Tired of Worship Just Being about Music and Products

I just felt like blowing off a little steam and since I haven't posted in a while I though I'd do it here on the blog. I just set up a login on a website that is supposed to offer worship resources (which they do have some good worship music resources, I'll give them lots of credit for that). But as I look at their main page and the links, its all about selling different "worship" artist's CD's, and how to play such and such an instrument. Way too much music overload for a site that is offering worship resources (funny that someone like me who loves music so much has a problem with this). There are literally three different link buttons with the word SONG in it. What about prayers? readings? creative ideas to meditate on God's word?  What about talking about the functions songs serve in the grander context of worship, and what you should look for in a good worship? 

One article talks about mentoring and the need to bring young people into mentoring opportunities in leading worship, which is such a great article to write. However, most of the content is just about how he got his son to play on the worship band and had to help him remember what guitar gear to bring and try to get rid of his stage fright. I think there's a lot more to worship mentoring than helping them do well at playing in a band, don't you? I'm not judging the heart of the guy who wrote this article, he probably has a much deeper well of understanding of worship to draw from and give to others, but this article doesn't say anything about growing people up in their faith while they interact with the worship band. It doesn't talk about other roles you could get young people involved in other than music.  So does that mean young people can only be mentored in worship if they want to play music?

I had the opportunity to preach yesterday morning, which I didn't actually feel very good about while I was doing it.  I didn't think I had all my thoughts clear, or that they were working together towards one clear idea, etc.  But regardless of whether it went well or not, I spent a bit of time talking through different elements of worship gatherings, those elements included fellowship, Word, song, and prayer.  All of those are elements of what we do in worship.  However, isn't it true that in a lot of churches today, worship is the time of music and the time we're in God's Word is the sermon?  The ancient understanding and practice of worship is that all the elements are worship, and the sermon time is as much worship as the singing time is.  When we got to the part in the passage that mentions songs, I made a point of reminding the congregation that worship and music are not synonymous, and that when we use song in worship it can't be approached the same way we would approach going to a rock concert, which is coming to be a spectator and to get a good feeling out of it.  

Forgive me if I was too negative in this post, I'm just a little passionate about this stuff. I truly don't want to be a whiner, I want to be a part of the solution.  Influential websites like the one I just mentioned are not helping us to have a well balanced understanding and practice of worship.  I think the first thing that will lead to the solution is to change the mindset of what worship is.   I am thankful that I've had people in my life that have helped me to work towards a more complete understanding of worship and challenged me to lead more complete worship experiences.   So I brought this topic up today to share with anyone who might be stuck in the mindset that worship is just when we sing spiritually flavored songs.

Here's a couple of links to some sites that based on the few times I've visited them, seem to be working towards a more balanced approach to worship services, or if they are focused on music, are trying to write to the fill important gaps in our contemporary worship song content.  Check em out if you get a chance and see what you think.

http://www.engageworship.org/
http://www.resoundworship.org/
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/index.html