“Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…
“Safe?” said Mr Beaver… “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Musical worship has become quite an industry. Our pop worship tends to be rather “safe.” In order to promote more streams and sell more tickets and VIP concert packages, all the rough edges must be smoothed off. Don’t be too edgy or avante garde. Play it relatively safe if you want to make a buck.
In our local congregations, we prefer the songs we know and love. We like our hymns sweet, our praise choruses encouraging, and our rock and roll loud and driving. If you want us to sing along, make us feel good by playing the tunes we know the way that we’re used to singing them.
All this is fine as far as it goes. But the affect that it can have on worship is that the rough edges of God himself are also smoothed off. All the edgy danger and wonder that ought to keep us on our toes is sanitized and simplified.
The clouds and thick darkness. The consuming fire. The lightning-lit sky and trembling earth. The melting mountains.
Not safe at all! But the invitation is to risky worship. And n this point C.S. Lewis was brilliantly correct: “‘Course he isnt’ safe. But he’s good. He’s the the King I tell you.”
(See Psalm 97).