Thursday, April 3, 2008

The Symphony of Worship

Why do we worship? Is God some kind of timid soul, lacking self-esteem, and needing the boost of our adulation? Or is he a megalomaniac, who so loves the sound of his own name, he mandates it's pronouncement from our quivering lips as we genuflect? No, worship is not about ego or servility, it's about reality. The reality of God; to deny it is to be a fool, to accede to it is the foundation of faith, to revel in it is worship.

Mmmmmm (hum that as a musical tone). Not bad, true in essence, but kind of sparse, huh? What happens when it's no longer alone, but matched by a bunch of other tones? Add timbre, dynamics, rhythm, counterpoint and the sum becomes more than the parts. God seeks those who will worship in spirit and truth, pure tones, but never seeks to have them or hold them in isolation. From the diversity in the conglomeration the necessary elements emerge which turn the hum of a tuning fork into music.

Some music is vapid, [e.g., rap; disco; heavy metal; 80's pop; everything in the 90's, except for Dave Matthews; virtually everything coming out of Nashville at anytime; much of the insipid noise foisted as contemporary Christian music (sorry, I couldn't resist ;-))] but the music of the soul, struck from a knowledge of God is heavenly, and therefore homey to God. It's not just about him, but of him, in harmony with him. It agrees with reality.

In the presence of such airs, the curtain is pulled back and that reality shines forth in plain view. Like Jesus on the mount, nothing hinders God from revealing who he is and doing what he does. The glow of that truth radiates its own resonance that synchronizes each tone into an opus of glory. Though each note of belief and response rises out of the isolation of an individual heart, the common focus of the many is orchestrated by it's object, transforming a joyful noise into a symphony of worship.