Worship Is More Than Music

by Rick Warren

Worship is far more than music. For many people, worship is just a synonym for music. That say, "At our church we have the worship first, then the teaching." This is a big misunderstanding. Every part of a church service is an act of worship: praying, Scripture reading, singing, confession, silence, being still, listening to a sermon, taking notes, giving an offering, baptism, communion, signing a commitment card, and even greeting other worshippers.
     Actually, worship predates music. Adam worshipped in the Garden of Eden, but music isn't mentioned until Genesis 4:21 with the birth of Jubal. If worship were just music, then all who are nonmusical could never worship. Worship is far more than music.
     Even worse, "worship" is often misused to refer to a particular style of music: "First we sand a hymn, then a praise and worship song." Or, "I like the fast praise songs but enjoy the slow worship songs the most." In this usage, if a song is fast or loud or uses brass instruments, it's considered "praise". But if it is slow and quiet and intimate, maybe accompanied by a guitar, that's worship. This is a common misuse of the term "worship".
     Worship has nothing to do with the style or volume or speed of a song. God loves all kinds of music because he invented it all - fast and slow, loud and soft, old and new. You probably don't like it all, but God does! If it is offered to God in spirit and truth, it is an act of worship.
     Christians often disagree over the style of music used in worship, passionately defending their preferred style as the most biblical or God-honoring. But there is no biblical style! There are no musical notes in the Bible; we don't even have the instruments they used in the Bible.
     Frankly, the music you like best says more about you - your background and personality - than it does about God. One ethnic group's music can sound like noise to another. But God likes variety and enjoys it all.
     There is no such thing as "Christian" music; there are only Christian lyrics. It is the words that make a song sacred, not the tune.