U2

During our family vacation this year we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH. We saw Elvis and David Bowie costumes, footage of Woodstock, and some awesome information about the kinds of music that influenced rock and roll back in the day.

The experience we were most excited about was the U2 3D movie. We had no idea what to expect, but it's one band the whole family likes, and a friend of mine had suggested it. She likes them a whole lot.

After a moment or two of grinning at each other with our 3D glasses on, the movie began. We saw a girl running, the sound of her breathing and heartbeat loud in our ears. We heard background noise of cheering and screaming. The anticipation was building. Within minutes, this running girl was joined by what must have been tens of thousands of U2 fans chanting and jumping in anticipation of the concert about to begin.

When the four icons who make up U2 took the stage the noise was deafening. And with those 3D glasses, it really did seem like Bono was leaning right toward me! While I loved watching these talented guys do their thing, what fascinated me was the crowd. The concert was in Buenos Aires, so I'm not sure how many of the audience members spoke English, but they knew every word to every song from every album in the set. They were on each other's shoulders, shouting, eyes closed, hands raised.

They were worshiping.

The realization was astonishing.

Did it just look like worship based on what I've seen in churches I've attended? Were these kids (and I know that makes me sound old, but there weren't a lot of 40-somethings in these shots...) being swept up in the emotion and experience of something larger than themselves? Had they lost themselves in the music? Were they transported to another sense of being? Had the musicians on the stage captured their hearts in such a way that the only thing for them to do was surrender to the encounter with their bodies?

The lyrics of some U2 songs are downright spiritual, and I know some of the band members have a connection to God that fuels their musical creativity. But what or whom were these singing, crying, arm-waving fans worshiping?

And why do documentaries and individuals love to mock the same behavior when it's in church, directed at the Creator of the universe?

The image and the subsequent thoughts have stuck with me for weeks, as I've realized how legitimate a visceral, overwhelming, and spiritual experience worship can be. But the scary thing is that we were meant for that with God and it's so easy to fall into counterfeit worship of things and people.

I'm not suggesting that all the audience members at this concert were idolators, elevating Bono and his crew to the level of gods. I am suggesting that our emotions can get the best of us and we should be careful to be sure we only give our emotions to the best.

That's Jesus, in case I haven't been clear.

He is the only One worthy of our praise, and we can be completely uninhibited in our worship of Him.