A Christmas Worship Surprise

Worship – December 2008 – Grace & Truth Magazine

A Christmas Worship Surprise

Wow! Sitting close to the top of the nearly 20,000 seat sports arena the sound was enormous. Our bodies were experiencing vibrations of major proportions from the heavily amplified music. The vibrations experienced were not negatives to this nearly 70 year-old couple. But my wife and I were not far into the concert before we became somewhat envious of the people who had paid for main level tickets. Surely a main level experience would have been all the richer, with its level of amplified sound.

The band’s style was a mixture of musical genres, including classical, Broadway, rock, gospel, and rhythm and blues. The group intentionally aimed for a cross-pollenization of musical ideas that created hybrid forms of music. Although we thoroughly enjoyed the entire three-hour Christmas concert, this mixing of genres, and cross-pollenization of musical ideas is exactly what caused us to be especially delighted with three specific songs. This 21st century mixing of genres included hymns written by 18th century Christians: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (Adeste Fideles) by John F. Wade and translated by British clergyman Frederick Oakeley; “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” authored by British evangelist and hymn writer, Charles Wesley; and, “Joy to the World” a Christian paraphrase of a portion of Psalm 98, written by British clergyman Isaac Watts.

The band was not known as a “Christian” performing group, but a “secular” one whose members came from a variety of musical backgrounds. In attending this concert, one would expect to hear, see and feel an outstanding rock concert – not a specifically “spiritual” experience in the Christian sense of the word. Thus, a most startling surprise – we were moved to tears in a worship experience triggered by these musicians with their guitars, keyboards, electric violins, and high spirited drums, all accentuated by a laser light show.

It was certainly more than the aesthetics of the concert’s music and lights that touched us in a spiritual way, creating treasured moments of worship. Being able to recall the words with the specific three 18th century hymns enabled us to allow the 21st century hybrid music performance to serve as a vehicle of personal Christ-centered worship that was far different than that found in a more familiar church setting.

Could it also be that since each of these three hymns is based on familiar Scripture passages that it was actually God’s Word that was being thrust forth into our spiritual consciousness, producing a unique worship experience? The Lord said, in Isaiah 55:11, “So it is with My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Based upon Luke 2:11 and Hebrews 1:3-7 stanza one of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” says:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, Born the King of angels:
O come, let us adore Him ... Christ the Lord.

Stanza two recalls Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 and John 1:6-18, that Jesus is:

True God of true God, Light of Light eternal,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, Begotten, not created.

Charles Wesley’s hymn “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is solidly grounded in Scripture. Stanza two refers to Hebrews 1:6, Matthew 1:23, and John 1:14 when it says:

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail, the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.

This paraphrase of Isaac Watts is the basis for one of the most popular Christmas hymns. It reminds us that:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! ...
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! ...
He rules the world with truth and grace.

Being able to associate words with the instrumental rendering of the hymns enabled God’s Word to come alive in us in a most unique and refreshing manner. God surprised us by showing up in an unlikely setting through the performance of a group of “secular” musicians and lighting artists. Who knows when God will once again surprise us as we are able to recall words of a Scripture-based hymn or song, even if in an unlikely setting?

How very thankful I am that God has provided 21st century Christians with hymns and other songs of earlier eras that may enable us to be surprised by God at any time of the year. My musical worship surprise came during the Christmas season. When and where will your surprise come?

By Roger Wayne Hicks

The Summation Of God’s Praise
Praise the Lord.Praise God in His sanctuary;praise Him in His mighty heavens.Praise Him for His acts of power;praise Him for His surpassing greatness.Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet,praise Him with the harp and lyre.Praise Him with tambourine and dancing,praise Him with the strings and flute.Praise Him with the clash of cymbals,praise Him with resounding cymbals.Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.Praise the Lord.— Psalm 150 NIV