More and more I am finding myself in discussions and arguments about worship. Here’s something that I have found odd in my life as a Christian. No matter how on-fire for Jesus and spiritually filled some Christians are, and no matter how lukewarm or worldly other Christians are, both will get extremely fired up, opinionated and outspoken about worship styles and what takes place in a Sunday morning assembly. What these differences often boil down to is either reluctance toward change, or a desire for change.

Here’s one of my favorite new quotes:

“Change is like peanut butter. Some of us love it, crave it, and thrive on it. While others among us go into anaphylactic shock and stop breathing.”

It’s only funny, because it’s so true. Here’s how I see worship style issues…

Do you remember those Susie Homemaker or Easy Bake Ovens that children used to play with? Kids loved making cookies for Mom & Dad and that was very sweet, but unfortunately the cookies were not so sweet. They were pretty terrible in fact, but it was the kind gesture of love that counted and that is what brought joy to the hearts of moms & dads.

So let’s imagine that you are Dad, and your two children have decided to bake you your favorite cookies because they love you. Well, one child says that your favorite cookie is chocolate chip, but the other child insists that your favorite is oatmeal raisin and claims that you don’t even like chocolate chip. This argument escalates to the point of shouting and then each child storms off to their room and slams their door. In their separate rooms they make you your cookies even though they are mad at each other.

Do you think Dad will be happy with his children and their cookies in this scenario? If you’re the dad in this situation, you couldn’t care less about the cookies at this point, because you are upset with the immature attitudes of your fighting children. You might not even eat them. (see Amos 5:21-24, not to be confused with Famous Amos). The cookies are not all that great anyway. You’ve had others make you much better cookies (i.e. Angels & saints in Heaven, or your grandma in this analogy). It’s not about the cookies! It’s about the loving relationship you have with your children and their relationship with each other.

Truth be told, each child has a selfish reason for their opinion regarding your cookie preference. One says that chocolate chip is your favorite because, well… it’s her favorite. And your other child thinks oatmeal raisin is your favorite because, again… it’s his favorite. The reality is that you love both, as long as they are made with love, joy, peace, unity, and honest hearts.

In all honesty, I need this reminder of my analogy as much as anybody. I have strong opinions regarding worship and worship styles and I am quick to get agitated about views that are different than mine. While I have used this analogy in the past to demonstrate the difference in instrumental & acapella worship styles, it still applies to styles and preferences within the acapella realm.

I’m just tired of fighting about cookies. I’m pretty certain Dad is tired of it too.