A Rock god's Understanding of Worship
At first glance it’s merely an article written by Dave Grohl* for The Atlantic on the eventual return of live concerts after coronavirus related restrictions lift.
*[In case you are one of 3 people in the world who has never heard of Dave Grohl, he’s the fun-loving front man for the rock band Foo Fighters, a bonafide “rock god”. Often tagged, “The Nicest Guy in Rock”, Grohl rose to notoriety as drummer of a little band out of Seattle called Nirvana. He is an elder statesman of rock and roll (a genre of music that unfortunately has been largely rendered obsolete by auto-tune and YouTube self-starts) who will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Foo Fighter’s debut album later this summer.]
In his article, Grohl is analyzing his (and no doubt scores of other’s) desire for live concerts to return. Less we be led to believe concerts are a luxury and the last thing anyone should be thinking about right now, we really need to listen to Dave because he’s singing our song (sort of - stay with me). This rocker’s yearning to gather collectively for a shared experience is not an itch that needs to be scratched or a consumeristic impulse that needs to be satisfied, it’s a God-given human longing which is a matter of necessity. Grohl’s optimism that we will meet together again in a favorite venue to see our favorite artist reveals that to gather together to sing songs of worship is at the essence of what it means to be human. Dave Grohl is telling us, as a “rock god”, why worship is so important. Granted, I don’t think Dave would liken seeing his favorite artist to worship or even insinuate that in his performing he is “leading” worship through song (as far as I know he is not a follower of Jesus). I realize I’m taking some liberties here in this article by making some assumptions as to Dave Grohl’s worldview and religious convictions so, if he’s a follower of Jesus then I rejoice with the angels; if he’s not, it’s striking how compatible his language is with convictions we, as Christians, hold with respect to worship.
“In today’s world of fear and unease and social distancing, it’s hard to imagine sharing experiences like these ever again. I don’t know when it will be safe to return to singing arm in arm at the top of our lungs, hearts racing, bodies moving, souls bursting with life. But I do know that we will do it again, because we have to. It’s not a choice. We’re human. We need moments that reassure us that we are not alone. That we are understood. That we are imperfect. And, most important, that we need each other. ”
Grohl provides two arguments for why live music experienced in person is a human necessity. The first is the connection the concert-goer has with the artist. The second is the need met when the concert-goer connects to their favorite artist in the presence of fellow fans. Grohl uses the same language we Christians use when talking about our corporate worship experiences, language revealing his understanding of worship. Before we look at these arguments Grohl offers, let’s quickly consider some of the elementary principles of worship. Glory and good are always present when we worship.
One of the reasons Grohl’s article in The Atlantic is so engaging is its unwitting ability to double as an argument for the return of another kind of gathering that I myself am longing for. Having been separated by the pandemic, Christians around the globe have been longing for a shared experience too - corporate worship as experienced in the local church. Thankful for Zoom and pixelated streaming that is doing its best to meet the need, I agree with Dave when he says, “Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has reduced today’s live music to unflattering little windows that look like doorbell security footage and sound like Neil Armstrong’s distorted transmissions from the moon, so stuttered and compressed.” As much of a gift as technology can be, there is no replacement for humans being together for a shared experience. Grohl is putting his finger squarely on the human need to gather together, on that we can agree. Both groups are longing for corporate worship, it’s the object of worship at these gatherings that reveals a distinction.
Worship consists of two actions - giving and receiving. When we worship, the thing we give, glory, is the constant, it doesn’t change. The action of receiving, however, is affected by what we give glory to. In other words, if we worship something common or inferior, what we receive will be likewise. So here’s where the distinction between what Dave misses most and what a Christian misses most becomes clear. For the Christian, the worship in the context of the corporate gathering of her church, which she’s missing, is aimed at God. For Grohl, the worship he’s missing terminates on the gathering itself - the experience generated by the artist and those in attendance with him. The glory is given to a transient artist and a temporal experience so any good that is received is just as fleeting. The Christian gives glory to the eternal, immutable God and receives in return the greatest good.
