Expression: Declaring Whose We Are
How do we best communicate who we are? Culturally, it’s a question many of us are trying to answer. We’re each attempting to descriptively and articulately tell those around us what makes us unique or different from someone else. Common statements you might hear include:
“Be yourself.”
“You do you.”
“I’m just being honest.”
Where does this come from and why are so many of us fixated on getting this right? I believe it’s because we all long to be seen, to be known and heard for who we are. But we easily miss it when we attempt to find out who we are without knowing whose we are.
It was an ordinary Sunday evening worship service at my home church, but something within me was different. I sat in my usual seat in the pew as I had for countless other services. Early that evening, I vividly remember looking out across the auditorium and seeing grown men lifting their hands in worship with tears running down their faces as they sang, exalting and declaring the freedom they had found in Jesus. As I watched, I felt something in me shift. I couldn’t just stand there. My desire to experience what these men were experiencing was unrelenting. So, I let my guard down for a moment and fell to my knees with both arms extended and began to express to God how I loved him. I was fully surrendered. Almost immediately I was swept away in his presence; it was intoxicating. Even as I write these words, I’m reminded of how this encounter became the most formative moment in my life because it was then I experienced God, and I’ve never been the same since.
This was the catalyst that has led me to a deeper understanding of this natural expression within me: song and melody. My expression in song is an ongoing outpouring of love and admiration for who he is in my life, and for what he’s done. For me, musical expression has become the highway of communication I travel to connect with Jesus and declare his goodness. As a musician and worship leader, I’ve learned that my expression isn’t just solely for me; it’s a gift given to me for the betterment of others. So, I sing, I dance, I declare, and I invite others to join me in this intimate act. Becoming a better singer-songwriter, worship leader, or guitar player isn’t the objective—it’s simply to express my love for Jesus and invite others to do the same. Vocationally, today I serve as a lead worship pastor in the Twin Cities. Most who know our church say that we are an expressively charismatic church, especially when it comes to our style of musical expression in worship. Our congregation is made up of a diverse group of people both ethnically and generationally. We do our best to give intentional focus to how our music sounds; not just because we want excellence, but because we want the uniquely diverse sound of God’s people to be reflected. The sonic landscape for our worship is best described as a musical fusion, and it’s beautiful. Listening to the sound of different tribes and nations in one place lifting their voices in unison is breathtaking. There’s something special that takes place in those moments that supersede even the most intricate melodies. Something far more pure, powerful, and supernatural takes place; it’s people connecting with their creator. Praises erupting from the sound of a thousand voices, hands extended in a vulnerable posture of surrender, with tears streaming down the faces of a grateful people. Collectively, it’s a powerful display of our human expression, a result of God’s relentless love and the sweet manifestation of his presence.
We express our love to God because he’s worthy and because he’s God. He expresses his love towards us through forgiveness, by adopting us into his family through the redemptive and sacrificial death of Jesus. It’s because of this expression, of love and forgiveness, that we can now confidently express who we are and whose we are.
Read more of Expression: Declaring Whose We Are by JonCarlos Velez in Kinsmen Journal Volume 1 — Purchase here.
