Humility in Worship
Humility in Worship
Like a lot of other people, I had the opportunity to go to the Chris Tomlin "Indescribable" tour last Thursday. George was able to get a camera in and took a lot of good shots here. Here's Chris' review and Andy's two-part review. Since I was/am fighting off a cold, I wasn't able to lift my voice up with the 1800 other (predominantly Asian, and younger than me) folks who filled the room that night, but the evening did bring to mind two thoughts that I'll share in separate posts.
I'll cover the shorter one first. A few entries ago, I wrote a little bit about humility - desiring the best interests for another person even when it hurts, considering others better than ourselves, ultimately being given strength by a focus on the eternal truth that Christ has set us free from the need to be selfish. I think it likely that I saw a great example of this at the concert in Matt Redman.
From around 1995-2000, just ten years ago, Redman was the guy in modern church worship music. Along with a handful of other songwriters, Redman spearheaded a new wave of music intended for the church that was as catchy as it was effective in communicating truth. As more and more worship leaders came onto the scene, he continually distinguished himself as a thoughtful musician and lyricist a significant cut above the run of the mill, penning classic songs that are sung even today in congregations all around the world - Better is One Day, Once Again, Let Everything That Has Breath, and of course, The Heart of Worship. In his heyday, Redman would undoubtedly have been headlining a worship tour like Thursday's.
In the last few years, however, his songs have seemingly fallen off sharply in popularity. Off his most recent three albums, only one song has really joined the ranks of his classics (and an awesome one it is, too - Blessed Be Your Name). Also, the last half decade has given rise to newer leaders such as Tomlin, who seems to be turning out 3-4 worship standards a year these days.
If I were in Redman's shoes, I think it'd be very easy for me to fall into envy, with a desire to cling to past fame ("I used to headline Passion tours!") and perhaps some frustration that my work was no longer being appreciated in the same way as it used to be. Heck, I've even read several blogs about the concert where the writer had no idea that Redman was also on tour.
However, I'm guessing that God has graciously brought him to a place where he can experience the joy and humility of selflessness through worship. I've read articles about how Redman has been very influential in mentoring new, gifted songwriters and worship leaders like Tomlin and Tim Hughes. I could sense during the concert that he seemed pretty content about playing second fiddle to Tomlin and speaker Louie Giglio, because he already knew and had experienced deep down the overarching message of the tour - that God is big and we are small. So, it didn't matter that a man whose music has been so incredibly influential in the modern church only got to play about 3-4 of his songs, or that his name was in small print on the marquee, because ultimately, it wasn't about him.
That, I think, is a powerful example of humility in worship.
Like a lot of other people, I had the opportunity to go to the Chris Tomlin "Indescribable" tour last Thursday. George was able to get a camera in and took a lot of good shots here. Here's Chris' review and Andy's two-part review. Since I was/am fighting off a cold, I wasn't able to lift my voice up with the 1800 other (predominantly Asian, and younger than me) folks who filled the room that night, but the evening did bring to mind two thoughts that I'll share in separate posts.
I'll cover the shorter one first. A few entries ago, I wrote a little bit about humility - desiring the best interests for another person even when it hurts, considering others better than ourselves, ultimately being given strength by a focus on the eternal truth that Christ has set us free from the need to be selfish. I think it likely that I saw a great example of this at the concert in Matt Redman.
From around 1995-2000, just ten years ago, Redman was the guy in modern church worship music. Along with a handful of other songwriters, Redman spearheaded a new wave of music intended for the church that was as catchy as it was effective in communicating truth. As more and more worship leaders came onto the scene, he continually distinguished himself as a thoughtful musician and lyricist a significant cut above the run of the mill, penning classic songs that are sung even today in congregations all around the world - Better is One Day, Once Again, Let Everything That Has Breath, and of course, The Heart of Worship. In his heyday, Redman would undoubtedly have been headlining a worship tour like Thursday's.
In the last few years, however, his songs have seemingly fallen off sharply in popularity. Off his most recent three albums, only one song has really joined the ranks of his classics (and an awesome one it is, too - Blessed Be Your Name). Also, the last half decade has given rise to newer leaders such as Tomlin, who seems to be turning out 3-4 worship standards a year these days.
If I were in Redman's shoes, I think it'd be very easy for me to fall into envy, with a desire to cling to past fame ("I used to headline Passion tours!") and perhaps some frustration that my work was no longer being appreciated in the same way as it used to be. Heck, I've even read several blogs about the concert where the writer had no idea that Redman was also on tour.
However, I'm guessing that God has graciously brought him to a place where he can experience the joy and humility of selflessness through worship. I've read articles about how Redman has been very influential in mentoring new, gifted songwriters and worship leaders like Tomlin and Tim Hughes. I could sense during the concert that he seemed pretty content about playing second fiddle to Tomlin and speaker Louie Giglio, because he already knew and had experienced deep down the overarching message of the tour - that God is big and we are small. So, it didn't matter that a man whose music has been so incredibly influential in the modern church only got to play about 3-4 of his songs, or that his name was in small print on the marquee, because ultimately, it wasn't about him.
That, I think, is a powerful example of humility in worship.
posted by Bob at
10:58 PM
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