Stop Acting Like The World
For many years in church service, I have loved my times of reflection upon the Scripture passage that my pastor plans to teach us any given Sunday. I do this as an act of worship and of preparation for worship. I not only read the selected passage, but I also read a synopsis of the book from which the passage comes.
I read about the historical context in which it was written. I read about the author of the book and I read about the audience he had in mind when writing it (if it’s an epistle, etc.).
It is important to me that my faith community sings songs of truth and beauty. It is important to me that we sing songs related to our corporate gathering to hear the Word of the Lord preached. It is also important to me that we sing songs that reflect the universal and timeless scope of the Gospel.
This past week, my pastor taught from James 4:1-12. The passage regards social sin and worldliness vs. godliness. Written by James during a time of great cultural turbulence, it was not hard to relate the passage to our current season of life culturally, politically, economically, and so forth.
Pastor Ben deftly unpacked the passage for us by pointing out James’ encouragement to concentrate upon conflicts differently than the world. Hearkening to the initial conflict of all conflicts; fallen humanity and their Creator, the church is called to live in understanding that we were an offender...an enemy of God...at the time that God chose to extend peace and a resolution. Within this gracious framework, we are to resolve any conflicts we are experiencing between ourselves and others in a manner unlike the world.
I have taken this opportunity to share the songs I selected for us to sing and why they were selected. I encourage you to read the passages associated with each song and, if you can, to look up the song lyrics and read through them. I have provided title and artist to assist.
With that in mind, here are the songs we offered in worship:
“Wake Up the World”, Gateway Worship
Matthew 28:16-20; Hebrews 12
The mind/heart/soul connection for me:
This song is one of communal declaration regarding missional awareness. The song lays out imagery of “us” versus the “world” and our acknowledgement that we have been called to engage and change the world with truth evidenced by our own changed lives. We realize that we are not fighting our neighbor. Instead, we are fighting FOR our neighbor by guarding against the darkness. We are surrendered to this mission because it is a matter of life and death.
James states, “submit to the LORD”.
“What Do I Know of Holy?”, Addison Road
Isaiah 6
The mind/heart/soul connection for me:
It is often all too easy for me to overlook the holiness and otherness of God when I approach Him in prayerful petition or adoring song. The Scriptures call our attention over and over again to the greatness and vastness of the Creator. We are reminded of our inability to understand Him in any manner that would justify a contemptuous familiarity.
This song is an invitation for the mindful singer to reflect. To put themselves in a position of reposeful inquisitiveness rather than frenetic assertiveness (as too many of our songs often enable). The questions coax forth imagery of God’s omniscient power and, as questions, juxtapositions our lack of knowledge against our tendency towards reductionist thinking regarding God’s immensity.
James reminds the believer, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Favor! Yes, please.
“Yahweh”, Elevation Worship
Exodus 3:14; Revelation 1:8
The mind/heart/soul connection for me:
It is not often that we sing songs of, what I would consider, musical complexity. I am mindful, when selecting songs for an intergenerational community, that musical complexity should be one of the considerations brought into the selection process. This is not to say that I never choose musically complex songs. I do. I believe worshipers should willingly tax themselves from time to time by attempting to wrap their mind, heart, and body around a complex offering of musical worship. “Yahweh” is one of those few songs for me. The poetry is elegant but full of profound truth. The melody and harmonies possess a heaviness and weightiness that aurally illustrates the subject matter.
This song reminds me that Yahweh is God and that I am not. And yet...He has chosen for His Spirit to reside within me. Glory!
James reminds us that God is jealous of the spirit within us. James also reminds us that there is only One Lawgiver and Judge. Yahweh. He loves me. And He loves the one with whom I am in conflict. It is His prerogative and His alone to save or destroy.
“By Our Love”, Christy Nockels
Psalm 141:5; Acts 28:2; 2 Corinthians 6:6; Ephesians 2:7; Colossians 3:12; 1 John 4:7, John 13:34
The mind/heart/soul connection for me:
Conflict can lead to love. How? Engage with one another in the manner that James lays out...with a Biblically-grounded perspective of yourself, your neighbor, and who you/they were before God intervened in your life with His grace. Once dialogue (not MONOlogue...but DIAlogue) opens up in that context, we are strengthened by our bonds of unity in Christ and our empathy for one another as fallen vessels. Then the world looks upon us inquisitively. Why? Because the spirit of the world perversely shouts “love!” with deceitful and self-serving intent.
We, however, are spiritually empowered to actually demonstrate the all-conquering, ever-lasting, foundational power of self-less love. THIS is how we show our “otherness”. This is how we show our humility. This is how we look different from the world.
After all, did the One Judge and Lawgiver not willingly die for your offense? Oh what a Savior...
~ Jason Lanier serves as Worship & Arts Pastor at LIFE Fellowship and is co-founder of A Cause for Tea