Welcome! Thanks for checking out my blog about music, worship, and trying to join God in his work to restore the world. I'm excited to share some ideas – in both directions. Let the conversation begin. . .
This weekend at Willow, my friends Becky Johnson and Sharon Irving created something to help us prepare for communion. It was absolutely breathtaking, so I wanted to share it with you. (About half way through, the video goes live.) Enjoy!
You can read about the whole service at Willow’s worship blog: beyondsinging.willowcreek.org
A fellow worship leader asked me a question yesterday that I wanted to open up to everyone. I COMPLETELY resonate with his longing for something more and different, and wonder if you all could help us find some new songs/prayers/liturgies along these lines…One more thing …
First, Brian McLaren’s article was awesome. Second, I was thinking this morning about the songs that resonate in our community and they’re all (your music included) about more than singing … more than just coming to worship, punching a time card for the week and leaving. It’s about faith in action, living out our call … it’s the “so that” of worship that McLaren touched on. We worship so that we are empowered to give love to a world that desperately needs it. We worship so that we can change the world by God’s grace, etc.
But it’s hard when planning worship to find these types of songs. So much of them, as you’ve written before, seem shallow or don’t take into account the importance of community. It’s just me and Jesus … but there’s more to the story it seems. We need each other. We were created for each other. (I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here. Forgive me.)
So my question is: Could you point me to resources or artists or worship leaders or songs where you’ve found depth in lyrics and content? Where the message is … let’s be transformed to go out and make a difference in the world in Jesus’ name?
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Grace and peace,
Brent Levy
riseharrisonburg
I’ll share the one resource I know of in the comments, and then would love to hear yours also!
In this together…
WL's review of "God is Love"
I had the opportunity to contribute an article about communion to this month’s Worship Leader Magazine. Here’s the intro…
For the last couple years at Willow Creek, we’ve been really digging into the holy richness of communion. We believe that sharing the bread and cup together, in the name of Jesus Christ, is absolutely central to what it means to gather as Christ-followers, and we take this 2000-year-old practice very seriously. And part of taking it seriously means not letting the practice get stale: doing the hard work to help the community approach it with fresh eyes, curious minds, and wide open hearts.
Here are a couple ways we’ve approached the practice of communion over the last year…
I went on to share three experiences of communion lead by three different members of our team. (I’m really lucky to get to serve with such a creative group!) You can read the rest by downloading the digital magazine or ordering the physical one at worshipleader.com. It’s a great magazine…raising interesting questions and sharing practical wisdom. If you’re a worship leader, definitely consider subscribing.
And I think I’m feeling especially warmly to them today because they also reviewed A New Liturgy No 1: God is Love, and said some kind words. Considering that A New Liturgy is a little passion project that a few friends and I recorded in my basement, the magazine’s encouraging comments mean a ton. I’m profoundly grateful. Many thanks to Chuck Fromm and everyone at Worship Leader!
Van Gogh
Yesterday, while dreaming and journaling about 2012, and stumbled upon some passionate feelings about the Christian church. This is hardly an original thought, but since it grabbed a hold of me so deeply, here it is:
I am way more compelled by a church OF the people
than a church FOR the people.
This is not to say that one is right and the other is wrong, but I’m becoming increasingly captured by the idea of the priesthood of all believers. Church as a movement rather than an institution. A church created by the people rather than consumed by the people.
A few examples…
In a church TO the people, Worship means: Come hear our most gifted artists provide a worship experience that will inspire and bless you. When it’s done, you’ll want to give them a round of applause, thank God, and be glad you attended.
In a church OF the people, Worship becomes: Prayerful, intentional space that empowers the people to co-create a worship experience – both as individuals and as a body, both at home and when together. The church helps people connect with God and each other, and then gets out of the way.
In a church TO the people, Evangelism means: Bring your friend to church to hear the pastor (who they will never meet) explain to them the truth. It is exporting evangelism to the expert, and reducing the sweeping Story of God to disembodied information.
In a church OF the people, Evangelism becomes: Training up disciples and launching them out to serve the world and share their story…and helping foster a community so alive and beautiful that people can’t wait to join.
In a church TO the people, Mission means: Give your money to the church so it can build a ministry to the poor. You write a check and they’ll take it from there.
But a church OF the people declares: “No one knows the poor in your town better than you. Let us help you serve them. And if you don’t know the poor in your town, following Jesus means that you’ll need to make some changes. Please let us help you humbly engage and learn from and serve the poor in your town.”
Obviously, these are exaggerated examples for clarity. Most churches I’ve been a part of are both, but tend to lean one way or the other. And it’s my personal hope that in this next year, every faith community will inch a bit more in the Church OF the People direction – developing and unleashing the supernatural potential of every woman, man, and kid.
