are not thankful. Then ending with Supplement..anything that is on your heart..i was taught this as “Acts”.
Conversing with a Holy God-is humbling, but the most rewarding..i am thinking that sequence plays an issue..for example.. if i start with a song that repetively calls out my needs and wants (even to draw me closer), maybe I have missed the initial Praise for who HE is, and not being proper to come into the Kings throne room, much less the KING of Kings. There is nothing wrong in my mind with singing things that call out for HIM to help us in anyway, but it tends to look and sound like self worship on the loathing end..if it comes across like that to humans, how much more must it sound like that to HIM.
Conversing with God is free and open, HE desires our heart to be out there in communication that is honest, all the while remembering who we are talking to, our Father God, and our Creator/King.
don’t know if that helps or not…when worship is lead in this way, i have felt the room fill with HIS spirit, HE loves us, but HE’s still a King.
This is great, Darla. I’m going to chew on what you’ve shared here… Especially in planning the progression of a worship service in a proper order – not just bursting into God’s house and demanding/requesting of Him. But coming in properly – reverently.
Thanks for taking the time to share!
i havent read thru the comments, but i suspect its already been said…but i think a lot of the songs today we call worship songs or too much about us, worshiping…us.
very few write like David wrote. his words are raw, real. he wrote without concern of what others would think of his lyrics.
i dunno…but i do know i probably didnt answer your question.
surprised?
as long as the song isn’t a sad excuse to take a currently popular lyrics and translating them into christianese in a poor attempt to be “relevant”.
Relevance is taking the bear moments inside of our hearts when we’re most vulnerable, seeing how this perspective relates to the world around us and creating the culture for the next breathable moment.
How that relates to worship, I’m not sure, but I agree w/ the others…more about Him, less about us
In my opinion, this requires us to remove the penetrable sheath called personal courage and to rest in our own convictions merely to strip down to the simplicity of a bond servant, honoring her King.
the end.
Very interesting conversation… the first thing that came to mind was the fact that the music must/should touch all ages. I know so many older people (and at times younger people) who feel they are missing something in the contemporary music arena. They miss the hymnal – or at least the familiar sound of it.
With that said, I would like to throw out the word – Tradition
Prayer as a conversation – not a ritual. And to counter what I said in the first paragraph, I also need the song about struggle – there are times when I want to/need to hear a song about struggle – like Mark Schultz’s song “He is my son.” A way to connect with the pain (or the joy for that matter) of the individual through my daily, hourly, etc. prayer to God.
I think something that’s missing is praise directed to the Spirit. Maybe I’m just having a mental block, but it seems like most worship songs that talk about the Spirit are asking for things. Maybe that’s because we don’t really know how to praise the Spirit. We think about Him in a more utilitarian way than we think about the Father and the Son. I guess this depends a lot on what denomination you find yourself in, but in my experience, the Spirit has definitely been the least addressed of the Trinity. He’s just so mysterious. How should we worship Him? I don’t think I would even know where to start. Any thoughts?