"Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music." - Martin Luther.
Tonight I sat in on the Urbana 15 worship open rehearsal. We were invited to participate in the stories of worship - the stories of different cultures, different histories, different perspectives. We were invited to step into these stories; stories that crossed borders and languages.
Worship, musical worship, is a beautiful way to connect to the spirit moving within us. Sometimes the noises of life are so loud it's hard to focus ourselves on the movements of Jesus in the world. Even as we engage in scripture, theological conversations, or what not, our minds are so overwhelmed with thought that we often miss the supernatural spirit moving within us. I'm all for intellectual pursuits, especially through scripture. I studied English literature in college and so I greatly value the study of scripture. But it's not the only way to experience God.
Musical worship allows me to transcend my own experiences and tap into something greater. I can transcend into stories of people and cultures I many never know. I am given an opportunity to connect with the persecuted church as we sing songs that ask Jesus for strength to follow him through the terror, the death, and the torture. I am given an opportunity to connect with the Black American church who is experiencing a reality different from the White American church today. I am given an opportunity to connect with the story of slavery, the story of #blacklivesmatter, the story of reconciliation and a cry for justice. I am given an opportunity to connect with the immigrant experience in a foreign land. I am given a chance to connect with people who are not my own and cultures not my own but that are so dearly precious to Jesus.
It's also a way for me to connect with the greater story of God and the Spirit moving inside me. When I step into worship I can let myself go for a moment. I can step into a place of hope when I may feel there is none, I can cry out to God from a depth in my soul that I may not be able to reach with my intellect. I can be a truer version of myself when I'm free to worship the Lord.
Because in worship - that's what I find - freedom. Freedom to laugh without fear of the future, freedom to cry out for God to save his people, freedom to be hopeful, freedom to cry for justice, and freedom to be.
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