Nostalgia in Worship

Before there were "boy bands" like N-Sync, there were band with boys who looked like girls. Pictured to my left is Poison, one of my childhood favorites. Which of course causes some nostalgia.

I'm now going to start a trilogy, or perhaps a quadrilogy on nostalgia. While nostalgia isn't completely bad in and of itself, it can have harmful effects on a number of different key areas of our faith. First of all, I want to address its ill-effects on worship.

The other day Amy and I were watching a TV ad for a Time Life CD compilation of 70's-80's power ballads with bands like Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Boston, 38 Special, etc... The collection was absolutely unbelievable. I thought, "There goes Amy's birthday present." Until the price flashed on the screen. So I settled for the leather bible. Probably a good decision.

Amy and I were deeply moved by the songs. By the lyrics. By the melodies. The songs brought back memories. Not memories of "better days," just good memories. The music really took us back.

But should worship take us back to pondering the "glory days" of our faith? No, not at all. Worship is supposed to move us forward. We press on toward the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3). Worship ought to move us forward to delight in God, in who He is, and what He has in store for His children. It is not designed to give us sentimental feelings about when we first came to faith or when we grew spiritually.

I don't want to specifically sing songs that I sang in college so that I can remember a time when I may have felt really "on fire" for Jesus. If I sing them, great. If I don't, great. I'm not trying to get back to that place. But I do think many are hoping for just that in a worship experience. To get back that "happy place."

Many times I would rather sing songs I know. Most people would. But I don't think that desire is devoid of unhealthy nostalgia. I think that new songs and new tunes add a forward focus to our worship. I'm not saying having familiarity with tunes and songs is bad. I'm not saying old tunes and old songs are bad. They belong as well. But even old tunes and old songs must not move us to nostalgia and sentimentality. Yet I know such feelings often drive our desires.

The Time Life CD commercial was hosted by some burnt out rocker and another woman wishing to relive that decade. I don't want to be "that guy" or "that girl" in my worship of Jesus.