A Full Church Isn't Worship Without the Word
La Rioja reported on the Soulrise Gospel concert in Valgañón; Scripture puts the emphasis on the Word, not on volume.
La Rioja reported on a gospel concert at the Church of Nuestra Señora de Tres Fuentes, in Valgañón. Soulrise Gospel sang on a Sunday in a 13th-century church; a full church, however, is not the same thing as worship.
Music that moves you, a Word that sustains you
A 13th-century church, vocal harmonies and a nave full of people. The scene is moving, and it's fine that it moves us. The question is what's left when the last chord fades.
Gospel draws people for clear reasons: voices that hold, a choir that answers back, energy that catches. There's nothing wrong with enjoying it. The problem starts when our taste becomes the measure of what God is doing.
«A place can be full and a life empty at the same time.»
Emotion rises fast, and it falls fast too. The Word stays with you on Tuesday morning, when it's time to decide whether you'll forgive or go back to the same old anxiety.
I'm not writing against gospel music. I listen to it, and I'm glad it's being sung. What worries me is mistaking volume for the presence of God. A place can be full and a life empty at the same time. Scripture doesn't measure worship in decibels.
A service can have a band, lights and coffee and still leave people without the bread they needed that week.
Worship in spirit and truth
Jesus talks with a woman at a well and announces that the place is no longer the center: the hour is coming for true worshipers (see John 4:23). And he declares: "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24, ESV).
Spirit: a surrendered life, not a borrowed emotion. Truth: what God has said about himself, not a pleasant atmosphere. When either one is missing, the singing holds up for a while and then collapses on its own.
Paul is on the same page. First the word of Christ dwells in us richly; then the singing flows: "singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16, ESV).
If we flip the order, we ask music to do the work that only Scripture does. And music can't, no matter how flawless it sounds. The building helps; it doesn't save. An ancient nave can be a great place to sing and also a great place to get distracted.
One step for next Sunday
You don't have to wait for a concert in an old church. Before you sing on Sunday, read the psalm they're going to sing. Ask what text was preached and what it has to do with your week.
Sing outside of church too: in the car, in the shower, while you walk. Worship isn't kept for the pulpit stand or rented by the hour.
And if your church sings beautifully but teaches little, pray for the one who preaches and look for a place where you'll be fed the whole of Scripture. A full church is not yet worship; a life full of his Word is. This week, before you hit play on your worship playlist, open the text you're about to sing. What is it saying to you?
