When I was a teenager, one of the big, provocative questions among many churches was: “Is it OK to have drums in church?!” It’s almost hard to remember (it seems so long ago), but only a little less than 20 years have passed since Rose Drive Friends Church added its first regular drum set to our sanctuary. A lot has changed since then.
God wants us to worship Him. Jesus used a “memory verse” when responding to Satan in the wilderness: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:10, quoting a passage in Deuteronomy) He loves us and wants us to love Him in return – and evidently – He also wants us to express that love! David’s invitation is meaningful: “O Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!” (Psalm 34:3) With that in mind, it’s interesting that so many disputes have taken place among believers in relation to this most basic of Christian values.
For some reason, many misunderstandings about worship experiences have arisen over the years. Some think that worship is the same thing as music. Singing and music is (or at least can be) an important aspect of worship. I love music, and it has been an important part of my life and worship experiences… but it is not synonymous with worship. Worship is so much more.
Perhaps an even greater misunderstanding is that worship is an event that we “go” to – like a movie, a performance of some kind, or a sporting event. Kierkegaard is the one who suggested that many people view a worship service like attending the theater, where the congregation is the audience, the leaders are the actors, and God is the prompter. The reality is, God is the audience, the leaders are the prompters, and those in the congregation are the actors.
I’ll confess that there are times when I have been tempted to get those roles confused. There are times when my focus has not been in the right place in worship – evaluating one thing or another (including myself), being distracted by one concern or another, thinking that I need to try to make someone else happy (as if I am that actor on the stage), or forgetting that worship is not primarily for my benefit, but that worship is about honoring and glorifying God first and foremost.
It’s not that I think it’s OK for me to be careless as a pastor. It is important for me to attempt to be at my best for the Lord and to point others to Him. And it’s not that I think worship is completely without benefit for believers. Some of the most encouraging and uplifting times that I’ve had in my life have been while participating in corporate worship. I know that when I am enabled to see God more clearly that helps me to put the rest of my life into better perspective. That’s true for everyone – and when it happens it’s a great blessing. However, “my benefit” is not the primary purpose of worship. As so many others have said, “it’s not about me.”
When it comes to worship styles, music tastes, and orders of service in a corporate gathering, it is a natural tendency to sanctify our comfort zones. Not that we want to be critical necessarily of other worship styles or practices, it’s just that our personal preferences in worship somehow tend to seem a little more holy. We might be tempted to wonder, “How can someone worship with THAT kind of music?” When I’m focused entirely on myself and my own preferences in a corporate gathering for worship, I’m the one who misses out.
Selfishness is a great hindrance to real worship.
Why did we make that decision nearly 20 years ago to allow drums (and other instruments) in worship services at Rose Drive Friends Church when they used to be considered tools of that dreaded “rock” music by some? Why do we currently have three styles of worship services at Rose Drive (each of which uses drums, by the way)? Because we have recognized that there are a variety of preferences and tastes when it comes to music especially… and that what appeals to one person as a form of worship doesn’t necessarily appeal to another. We want to continue to make decisions that glorify God, reach people for Christ in our community and help them to grow in their faith. We want to be a bridge building church. As best we can, we want to major on the majors and minor on the minors.
I’m still learning that worship is not a spectator sport – it’s a participatory experience. God wants us to worship Him. May God help us learn to put Him first, to “worship the Lord our God and serve Him only,” to put First things First!
Hey Jim and members of the RDFC body!
ReplyDeleteAs a global member of the RDFC body here in Lesotho may I encourage your readers that drums are in fact the most widely used instrument of worship. It's true!
Nearly all cultures on the planet use drums in some form or other. They do not require electricity and they can be fashioned from a variety of materials... therefore easily made in each culture depending on what is available. Here in Southern Africa a wooden base with a cow skin top is the most common, in Cambodia you'll often see a snake skin as the topper... cool huh?
The point is drums have been around for centuries in all cultures and will continue to be an instrument used to glorify God.
As for me, I had a chance recently to participate in a drum circle with some African friends... we were offering praise to God, singing, druming and even dancing before Him! It was a wonderful time!
It is a joy to be able to hear the sermons, read the blogs and feel I'm still connected though so far away geographically speaking :) Please tell the body how I love and miss them and thank them for their prayers. I love my role as an ambassador here representing RDFC and more important Jesus to the Basotho people. I can't imagine doing anything I would love more than serving as a missionary!
Khotso (peace)
Kimberly Mamosa Baker
Thank you, Kimberly!
ReplyDeleteWhat you say makes sense about drum use in other countries and cultures. I know that is true for many places. One that stands out in my mind is in Nepal. The music style among believers there is very different from what we listen to here in America -- and drums are the common (and often only) instruments played in their corporate gatherings -- but they are certainly worshipping the Lord (and it's actually hard to NOT worship along with them, even though the words are foreign)! Thank you for serving the Lord and representing us well, too! -- Jim Le Shana