I’ll never forget the intensity of one particular musical experience. It was June of 2016, and I was at a concert with my older brother. As I stood there and listened, I was overwhelmed with how incredibly moving and euphoric it was. I had never been so completely swept up in a musical experience. The people around me were also totally engulfed in the flow of this moment. But this wasn’t a Christian concert. I was listening to a top-notch bluegrass band play an extended jam on a fiddle tune called Old Joe Clark. The musical creativity, energy, and excellence in a live setting sent my mind reeling. I could list many, many times when I have been overwhelmed by musical experiences—like the first time I heard Beethoven’s 9th Symphony live, or when my college choir sang in an Italian cathedral built in the late Middle Ages, or when I saw Les Misérables at Hancher.
As a lover of music, I may be hypersensitive to the power of music, but it’s safe to say that almost everyone has an emotional response to music at some level. All art—whether performing arts like music and theatre or fine arts like photography or sculpting—can elicit powerful emotion. But music has unique qualities that move us in ways other arts do not. This is one of the reasons music is combined with other forms, commonly in theatre and film, to create a more profound experience. Try watching a movie with the musical score removed. It will be awkward, and perhaps even confusing. The music guides your emotions and helps interpret what is happening in the story.
The reality that music has this kind of influence is essential to consider when considering the role of music in worship. People often say things like, “Every time I hear that song, I can feel the Holy Spirit.” Or, “The Spirit showed up during worship.” Of course, we can experience Spirit during worship in uniquely powerful ways. But the reality is that the Spirit is always present with us, including when we worship, so his presence isn’t dependent on the music or our response. Music can trick us into thinking the Spirit has ‘shown up’ when what we experienced was that our emotions were stirred up from the beauty of what we’ve heard.
But, do not hear me saying that every time we feel emotions in corporate worship, it’s only a trick of brain chemistry and endorphins. We might be genuinely moved by the power of the truths we’re singing, supported by the beauty of the music. That’s the purpose of the music, after all. It helps us feel the truths that we sing. God gave us beautiful music, voices, and he designed for us to respond emotionally to music.
