Music and Worship in Two Settings

Sunday morning we attended worship at the Hillsong Community in London. This church meets in the Dominion Theater in central London. As we entered the auditorium it was clear that I was one of the oldest persons present in the sanctuary. The service began with very energetic music and a vivid light show as the congregation was buzzing in anticipation. One thing I noticed was that I did no know the songs but the congregation knew them well. They sang loudly! At several points in the musical portion, the instrumentalists and the praise team would stop and allow the congregation alone carried the music. There was electricity in the sanctuary as the singing rang out.

On Monday, we attended the evensong at the Westminster Abbey. This old sanctuary holds so much history but what struck me was the inspiration it produced, I stood amazed at the beauty of this structure. We were able to be one of the first few people admitted to the service so that we sat in the wooden pews right beside the choir. When the pipe organ peeled forth it’s first notes, I had cold chills and goose bumps. The choir lifted their voices in praise to God, echoing in an amazing acoustical environment.

I was struck by how both service utilize music as the primary vehicle for bringing persons into the presence of God. I was reminded of the words from Ronald Allen and Bordon Borror in “Worship: Rediscovering the Mission Jewel” talk of the value of music in the act of worship. They say, “The people of God have always been and will always be a people of song. If the enjoyment of song is gone, that is a symptom of a far greater disease. A congregation’s singing is not an absolute thermometer of their spiritual temperature, but it is one indicator. As Luther said way back in the Reformation days of the 16th century, ‘If any would not sing and talk of what Christ has wrought for us, he shows thereby that he does not really believe…’”
Contrasting styles of music but both offering the legitimate praise of a gathered people of God.

We worship a wonderful God who blesses us with so many varying gifts.