Grapes From the Vine: Worship



Growing up in Puerto Rico I went to a church where the worship team was made up primarily of people from the youth group. Yes, we sang a hymn or two but we also sang "coritos" or choruses that were a reflection of our music style and our spiritual experience. Worship was typically 30-40 minutes. I loved to worship.

When I came to the states to Bible college I suffered from culture shock. The service was no longer than an hour and "worship" consisted of 3 hymns led from a pipe organ. I've seen more life at a funeral service. Drums and guitars were of the devil. None of the hymns were written in the 20th century. The hymns were for the most part theological songs about God or that expressed a particular theological truth. "Worship" was not a goal in itself but instead was supposed to set the table for the sermon.

It wasn't until the Vineyard and John Wimber when I was able to get back to what I felt was true worship. Here are some of the distinctives that made me fall in love with worshiping God all over again.

1. We sing a new song to the Lord. In the Vineyard we are constantly singing new songs that are a representation of what God is doing in our midst and in our lives. We are encouraged to write new songs.

2. If we are going to be inclusive and welcome people just as they are and expect them to feel at home in God's presence, we have to write music and use instruments that are representative of the culture of the day. What's interesting was that in college I had to take a course in hymnology. What most people don't realize is that many of what are considered classic, sacred hymns today, were written to popular bar tunes. The authors just rewrote the lyrics. The Vineyard can't get stuck in the rock era and expect to be relevant. Hip Hop, Soul, Rap, Reggae, Gospel, Salsa, all have to be represented in our worship if we expect to have multi-cultural and multi-generational churches. Else we will only attract old white guys.

3. We don't sing songs about God, we sing love songs to God. Especially in the early days the songs were simple love songs to God. They were not too wordy and were easy to memorize and sing in small groups or by ourselves. Today, it seems, even contemporary worship is getting way too wordy and the melodies are getting harder to sing.

4. The aim of worship is to achieve intimacy with God; to enjoy a visitation from Him. I have to admit, in the beginning I had a little trouble with Vineyard worship. After so many years of funeral dirges I wanted to rock out in worship. While there were some rockin' songs in the Vineyard, the worship set invariably moved to slower more intimate songs. Don't get me wrong, there is an order to a worship set that starts with a call to worship, which is usually a faster, more celebratory song. There is room for songs that praise Him for what He has done, songs that exalt Him and celebrate the freedom and joy that we have in Him. I love being before the throne, but I eagerly desire to be invited into the bridal chamber where I, the bride of Christ, gets to experience intimacy with Him. I want to tell Him how much I love Him and feel His presence engulf me.

5. Don't make worship a performance, rather allow room for the Holy Spirit to move. Allow space for Scriptures, words of knowledge, prophetic words and space just to wait on the Lord.

6. Allow for different expressions of worship. While we typically stand to begin worship, we have to understand that once the Spirit starts to move He impacts people in different ways and their response will vary. Don't judge people because they aren't raising their hands or they aren't standing. I often hear people complain the the congregation isn't entering into worship. How do you know? Some sit quietly as they allow God to work something our in their lives or maybe because they are simply basking in His presence. Some kneel, some weep, some dance, some shout, some jump and others may tremble or fall on the faces before God. Don't put God in a box, allow him to move as He pleases and allow people to respond in kind.

7. Remember that receiving the offering is also a part of worship. Giving of substance is acknowledging That He is our provider and that we want to worship Him.

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