Dave says that live music is the most life-affirming experience because in seeing our favorite artists onstage and in flesh , “Even our most beloved superheroes become human in person.” Grohl, as a music superhero himself, kindly assumes the perspective of regular citizens of Metropolis and muses over the miracle of these encounters. He gives a few examples of his experiences, one with Queen, another with U2 and a third with Bruce Springsteen. Think about what Grohl is saying here and how that compares to the most astounding news of all - when we consider what happened in the Incarnation where God took on flesh (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7). God, in Jesus became someone that could be heard and seen. He became someone who could be watched in real time and not merely in YouTube clips. He was someone who anyone could walk up to and touch. Jesus became knowable as a human who was God (1 John 1).
But, beyond the life-affirming experience, the Foo Fighter’s frontman makes two arguments for the need to gather together for concerts that I believe affirms why gathering together for corporate worship as Christians is absolutely essential. Again, Grohl’s arguments are two-fold. The first is the connection the concert-goer has with the artist. The second is the need met when the concert-goer connects to their favorite artist in the presence of fellow fans.
To say the concert-goer has a connection with the artist certainly explains why we shell out big bucks to buy concert tickets. The connection for the Christian who longs to gather with others to offer their worship to God is very similar. However, rather than the purpose to gather being a connection with an artist, we gather to worship The Artist. We are connected to God the Father by God the Spirit through God the Son who is the author and perfecter of our faith. For the Christian, the reason we long to gather with other believers to worship the Triune God is due to our connection with Him. We are not worshiping a distant and detached deity - we offer praise through singing and sitting under the preached Word as worship to our Lord because we are bound to Him.
The second reason Grohl provides for why gathering is important is that a need is met when the concert-goer connects to their favorite artist in the presence of fellow fans. I don’t know if David Grohl is familiar with the Westminster Shorter Catechism but the very first question and answer get at what Grohl is arguing for when he says a need is met when people gather to sing. The question offered by the catechism is this, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer that follows tells us, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Where did this question and answer come from? Scripture of course! Passages like Psalm 86; Isaiah 60:21; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31; Revelation 4:11; Psalm 16:5-11; 144:15; Isaiah 12:2; Luke 2:10; Philippians 4:4; Revelation 21:3-4, tell us what we, as humans, were designed for. So, the lead singer of Foo Fighters is correct to say a need is met when we come together to sing. However, that need is ultimately satisfied when Christians gather to do what we were designed to do - glorify God and enjoy Him in the presence of the assembly.
Mr. Grohl is scratching at absolute truth with a capital “T” because he realizes there is a primal need we all have to be connected to something outside of ourselves. What we understand from Scripture though is that that need can only ultimately be met by the source of life when we are forgiven of our sin in Jesus Christ and brought into fellowship to the Father by the Spirit. What Grohl is arguing for is a shadow of what we actually need. Concerts only provide a glimpse of what we’re all longing for. Those who have been redeemed by God through Christ that gather together to offer their praise in worship, are doing so because they have a connection to their Maker and because the answer to their greatest need in life is being affirmed in their worship.
Christian worship, at its essence, is a response generated from a need being met through a connection. In our worship, God’s people are responding to Him with gratitude for His meeting their greatest need by way of their connection with Him through His Son. Atonement for sin through the connection to Christ results in worship.
For many, there is a longing to gather together to connect with their favorite artist and, in doing so, have their needs (though temporal they may be) met. For others, they long to gather together to corporately worship their God in the presence of the redeemed.
Grohl reasons that we need to sing together because, “We’re human. We need moments that reassure us that we are not alone. That we are understood. That we are imperfect. And, most important, that we need each other. ” I couldn’t agree more with the “Nicest guy in rock” - with one exception. The most important reason for why we want to sing with others is that we recognize our need for the God who reveals our need to gather together. We are desperate for the One who created us and we gather together to sing praises to His name.
Unlike gathering together to sing with or to your favorite band, when Christians gather together to sing, the star of the show who connects with us and meets our needs is not on the stage in our corporate gatherings, rather, He sits at the right hand of His Father and longs to meet with us again one day, in person.