Hillsong Weekend
What can I say about this past weekend? Incredible, out-of-control, epic, just aren’t good enough adjectives to describe what happened. Hillsong United was insane on Saturday night. Totally inspiring. I think some worship leaders might get discouraged from seeing such a high scale production, but it’s different for me. It’s a picture of what God can do with a few dudes who completely surrender their lives to God and live all out for His glory. But besides “spiritual” stuff, there are a few things to take away practically, for me at least:
– They’re honest. Joel, Jad, JD, Matty, and the rest of the United team, they all lead with total honesty. They aren’t putting on a show for Christians. Also, if something’s wrong on stage, they try to fix it as discretely as possible, but they still acknowledge that something’s wrong. They don’t pretend like it isn’t there.
– They’re genuine. I’ve seen a few different worship groups almost try to immitate what Hillsong does. Jumping all around the stage, over-enthusiastic, hands raised for the entire set. These guys jump when it’s appropriate, but they pull back when it’s appropriate. They feel the moment and do what’s called for. They aren’t fake.
– They’re structured, but led. I think Hillsong church is the epitome of being completely organized and being completely led by the Spirit. Some churches tend to heir on one side or the other. These guys have a very intricate, detailed set list planned, but at the same time, they’re willing to ditch what was planned for what the moment is calling for. You gotta have that healthy balance.
Anyway, the next morning, JD (aka Jonathan Douglas) preached three, yes, THREE services at Calvary Kendall. Mind you, the dude just played for like 2.5 hours the night before for like 15,000 people and THEN he comes and preaches three services at our little 365 person sanctuary?! (although we did have three over-flows totally packed for every service). Bottom line, JD is the real deal. If it’s for God and His kingdom, he’ll do whatever it takes.
And that’s the mentality I’ve been trying to adopt lately, which is the fact that I was placed on this earth to serve and worship God to the fullest extent. My agenda or what I think is important or “my ministry” completely takes a back seat when it comes to assuming my position as a servant in the kingdom of God. I’m learning that one of the most beneficial things you can do as a worship leader is to realize that what you’re doing, your ministry, your worship team, your music, your 25 minute slot in the service, is a tiny, miniscule part of something so much bigger that God is doing. In other words, it’s not about me and it’s not about you, it’s about God!
