COME WORSHIP WITH MI, MI, ME, ME
Worship (in both Greek and Hebrew “bowing low” to express humility and submission) was traditionally connected to a recognition of God’s transcendence (His highness above us and distance from us) and was best expressed by the quiet reverence of emotional reserve.
But momentous scientific advances over the past five centuries have pushed transcendence out of view. Focus shifted to this life and religion has had to adapt to this shift. If there is a God on a heavenly throne whose powerful touch is never felt in this life – if He is not immanent (here in the present) – what good is He and why should I concern myself with Him?
The transcendent God of Christians is also immanent. God came down and became man in Jesus Christ to die for sin. Afterward, Christ arose, ascended to heaven, and sent His Spirit to empower and work through the Church on earth. These aspects of immanence are not just abstract truths, but sensed experiences incorporated into our “songs, hymns, and spiritual songs” of praise and worship.
Traditionalists often gripe that contemporary Christian music is self-centered, all about me and my personal experiences. But aren’t the Psalms full of the same thing? Personal spiritual experiences show up every time the author uses first-person pronouns like ‘I/me/my’ or ‘we/our/us’, starting at Psalm 3.4. Remove ‘personal spiritual experience’ from the Psalms and the hymnbook of Israel will be more hole-y, and therefore, perhaps, less holy.
I often hear people claim the “old” traditional hymns are better because they are about God rather than ‘personal spiritual experience’. Just a few things. First, very few of our “old hymns” were written before the Civil War. Most are from the early to mid-20th century. Second, most of our greatly beloved classic hymns are drenched in ‘personal spiritual experience’.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy Hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the roaring thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art!
“How Great Thou Art!” is about me singing about me singing to God.
And what about this one…
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died.
My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.
Or this old classic…
And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own…
Or…
O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!
O how I love Jesus – because He first loved me.
And this one…
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
…You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
And here’s another…
At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.
And…
My faith has found a resting place not in device nor creed
I trust the everliving one; His wounds for me shall plead.
I need no other argument, I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.
And there’s always…
It is well…with my soul!
And finally…
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
If singing about personal spiritual experience is off-limits, we have a number of Psalms and classic hymns to dispose of. Better to realize that our criticisms are misguided. The Psalms, our beloved hymns, and our contemporary music burst with expressions of God’s immanence – His working in us, through us, and with us – and that’s a wonderful thing.
But momentous scientific advances over the past five centuries have pushed transcendence out of view. Focus shifted to this life and religion has had to adapt to this shift. If there is a God on a heavenly throne whose powerful touch is never felt in this life – if He is not immanent (here in the present) – what good is He and why should I concern myself with Him?
The transcendent God of Christians is also immanent. God came down and became man in Jesus Christ to die for sin. Afterward, Christ arose, ascended to heaven, and sent His Spirit to empower and work through the Church on earth. These aspects of immanence are not just abstract truths, but sensed experiences incorporated into our “songs, hymns, and spiritual songs” of praise and worship.
Traditionalists often gripe that contemporary Christian music is self-centered, all about me and my personal experiences. But aren’t the Psalms full of the same thing? Personal spiritual experiences show up every time the author uses first-person pronouns like ‘I/me/my’ or ‘we/our/us’, starting at Psalm 3.4. Remove ‘personal spiritual experience’ from the Psalms and the hymnbook of Israel will be more hole-y, and therefore, perhaps, less holy.
I often hear people claim the “old” traditional hymns are better because they are about God rather than ‘personal spiritual experience’. Just a few things. First, very few of our “old hymns” were written before the Civil War. Most are from the early to mid-20th century. Second, most of our greatly beloved classic hymns are drenched in ‘personal spiritual experience’.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy Hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the roaring thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art!
“How Great Thou Art!” is about me singing about me singing to God.
And what about this one…
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died.
My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.
Or this old classic…
And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own…
Or…
O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!
O how I love Jesus – because He first loved me.
And this one…
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
…You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
And here’s another…
At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.
And…
My faith has found a resting place not in device nor creed
I trust the everliving one; His wounds for me shall plead.
I need no other argument, I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.
And there’s always…
It is well…with my soul!
And finally…
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
If singing about personal spiritual experience is off-limits, we have a number of Psalms and classic hymns to dispose of. Better to realize that our criticisms are misguided. The Psalms, our beloved hymns, and our contemporary music burst with expressions of God’s immanence – His working in us, through us, and with us – and that’s a wonderful thing.