And this year I commit to humbly and constructively use any opportunity I’m given to help and get swept up in this Movement. What an honor and responsibility it is to be (like EVERY one of us) the potential hands and feet of God!
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:11-13)
To continue in the spirit of Monday’s post, I recently came across this amazing video of NT Wright talking about modern worship songs. He is pushing on the current form in a gracious yet prophetic way. What do you think of his perspective?
Rob Bell
I just read the letter that Rob Bell wrote and read to the Mars Hill community on his final Sunday. It was stunning and quirky and beautiful and poetic and weighty and inspiring and Rob at his absolute best.
(You can read it here.) It brought a flood of thoughts…
First, I’m just so thankful to have been a part of the Mars Hill community. When I met Rob in 2002, I was in a pretty dark place spiritually, and he was one of the primary voices that God used to invite me into something more beautiful. I honestly don’t know if I’d still be a Christian without Rob (and Willard’s “Divine Conspiracy” and McLaren’s “A New Kind of Christian”). And although there were some very painful moments, something came alive in me during those years that I hope never goes out.
Here are a few things I learned from Rob (in no particular order)…
-Deconstruction is easy. It takes no courage to point out what’s wrong. Spend all your energy on lifting up what is most right, most compelling, and most beautiful.
-Modern rock is only a small slice of the historical worship pie. What about spirituals? What about liturgical? What about funk? What about…God forbid…country?
-If the idea is compelling enough, you don’t need to dress it up.
-Repentance is not just feeling bad and trying to not be such a terrible person. Repentance is “returning to who you were made to be.”
-The mark of a great message (or worship time) is how many great ideas you leave on the cutting room floor. Relentlessly edit down to the core insight.
-The worship leader’s job is NOT to energize the room with loud music. The worship leader’s job is to harness the energy of the community and unleash it upward.
-We must understand every scripture verse and concept in context of the whole story. (He began nearly every message with Genesis 1)
-Truth is a person, not an abstract idea.
…and those are just off the top of my head. If I sat for an hour I could probably list a hundred more. Rob’s approach to the scriptures, perspective on art, articulation of the Kingdom, example of following your passion, vision for what the people of God could be together, and encouragement to me through the years have marked my life profoundly. And I guess I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks.
It’s going to be fascinating to see what this next season looks like for Rob. Knowing him, it’ll be surprising and inspiring and controversial and really compelling. I sincerely wish him all the best.
The Brilliance at Axis
Last night, The Brilliance performed their new “Advent” album at Axis. It was stunning and beautiful and holy and deeply moving. Their first (self-titled) album was one of my favorite worship albums of last year, and this Advent collection will certainly be December’s soundtrack in our house. Here’s why I love The Brilliance…
Advent
They are more about beauty than hype.
They are more about honesty than entertainment.
They fuse an understated indie asthetic with conservatory musicality,
and create something really unique.
And personally, their music connects with something deep inside me.
Hear more HERE.
Any other Brilliance fans out there? Why do you love their music?
One of my favorite professors at Judson University – Warren Anderson – just wrote an article in Worship Leader Magazine that I think is great. I’d love to hear what you think…
“I can’t remember all the details now, but I was probably at my desk, pushing papers, when the phone rang. Because I oversee the chapel ministry at a Christian university, I occasionally get calls from booking agents hoping their up-and-coming bands can lead worship in one of our chapels. This was one such call, so I knew what to expect. Except this time I didn’t.
“You’ve got to bring this band to campus,” the agent bleated. “They lead killer worship!”
Excuse me? Okay. I know what he meant, and I’m sure you do, too – but the fact that we all know what he meant is indicative of one of the real dangers of 21st-century contemporary worship music…”
Read the rest HERE. Thoughts?
Mac's first bath
Hey, I’m so sorry for the ten days since the last post. It’s been a crazy couple weeks! Here are a few things that have been going on…
(1) The baby! Mac’s first 5 weeks on planet earth have been fantastic and exhausting. We’re so ridiculously thankful and happy…but could use a decent night’s sleep. But other than 48 scary hours in the hospital when he was only ten days old (which turned out to be nothing more than a cold!), all is well with the little guy.
(2) Shauna and Henry. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
Henry's 5th Birthday
(3) A New Liturgy. The last few weeks have been really busy in my little home studio – working on
Liturgy No 2: “Blessed to Be a Blessing”. (You can check out pictures and updates at the New Liturgy Facebook Page.) As of right now, three out of the four movements are finished, and the final movement will be done next week. I can’t possibly convey how excited I am about all this…and really look forward to sharing it with you! anewliturgy.com.
tracking bass drum in my living room
Ada Bible Church
(4) Leading Worship. In October, I lead worship five different times, 12 services: at Willow three times, once at Ada Bible Church, and once at Mars Hill. And the next couple weeks are equally full. But honestly, I love it. It’s such a huge honor to get to serve communities in this way, and I can’t wait for this coming weekend…
[By the way, NT Wright is coming to speak at Willow this Saturday and Sunday. He's a genius and I can't wait to hear what he brings. His new book is Simply Jesus.]
