PLEASE DON’T BORE ME WITH EMPTY SONGS.

PLEASE DON’T BORE ME WITH EMPTY SONGS.

I love worshipping God when I’m alone and when I’m with God’s people. I love to sing to him, but I love to sing especially full of gratitude for who he is and all that he has done for us.

I get quickly bored, frustrated and, I’m afraid, even irritated when I’m in a worship session and we are led into singing empty songs with no gospel content.

This week, working through Colossians I came to Colossians 3:16. Douglas Moo, whose PNTC commentary I’m reading, was helpful. The verse which I’m familiar with says “Let the word of Christ dwell richly within you”. He unpacks the word “word” by enlarging it to “message”, and the word “within”, he says, might really be translated “among”, so he suggests “Let the message of Christ (the Messiah, who he is and what he’s done) dwell among you richly”…as you sing. Amen!

I’ve endured some worship services where hardly any mention is made of who he is and what he’s done! It’s as though worship is simply a reflection of me, my needs, my feelings, my joys, hopes and fears. Jesus, it almost seems, is fairly incidental.

The old children’s song comes to mind,

I am H. A. P. P. Y, I am H. A. P. P. Y. Great, but why?

Of course, worship will inevitably strike a personal note and invite me to express my feelings. We will want to respond and often with great joy and celebration, but please let’s remember who and what we’re celebrating.

We have a glorious Saviour who came from indescribable glory, suffered unimaginable horrors on the cross, was triumphantly raised and now rules in magnificent majesty.

Let the message of Christ fill our hearts and minds and ignite our worship!