The Heart of Worship

Worship is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. It's a time where people can come together in celebration and joy. It's a time when we can forget the burdens of this life and focus on the wonder of our creator. And it's a time when we can come together as a body of believers to celebrate God together.

But worship can also be divisive, something I learned all too well this last weekend. I have rarely in my life experienced worship wars, but worship style has been a big area of personal growth for me in recent years. When I was in junior high and high school, I went to a traditional, conservative church. The church sang hymns, using just and organ and piano. And that, I thought, was how worship was supposed to be.

In college, it was a rough transition to chapel, where different campus bands fought to show who could play the loudest, most inspirational worship choruses. That often resulted in a rendition of "I Want to Know You" every service. It grew tiresome and pulled me out of the moment as my past conflicted with what I was being exposed to. I actually wrote an opinion piece for the school paper advocating that only hymns be played in true worship. It wasn't well received and, in hindsight, I think I was really trying to work out my own issues.

I couldn't help but be reminded of that this weekend, when I encountered a group of people that were so locked into their worship preference that it was actually causing a major division in their church. I couldn't help but think how sad it was that, instead of putting the focus on serving and worshipping the Lord, the focus had become on who was right.

I feel like I've grown a lot in terms of my opinion on worship, even through my experience at Highlands Church. When I first came to Highlands I was a little uncomfortable with the style, I even challenged the leadership about what was right. Fortunately I was lucky enough to find a man of integrity in Graham who shared his views and helped me to grow as a person. And I have grown to deeply appreciate not only the talent and style of our worship, but the passion of those that lead it. And it's that passion for God that is most important, and what unites us all as believers.

So it made me a little sad to be in an environment where that wasn't happening. It was a reminder to me that, what's most important as Christians is to focus on that which unites us rather than that which divides us. Whenever we get caught up in fights about what songs to play, who prays, or how people in the church spend their free time, it pushes us off our real mission — which is to change hearts and minds for the Lord Jesus Christ.