Teaching worship?

It's an interesting concept, I think. It's one that I certainly struggle with as a Worship Leader. At least in the musical sense. 

We are definitely wired to be worshippers. God put a desire in all of us to worship Him. The problem, of course, is that we struggle with that desire, and we often times worship other things in place of Him. For believers, it's obviously not something we do consciously (well at least I hope we don't do it consciously). Rather, we let other things (Money, Work, TV, Music, Cars, Laptops, Hobbies) become our focus, our passion. By doing so, we steal from The One that gives us that passion, that desire for worship in a way that only worshipping Him can quench. *If any of this resonates with you, check out Louie Giglio's book "The Air I Breathe" - he really does a great job on this concept. 

When we gather together on Sunday mornings, in a celebration service. One of the main components of that is the musical worship experience. This is something that as a Worship Leader and lover of music that I can honestly say gets me absolutely jazzed. I love this portion of the Sunday morning experience because I believe that during musical worship, I connect with God in a unique way. A way that is significantly more emotional than cerebral. Now before all you "thinkers" out there get all defensive, hear me out. I know that singing is not the only form of worship, and I didn't say the musical worship part of the Sunday morning experience was the most important, its simply my favorite. And even though it may not be yours, it is still an important and NECESSARY part of our experience: 

1 Chronicles 16:23 

    Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation                   from day to day.

1 Chronicles 16:9 

      Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Psalm 9:2 

       I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Total Album sales in the US in 2008 was 428 million dollars. In the same year alone, just North Americans spent $4.2 billion dollars attending concerts. I have many friends who are musicians, but the majority of my friends and family are not. Many of my "non-musician" friends and family own more music and attend more concerts than I do, and I'm a "professional" musician! (I use the word professional very liberally) :-) 

I also know that several of my church going friends and family, many who do not consider themselves "musical", still attend concerts, listen to music regularly, and sing in the car/shower/at concerts. Our culture, not unlike so many others, in general is in love with music. 

So, If we are indeed wired to do it (worship), and nearly all of us love music, why is it that people need to be taught to do this? 

Why do we feel so free to sing so passionately when we attend a Foo Fighters show, but not when we step into a sanctuary/auditorium/gym/house church/etc? 

Why is it that no matter what type of music is chosen (ie: hymn, contemporary, upbeat, slow, reverent, etc.), if the topic is God or Christ, we find ourselves (new believers and mature followers alike) failing to engage?

The fact of the matter is, we will never create a "perfect" environment for everyone, simultaneously. People walk in to church's each week all having experienced completely different lives. Some are in great seasons, while others are in pain. Some are searching for answers, for strength, for grace.. while others are ready to shout out to all the earth their thanks to the Lord. Twenty minutes and three or four songs later, its certain that a worship team/worship leader/teaching pastor/ANYONE cannot "create something" for EVERYONE. 

This is why I've determined it is so important, and a goal of mine, to continue to figure out how to effectively teach people what worship is (musically and non-musically speaking), why it is so important, and how to do it/express it. I've said this before, but I think it is worth repeating: God does not care about the notes that come from our mouths, but about the melodies from within our hearts. And if our hearts yearn for Him, then we are engaged. We are passionately worshipping Him. We are singing joyfully . After all, we are certainly not singing/playing for one another, but for God. I must obviously learn how to lead more effectively, if I want to teach people how to do this. Having only been a worship leader for approximately 3 years now, I realize I have much to learn. But I believe it begins with continued spiritual development and understanding of what is pleasing to God in our lives.  

So - with this blog it really becomes kind of "official" in a sense. My journey and the accountability of stating publicly that I will continue my growth spiritually in order to become a better teacher and leader.  

It's a journey I'm excited to be on!