How Music Helps Me Worship

I’ve been a musician since the early 60s, and being part of the Westbrook Worship Team is the most fulfilling musical experience of my life. We have the Word, the music, the groove, and each other. What could be better than that?

But where did this music come from?

In Exodus 15, the Israelites sang after they had crossed the Red Sea. Some call this The Song of Moses. Ephesians 5:19 “Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God".

Music has been part of the Christian worship experience since the earliest days of the church. Originally (around the 3rd century AD), it involved unison chanting and then, by the Middle Ages, multiple lines of notes (harmony) were being sung simultaneously. Contemporary worship music became popular in the late 60s and early 70s and was a blend of “pop” sensibility with biblically referenced lyrics.

“The Father of Christian Rock” is often said to be Larry Norman, one of the first songwriters to combine biblical passages with rock music. He, initially, was an up-and-coming rock musician who opened for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Doors. His first evangelistic album, Upon This Rock, released in 1969, was not well-received by the Christian community. 100 albums later, and a place in the Gospel Hall of Fame speaks to his prolific and quality songwriting.

Praise and Worship Music became popular in the late 70s and grew out of a hope that it would attract baby boomers back to church. At Westbrook, we draw songs from a number of Christian Contemporary artists such as Hillsong United/Brooke Fraser, née Ligertwood, Bethel Music, Chris Tomlin, Shane and Shane, Phil Wickham, and many others.

In my pre-Westbrook days, the first song that tugged at my heart was Steven Curtis Chapman’s The Great Adventure. There was something about the lyrics. One passage really spoke to me:

“I opened up the Bible 

and I read about me. 

Said I’d been a prisoner

and God’s Grace had set me free. 

And somewhere between the pages 

it hit me like a lightning bolt. 

I saw a big frontier in front of me 

and I heard somebody say, “Let’s Go!”

Amen.

The great thing about worshipping with music is that the whole church (meaning those attending) are experiencing The Word of God at the same time, in different ways that are all meaningful. Some sing, some hum, some tap their feet, some close their eyes and rock back and forth, and some stand still and let the music flow through them. It’s all good, and I’m privileged to play praise music with and for people I love.