There’s so much more to share! Coming soon…
A New Liturgy Facebook Page
Hey friends.
Just wanted to let you know that I’m moving most of the updates and details about “A New Liturgy” over to the A New Liturgy Facebook Page.
The aaronniequist.com blog will keep sharing some of the highlights and heart behind the Liturgy movement, but we’ll take things much deeper on the Facebook Page. So please come stop by and join the conversation!
I have to admit that I’ve been in a bit of a music listening rut. It’s been a long time since a new CD has really captured me. (Florence + the Machine was probably the last one)
But in the last couple weeks, two albums have been on constant rotation – both in iTunes and in my mind…
St Vincent
(1) St Vincent. I’ve been hearing about her for a long time, but my friend Izzy finally pushed me over the edge and said “Aaron, you HAVE to buy her new album!”. I downloaded Strange Mercy immediately and proceeded to have my mind blown. This album is strange and beautiful and aggressive and quirky and profoundly original. (It should come as no surprise that she was a part of Polyphonic Spree – who I love – and Sufjan Steven’s touring band.)
The highlight of the album for me is “Cheerleader”, which you can watch her perform at The Met Museum HERE. The menacing bass growling underneath the soaring melody of the chorus kills me every time.
(2) Gungor. In spite of being consumed with St Vincent, a friend of mine released an album last week that is equally brilliant. Maybe more so. Sincerely. Gungor’s new album “Ghosts Upon the Earth” is phenomenal.
While they began as a worship band, and remain vaguely in that camp, this new album pushes the boundaries of what “worship music” can be. Thank God. Far from 10 happy songs about heaven, “Ghosts” takes us on a cinematic journey from the creation of the universe to the end of the Story. In fact, calling it “worship music” is misleading. It’s more accurate to call it “spiritual music that is actually good music.” The album is dark and mournful at moments (in a Damian Rice sort of way), bright and upward and infectious (like the best of Jonsi), heavy and fuzzed out (as if Muse decided to sing about something beside space aliens)…all tied together with great melodies and ever-morphing time signatures. Here is how Gungor describes it…
Any St Vincent or Gungor fans out there? (It’s definitely a strange pairing of artists…)
What music is blowing your mind these days?
Ian and the team
This weekend, we had the huge privilege of leading worship at Willow with my friend Ian Morgan Cron. Ian is an author of two phenomenal books, a great musician, and crazy smart.
Ian grew up Roman Catholic, planted a non-denomina-tional church in his 30s, and is now an Episcopal Priest. As you might guess, he has a fascinating perspective about God, church, worship, and liturgy…and so we invited him to Willow Creek to share some of his journey and lead us in a liturgical experience.
After reading a bit from his book Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and me…, Ian lead us in the Kyrie Eleison – which means “Lord, have mercy”. He taught a very simple refrain, and then guided us through a number of liturgical prayers. We (the band) did our best to think “What would Sigur Ros sound like in a Roman Catholic cathedral?”, and accompanied the prayers with a moody soundtrack that built and built and finally exploded into a soaring “Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy.”
As it all landed, Ian invited us to quietly pray:
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father;
in your compassion forgive us our sins,
known and unknown,
things done and left undone;
and so uphold us by your Spirit
that we may live and serve you in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
…and then he took the biggest risk of the weekend. Ian tenderly said, “I believe that we all are the priesthood of believers, and so I’m going to ask you to do something that might feel weird. Please turn to the person next to you, look them in the eye, and say ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven’”.
The next few moments were as holy as it gets. Such a simple thing, but so powerful.
I’m really thankful to Ian for coming to serve our church – and exposing us to an entirely different experience of worship and the liturgy. (You can learn more about Ian at iancron.com.)
Elbow
Since 1996, I’ve had the chance to make a ton of music and lead a lot of worship services with Troy Hatfield. He’s a killer musician, true pastor, deep thinker, and one of the best frisbee golf players on planet earth. We co-lead the worship team at Mars Hill Church for a handful of years, and he continues to lead there today. I think really highly of him.
Troy just wrote an article called “Learning from Elbow” that I think every worship leader should read. (Elbow is a brilliant Manchester band that Troy’s been following for years. They have since become one of my favorites also.) Anyway, this is a great nudge to all of us who lead worship…
I love this song. We sang it this weekend at Willow – and by “we” I mean “Becky and Sharon” –
and the song has been lodged inside me ever since. (You can read about how we used it and why at beyondsinging.willowcreek.org, Willow’s worship blog). Here is a video of All Sons and Daughters performing it live in the studio…