Passion: Here for You

I’m a big believer that music feeds the soul.  Feed your soul angry or depressing music and you will find your mood matching it.  Some music is great to work out to because it’s rocking and motivating.  Who doesn’t want to run or hit the weights when “Eye of the Tiger” is playing?  I look for music that pushes me to fulfill my purpose with passion.  For some time, Passion has been putting out some of the best worship music around.  I’ve yet to purchase a bad Passion album and(though I was late to the party) “Here for You” might be their finest effort.  Only on a Passion CD can you find such an all-star collection of worship leaders and musicians from Crowder to Tomlin to Redman.  The Wisconsin youth camp I spoke at last summer featured most of these songs during the week.  We became very familiar with them and Loftland did an amazing job leading us.  There are 2 very different songs I want to highlight and encourage you to check out.  The first is Set Free(I’ll cover Spirit Fall next week).  It’s a great upbeat anthem whose theme can be summed up in the first line:  “Joy, joy unspeakable joy.”  Here’s the chorus:

C’mon, C’mon now, we’ve got a new song.

C’mon, C’mon now, a song of liberty

Let the world hear heaven’s melody

This is the song of the heart You’ve set free!

I know.  I know.  Most would not consider this deep theological truth, but does it get any deeper than being set free and letting the world know about it?  The bridge gets me every time as well.

And we’ll dance, dance, dance in Your freedom

Oh, Your glorious freedom

Forevermore, Forevermore

Again, we’re not talking about rocket science type theological truth.  However, think about what it means to dance.  Most of the time we don’t dance because we’re too embarrassed.  Most of us default to the Elaine Benes kicks and it’s all downhill from there.  When I’m singing this song, and the beat and the Spirit and moving, it’s hard not to dance.  And there’s something about dancing in the freedom of Christ that says, “I’m not ashamed.  I’m not embarrassed.  Not only am I dancing right now, but I’m gonna keep it going forever.”

Have you watched the news lately?  The world is singing a sad song.  It doesn’t realize that it’s yearning for a Savior to make things right.  People are looking to Christians and the church, but they don’t hear a new song.  They don’t see people with something to dance about.  Maybe that’s why, year after year, church attendance slides.  In the past decade, over 100 churches of 1000 people or more were planted, but it doesn’t seem like it’s making a dent.

Now, more than ever, in the face of discouraging news, humbling stats, and the outcry of a dying world, we need to sing our song from the top of our lungs.  We need to dance like our souls have been redeemed and our lives have purpose.  I don’t know what you’re New Year’s Resolutions were for 2012, but I will start with 2 easy ones:
Sing Loud.  Dance Free.