“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE REPAID TO HIM? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33–36 LSB)
I remember back in 2000 or 2001 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, my wife and I were sitting in our auditorium at our church, waiting for worship service to start. In the seats behind us were several ladies who were of my parents generation. We could hear them talking very clearly….
They were discussing the music and worship songs that they liked and disliked. Just a few weeks earlier, the contemporary Christian Music group Sierra had performed during our morning worship service. It was awesome. However, the opinions I was hearing from behind us left me thinking.
None of them liked that sort of worship music. They wanted hymns. They wanted no drums or guitars. They wanted an organ installed on one side of the stage with a grand piano on the other. It just did not feel like worship to them unless there was a choir who wore choir robes and we sang out of hymnals. When we sang more modern praise and worship songs they did not like it.