Worship notes
November 27th, 2006
A couple of newsworthy things came to my attention today and I figured this was as good a time as any to finally get my worship blog started!
First, I was reading about Chris Tomlin in Time Magazine. Anyone who attends a church where they sing contemporary music, or who listens to contemporary Christian music, surely has heard of Chris. If his name is unfamiliar, his music probably isn’t. That’s pretty much the point of the article. Mainstream pop idols (and many CCM pop idols as well — c’mon, you know who you are) get to have their names and likenesses become commonplace. But a handful of artists — like Chris and Matt Redman, just to name a couple — continue to pump out inspired worship songs in relative obscurity outside the church praise and worship crowd.
And that’s as it should be. After all, isn’t worship supposed to be different?
We live in a time when so much “Christian culture” consists mainly of rip-offs of mainstream pop culture. We have our own radio stations, bumper stickers, T-shirts, toys, and various and sundry other stuff which a friend of mine refers to as “holy crap.” It’s refreshing to see people like Chris Tomlin eschew the pop crowd and stick to what he was called to be — a worship leader.
Nor is he concerned about what folks think of his musical abilities.
“I try to think, How do I craft this song in a way that the person who’s tone-deaf and can’t clap on two and four can sing it?” says Chris. “I hope that when someone hears a CD of mine, they pick up their guitar and say, ‘O.K., I can do that.’”
How cool is that? Rather than trying to impress us with his hot guitar licks, Chris really gets that his mission to be create music that is accessible to folks. Ordinary folks like us, who just want to make a joyful noise to the Lord, even if the family dog runs for cover when we cut loose.
How Great is Our God may not ever get mentioned in the same breath as Handel’s Messiah, but I can tell you that when we sing it in our worship celebrations at Campton Christian Church, we feel it. I am thankful to God for people like Chris Tomlin who are more concerned about being faithful to their calling than winning the fame and adulation of the masses.
And speaking of making a joyful noise: this is a call for anyone in the Campton area who likes to sing Christmas carols! On Saturday, December 9, several of us will be caroling in the downtown area. I don’t have all the details yet, but I’ll post them when I have them. Or watch the newspaper. The parade is at 11:30, so I assume the caroling will take place sometime following that, and it will probably be on the courthouse lawn or near the gazebo. Stay tuned for more info!
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Entry Filed under: Pete's Blog