Spotlight

For quite some time now, I’ve questioning the way we do things as a church in the area of music. All facets, from worship teams and worship leaders to Christian recording artists. Is it just me, or does everything these days seem like a performance? Even our Sunday morning worship times? Everything it seems, from the lighting setup to the clothes that are worn. We say with our mouths that’s its not about us, that its about God, so why are there so many spot lights on us?

My friend Joel Alejandre and myself had a discussion concerning this topic at the acquire the fire gathering in Tulsa last winter. One thing we noted was that we found it interesting that we tell kids to be in the world but not of the world, yet looking up front to all the bands and speakers…whats the image conveyed? We found it very interesting that 9 out of 10 christian bands all look the same. Whats up with that? While I will allow that for some in those bands, the way they are dressed is really the expression of who they are. But I have trouble believing that every one of them is like that. I can’t help but feel that at some point some caved in order to “look” the part.

What about worship teams and worship leaders? I was watching a video on youtube earlier tonight of a powerful and anointed worship song being performed at one of the largest churches in the country. While the song was VERY well done and I continue to listen to it even now while writing this. But watching the video of the whole show going on around the band and singers saddened me. The spot lights were on the team, the lights were off in the audience. All the band members looked the part. They all looked flashy and trendy with their hair styled just right. Is this really pointing people to the Father in the midst of worship? The spotlights are on the team….but where is the spotlight to God?

One of the most powerful and effect mass worship times I have personally attended, and has stuck in my mind, was the overflow service in Stillwater. What I LOVE about this service, is that there are no spotlights on the worship leaders or the band. It’s dark. The room is lit by candles around the outside, and by the large projector screen up front. For me, this made the words on the screen pop out so much more. I felt drawn into what they were saying. I wasn’t distracted by a person in the spotlight…I was fully taken up and whirled about in the presence of God. It was just God and me. It was totally not about the band or any of the people up front. I loved it. It was all about God.

That being said, I believe that there are times and places for people to be highlighted, and that it’s totally ok to have spotlights, fog, trendy looks, etc in the midst of a worship set. One thing I’ve heard about this kind of worship set is that many times people with bad experiences enjoy attending such places because it feels less like church. I believe that God calls different places to different styles of doing things in accordance with His will and what He’s doing. We are the body after all, with different gifts, different styles, and well….differences!! It’s so beautiful and amazing!!! But I still can’t shake that feeling that God is calling more leaders, teams, and bands into anonymous shrouded leading. I don’t think it would just be one place. So why aren’t their more??

I don’t have the answers. I don’t have all the questions. I’ll be the first to admit that this entry certainly isn’t one of answers. It’s simply questions. But I think it’s questions that need to be asked, even though I'm not sure we will like many of the answers we get.