Hey Church!

I was speaking with a friend this morning about the appropriate place for spontaneous worship in services. By “spontaneous worship,” I mean when there is an unplanned departure from the script during the singing time. It may be a two-minute instrumental interlude, the addition of a well-known chorus that was not on the schedule, or a made-up extemporaneous song. 

At its best, spontaneous worship comes about by the Holy Spirit’s direction and can be used by Him to deepen our awareness of His voice. Our worship is a form of prayer in which we express our hearts to Him and then listen for His response. Or, more properly, He speaks first; we listen and respond. Listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit requires silence on our part; we cannot expect to hear from Him if we do not, at times, stop speaking and simply listen. We make our plans but also leave room for Him to lead us down unexpected paths of thought. 

At its worst, spontaneous worship can be a flesh-fueled, selfish, and forced quasi-spiritual interruption of order to the neglect of the larger Body. The idea that we should worship as though no one else was in the room is a well-intentioned error that misses the whole point of gathering. The good intention is to delight in God without fear of human judgment. The error is the assumption that our worship is somehow threatened or hindered by the crowd. 

In truth, the crowd is meant to fan the flames of your faith and increase your passion in worship. As an old pastor friend of mine used to say about the importance of living in community: “If you want to extinguish a bonfire, all you have to do is separate the logs.” The reverse is also true: if you want to burn brightly for Christ, then you will need to stay in regular proximity to fellow believers. Despite cultural appeals to individuality and self-sufficiency, we know that none of us can thrive in this Christian life alone. 

Furthermore, spontaneous worship is not superior to planned worship. The Holy Spirit works every bit as much during our preparation as He does in the moment of spontaneity. The latter should be the exception, not the norm. 

With all of that being said and returning to the question, “Is there an appropriate place for spontaneous worship in a service?” I would say, “Absolutely yes!” as long it checks the following boxes. 

Authentic. Not putting on a show but a sincere experience of His presence and direction. 

Spirit-led. Not forced by the flesh. 

Edifying to all. Look around and discern how your worship is being experienced by everyone else in the room. Is it distracting? Or is it fanning their flame? 

In agreement with His Word. The devil has a forked tongue. But God will never speak something to you that is not affirmed by His written Word. 

I am praying for you all to experience His Spirit in a fresh way this Sunday. A saying from my days in music school seem relevant here: “Listen as intently as you sing.” Come ready to offer Him your loudest praise and expectant for His voice to break through.