Worship Team

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being."

- Psalm 104:33

Some of my earliest memories of music are from the Methodist church that I grew up in. My mom and grandpa both sang in the choir, and I would always beg to go with. I loved sitting on my grandpa's lap while he sang and hiding in the choir robes listening to everyone. These early experiences are part of what made me so interested in music, particularly in the church setting. 

As I continued to grow up, my interest in music never faded. When I got to middle school, I was finally able to join a choir and start singing in a group. In 7th grade, I finally got the courage to ask if I could join the church choir. The response I received was, "Why not? You're a good little musician." And with that, I was in my first "adult" choir. 

Although I loved singing in the choir, as I got older, I began to take interest in being a soloist. My very first solo at church was during a Christmas performance. I loved the rush of adrenaline that it brought, and the support was overwhelming. I fell head over heels in love with being a soloist, and decided to take every opportunity that I could find to continue doing it. 

While I wish I could say that I had the best intentions, that would simply be untrue. Where I should have been praising the Lord, I was actually looking for personal praise. Although it is something I am not proud to admit, that is the bare naked truth; it wasn't about worshipping God, it was about looking for personal confirmation that I was a talented soloist. 

When I had the opportunity to join the worship team for the new contemporary service, everything began to change. For the first few weeks, I remember not feeling God's presence at all. Then, one rehearsal, everything clicked into place. It was a snowy, cold night at the beginning of December, one of those nights where all you want to do is curl up with a blanket and watch Christmas movies. We were pulling new music for the upcoming services, with the primary focus being Christmas music. There were mostly songs that I didn't know, but one of the ones that they picked was "How Many Kings" by the artist Downhere. It was a song I hadn't heard in years, but one that I had loved since I was little. 

The first time we sang through it, I felt an overwhelming sense of mixed emotions: relief, joy, stress, healing. It was as if all of the belief in God that I had held as a child came flooding back in all at once. In that moment, I finally understood what all the hype was about. I could see why so many people were willing to devote their entire lives to Christ. For four minutes and twenty-four seconds, I felt like the girl who used to sit on her grandpa's lap and listen to the church choir sing. 

Ever since that winter night, my main way of worship has been through music. My performance style completely changed. I became more focused on sharing Jesus with the audience instead of worrying about if my voice sounded impressive. Everything felt so much more rewarding; instead of just feeling like a good singer, I felt like I made a difference in people's lives. I watched people break down into tears from how strongly they felt Christ flow through my voice. I listened to testimonies and realized that I was part of them for some people. Worship team is one of the most rewarding things that I have ever been a part of in my 17 years of living. 

Regardless of if you are a musician or not, I highly recommend musical worship to everyone. Whether you're singing along in the car, singing in a church choir, soloing, or anything else you can think of, music connects people. It connects you to Christ, to the people you're worshipping alongside - it is an incredible, versatile way of giving praise to Him, no matter where you are. Music holds so much religious power; you just have to open your mind and your heart to the chords and the Lord.