hillsong london

ever since we decided to come to london, we had been looking forward to worshiping at hillsong london. right or wrong, there's a certain mystique to that name. this afternoon, we finally got around to it, our first time there since arriving in london. we thought about going sooner but wanted to wait for bea & tim, who go there regularly, so we wouldn't be lost. we left with a sense that God had ordained that we should go when we did and to that specific service.

we didn't know what to expect really. we'd heard lots of things about hillsong church, whether in sydney or london. there were good reviews and other reviews that were not as enthusiastic. still, part of our little adventure is to see how other churches worship and see how God wants to teach us through the experience.

i'm always a little hesitant when it comes to hype. i know it's quite ironic, being a marketer myself. but maybe that's why i'm a bit if a skeptic at times. it's because i know how hype works and how hype tends to overshadow substance. we can get so focused on the sizzle that we forget we came for steak.

and so it was that i we found ourselves holding back when the service started. it's quite hypocritical of us, seeing how we often lament how the congregation at scbc seems reluctant to engage in worship freely. we didn't want to lose ourselves in a spectacle and become consumers rather than worshippers. and it's hard when you have a church that works very hard to ensure that its production is worthy of the glory of our God. we plan on visiting again and hopefully, next time, we'll be able to let go without losing the true spirit of worship and find that amazing, freeing balance.

christine caine was the speaker for the service we went to. i'm sure you can find her bio somewhere on the internet, so i won't repeat it here. it's really hard to ignore what you hear in terms of other people's opinions! we had heard comments that the preaching at hillsong can be a little loosy goosey and light on Biblical grounding and so, again, we were cautious. But God definitely had other designs in mind and anointed her with a healthy dose of the Holy Spirit because, boy, did she preach with power and conviction! and what she preached on was just another example of how God has been affirming us in our decision to come here.

she spoke on how life is inherently risky and how the point of life, particularly for Christians, is not to arrive at death safely or comfortably. here are some key points that we took from the message:

"Jesus came so that we might be saved, not so that we might be safe."

"the purpose of light is to find darkness."

"when he came, there was no light. when he left, there was no darkness."

- epitaph for a.w. mill, a one-way missionary

"If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
- david livingstone

"don't sell out to lesser priorities."

but it wasn't all stories, and she wasn't just saying this stuff from the pulpit. she was living this out herself. as a 40-something mother of two, she responded to God's call for her to start fighting human trafficking, starting in greece. some would say that it was a job for someone else, someone without responsibilities like a raising a family. but God called her. and she stepped out in faith, took a risk, and obeyed. we wish there was a recording of the message we could share with you because it was that good. we'll try to find it if we can and post a link.

maybe not every week at hillsong is like this. and maybe our reaction was because we walked in as skeptical as we did. but for this one week, at this one service - the one we attended - there was a tangible sense of God's spirit moving mightily among his people.


as a side note, joel houston is REALLY tall. and the drummer was insanely talented.