Worship: What makes your soul dance?

Background music


When I moved to La Crosse, finding a church home was as high a priority as getting my drivers license. For the first time, I had a large number of churches to try and didn't have friends or family to guide my decisions. I decided to dig through church websites and make a spreadsheet of credentials that were important to me--including style of worship. I started with my highest scorer and systematically worked my way down the list. English didn't win a lot of points, in large part because we have a praise band that plays at every service periodically. I love Gregorian chant, Taize, sung liturgy from the ELW, and other such "traditional" styles. This music feeds my soul, connects me to our church history, and helps me find God through simplicity in a chaotic world. On the opposite end of the spectrum, praise band to me three years ago meant songs that I snarkily call "Jesus is my boyfriend" music: in other words, chords from pop music and lyrics where "my significant other" could be substituted for Jesus and still make sense. How could I find a community with those who didn't share the same kind of music that I love? How could I find God in music that makes my inner music snob cringe?


Long story short, I found my home, my family, and God at ELC. I play an obnoxiously hot pink electric violin in our praise band. Worst of all, I've gone through a complete transformation where I even look forward to Faithlift Sundays. Chant and Taize still remain a part of my personal devotion time, but I found that praise music can also be a powerful experience. I realized the importance of having different ways to worship to speak to different people and to each of us at different moments in our lives. I learned that judging a church based on its music is awfully similar to judging its people based on what I initially see, instead of seizing the opportunity to know and love neighbor as self. I've discovered that when I am open to God and His many mysterious ways of working that I grow personally and spiritually.

ELC strives to vary its worship and styles. In worship council, I've participated in energizing discussions as we plan a multitude of worship experiences. We examine ways that worship can build community, as well as both soothe members in all walks of life and simultaneously challenge them to grow. We learn about best practices for worship, attend other churches to see how they structure worship, and consider if or how these ideas would work in our own congregation. In all our work, we prayerfully consider our people and the God we serve.

My confirmation pastor taught me that experiencing God feels like your soul is dancing. He encouraged my class to seek those "thin places," as Borg calls them, wherever we are in our lives. I pray that you do find God in worship--both in ways that you expect, and in the ways God may be nudging you to be open, grow, and let your soul dance in new ways.

Rachel