Worship Festival "Sucks"
The worship scene in Seattle may be losing momentum. According to attendees of last week's Bowels of Praise '04, many worship enthusiasts "just weren't into it." Said Ryan Conklin, 17, "I don't know, man. Like, there's usually a lot of crying going on if the worship is good. But people were just standing around, listening to the worship. I can't get into the worship if other people aren't into it."
For Heather Melton, the worship needs some new life. "We need our Nirvana, you know? Like, Delirious is old school. And 'Heart of Worship' is just a played out song, man. The worship doesn't pump me up like it used to." Garrett Ross, 24, has been following the worship circuit around the country for the last couple of years. "When it started - it was pure, man. The worshippers today don't have a clue. I was at Bowels '99 when the worship exploded, man. Now, the worship has sold out to corporate America, with big budget worship albums and stuff.. The worship sucks these days, man."
Worship promoter Bill "Hands Lifter" Kyle says such trends are cyclical. "The worship industry is fickle. You just have to ride out these downturns in the quality of the worship until a hot new worship band comes along and kicks everyone in the rear-end. I saw it in the late 90's, and I'm sure we'll see it again. Good worship writing and playing will always rise to the top. Until then, we'll just have to put up with the worship we have now."
Article taken from The Holy Observer
Ughhhhh!!!! What is worship about anyway? I'm so tired of worship being looked at as some genre of music...or the next thing. Worship is eternal because it is directed to an eternal God. If worship sucks, it is because people's hearts suck!
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
AM 5:22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
AM 5:23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
AM 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
AM 5:25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
AM 5:26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,
the star of your god--
which you made for yourselves.
We aren't too removed from Israel. We have become idol worshippers. Our idol has become the worship of worship itself.
May the Lord purify our hearts and give us a hunger to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Lord give us the heart of the writer of Psalm 137, so that we would be able to say this with him,
PS 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
PS 137:2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
PS 137:3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
PS 137:4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?
PS 137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
PS 137:6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.
If we forget why we are singing, may our tongues cling to the roof of our mouths!
Tuesday, June 08, 2004