Music, Worship, and the Transcendence of God
If we lose sight of the presence of God, what we offer God in a worship service or in liturgy can descend into flippancy, frivolity, and shallowness. Sometimes, relevance and accessibility looms so large as a worship goal that one can lose a sense of the transcendence of God. Of course, God, in His great mercy and grace, makes Himself accessible and condescends to us. (This was most clearly seen in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ)!
Yet, we must remember that God is God. He is God who is with us and, at once, He is God above us. As Rudolph Otto wrote in his book The Idea of the Holy, the mysterium tremendum and mysterium fascinosum simultaneously exist in our encounter with God. There is that aspect of God which fascinates or allures us. Also, there is the bearing of God which is mysterious and repels or overwhelms us. He is imminent but also transcendent.
In various aspects of worship, even concerning the music of worship, the transcendence of God is put out of view and may even be completely absent at times. Our worshipful responses must not miss the luminous, unmatched, sublime, and awe-inspiring person and presence of God. Indeed, our worship offerings should be reflective of who God is. Since music, for example, is both an act of worship and an aid to worship, it should be used to respond to and promote a fully orbed and robust response to God’s divine revelation of Himself.
Every text selected, tune expressed, and worship act in which we are engaged ought to support and reflect the mysterious, tremendous, and fascinating God. It should be an offering worthy of Him and one which leads the worshipper(s) to remain aware of His weighty and astounding presence. Even the way music is performed, both vocally, instrumentally, and congregationally, should reflect an awareness that we are in the presence of One who is “high and lifted up, and whose train fills the Temple.” Any frolicsome, thoughtless, light-hearted acts, in His presence, are unworthy of Him and are impertinent, brazen, and disrespectful.
Of course, God is alluring and attractive. Yet, make no mistake about it, God is mysterious, transcendent, and deserving of worship that reflects this truth concerning Him.
