Lessons in Church from U2
“I can’t believe the news today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes
And make it go away
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
‘Cause tonight we can be as one.”
What more beautiful words to capture the spiritual longing of this season in our nation’s history? Division, inequity, and duplicity seem to rule the day. We long for connection, justice, unity and authenticity.
Without speaking a word, Bono began his concert by singing these words that gathered the frustration and heartbreak of millions of people.
I went to church with 50,000 people on Wednesday night. We sang together with full voice. We shed tears. We considered how to tell a story of goodness with our collective lives. It even got a little preachy, but we didn’t mind. After all, we need to lift up the voices of women and refugees and Bono was not afraid to drive the point home.
As a pastor, I am always inspired (and a bit chided) by events like this. How is it possible for four Irish dudes to hold worshipful and transformational space for 50,000 people? I wonder why church doesn’t feel like this more often. Of course, U2 can spend millions of dollars that aren’t available to worship leaders to create that experience. And, U2 only has to do this every few years, not every single week.
And yet, it is good to consider how a few lines of a song can open an individual soul and invite corporate action. After all, beautiful music and inspiring words are primary tools in the toolkit of churches.
We forget the essential artistry of worship leading. We forget that vulnerability awakens vulnerability, that soulful presence invites souls to emerge. We forget how much is at stake in our gathering. It is possible to change the trajectory of a day or a week or a life or the world by the way we show up (just think about those church services in Selma before Dr. King and his congregation hit the streets!). We forget and we settle for filling in slots with music, readings, sermons and announcements. We forget that God longs for hearts of malleable, tender flesh rather than precise and perfect performance.
What keeps worship from being a performance is a community who knows they have equal responsibility to be fully present. Communities can invite vulnerability, creativity and courage, or they can shut it down. So, come to church ready for the Spirit to open your soul. Bring your longing for a transformed world with you. Look in the eyes of people in the pews around you and see their created beauty as children of God. Sing loudly and off key. Believe we can be as one.