Hillsong: Aftermath and Expectations
Last week, I took a group of twenty people from LRCC to see Hillsong United. We loaded up three vehicles of teens and members from the worship team and made our way to Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
Now, I have long loved Hillsong’s music. They are one of my “go to” places to look for new worship music for my church. The worship leaders there are simply anointed. God has blessed them with gifts for writing songs with strong melodies and lyrics that connect with today’s generation of worshippers. I was really excited to see them in a live setting.
I wasn’t disappointed.
It was the most authentic and passionate expression of worship I have experienced in a long time. I want you to get a picture of this in your head: Young and old, racially and culturally diverse, standing together with an expectation that God was going to show up. They were EXPECTING Him! For 3 uninterrupted hours, every hand lifted into the air and every voice sang out their offering of worship to the Father. It was an intense, spiritual workout!
The Hillsong United guys made it clear that none of the evening was about the lights or smoke or the heavy guitar riffs; it was about an authentic expression of worship to God. And it was. The band and leaders had such an amazing ability to get out of the way and let the Spirit move.
.
And at the end of three hours – no one was ready to go. They wanted more. They wanted to CONTINUE worshipping!
I woke up the next morning still exhausted from a night of worship. Yes, you read that right, exhausted. I had 3 hours of pouring myself to God! I have never felt like that before.
A series of questions to ponder from the night:
How can we encourage our churches to EXPECT God to show up in our worship assemblies? I am convinced that if people look for Him, they will find Him. Is it a teaching problem? Is it that our churches have become spiritually lethargic or apathetic? Is it because we really don’t expect to encounter Him? Are we too comfortable learning about Him on a Sunday morning and not interested in meeting with Him?
What do you think?
My final take home was this song. If you haven’t heard it, go to iTunes and download it! I posted these lyrics to it below.
Like An Avalanche
Verse 1
Beautiful God, Laying Your majesty aside You reached out in love to show me life Lifted from darkness into light- oh
Verse 2
King for a slave
Trading Your righteousness for shame
Despite all my pride and foolish ways
Caught in Your infinite embrace
Oh
Chorus
And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compares to this love love love
Burning in my heart
Verse 3
Saviour and Friend
Breathing Your life into my heart
Your word is the lamp unto my path
Forever I’m humbled by Your love
Oh
Bridge
Take my life, take all that I am
With all that I am I will love You
Take my heart, take all that I have
Jesus how I adore You
Chorus
And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compare to this love love love
#1 “Avalanche” is the song that grabbed me off that album.
#2 I think expectation is what sets events like a Hillsong conference (or even a church of Christ youth conference) apart from our normal gatherings. We come to those things expecting God to do big things, and he does. I think the same holds true for alternative weekly gatherings too.
I think this is the key: “Are we too comfortable learning about Him on a Sunday morning and not interested in meeting with Him?”
Thanks for writing this Chris. I always enjoy reading what you have to write. I am sure it was an amazing experience. I think you are right about our worship. . .at least where I am now. We spent too much time on what worship should look like and make it too technical. Too much time spent on what we are looking for or what WE need rather than what we should do for God. Thanks for the eye opening thought and the time you spend to share with us.
Hey Chris, thanks for this post. We are just beginning to experience worship this way as we are healing from the bondage legalism. We are going to a Casting Crowns concert July 14, which we are really excited about. Don’t ever take for granted what so many of us have been missing for so long. God bless you.
in answer to your questions.. yes..
your experience sounds a lot like the one i had in new orleans, many years ago, when the original Hillsongs team (darlene, rueben morgan, marty sampson, etc) totally turned my spiritual world upside down… i had never seen or experienced anything like it… i had never wept in worship, never seen or participated in such unabashed, exuberant, awestruck wonder and worship of our Lord before… and it literally changed me, and my wife..
but then you come back to your local congregation… and i know for me, i’ve fought with the feeling – ‘oh i wish we could grow to be like…’
i know in many churches of Christ, outward expressions are kind of frowned upon, or people are ‘uncomfortable’ with them..
i think by your bringing such a large group from a relatively small congregation, will help in opening your worship up…
sorry, no real answers from me just now, i’m just kind of quickly throwing out thoughts that 1st came up – i’ll dig in a little this evening and try to work with ya on some answers, because this is a very important topic worth digging into..