The Sound and the Style

I was blown away the other night watching the Grammys. Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and Bob Dylan collaborated and put on the best 9 or so minutes of live music I've seen in a long time. Noah loves Mumford & Sons. As soon as they started playing, he got up and started dancing around. He likes the sound. He knows Mumford & Sons without really knowing anything. They have a "sound." The great bands have a "sound" don't they? Immediately you hear a great band and you're like, "Hey I love that band. I like their "sound." If I had a "sound," it'd be banjos, mandolins, acoustic guitars, and vocals sung with great passion at a quick tempo, celebrating the joy of living.

Likewise, the great artists have a style. I have the privilege of having some dear friends who happen to be artists here in Greenville. I can be in a restaurant or a gallery where one of their pieces is hanging and immediately think to myself, "Wow! There's Brian's work," or, "That's a Ric" or "a Kavita" or "a Susanne." They have a "style." I know their work when I see it. And because I have the pleasure of being their friends as well, I see them in their work. Their art reflects the "style" of their personality. If I had a "style," it'd be folk art rich with a mixture of joy and a hint of sadness or reflection, all deep in symbolism and full of life and meaning.

Yet when I think of Christians and churches, I don't think of the sound and the style. If I'm honest, I think too often of cookie-cutter individuals, experiences, and environments who are trying to be a little more (choose and insert your adjective here: cool, conservative, contemporary, traditional, celebratory, reflective, reverent, and so on) than the next guy or place. Seems like there are basically two choices you can pick. And then you just blend in with your music (and corporate worship style), politics, style of dress, and so on and so forth ad nauseum.

I want to be the Christ-follower of whom people say, "I don't know what to make of that guy; never met one like him before." And I want to pastor the church that defies all the labels. I want people to come worship with us at Origins and say of our music, our preaching, our use of technology and engaging of the senses, and especially our love for one another, "That's Origins... that's their style and sound."

I was so hopeful the other night as I watched that Grammy performance. It felt like a whole new genre was emerging before our eyes, a culture shift. A breath of fresh air. So here's my call to anyone willing to come create culture with me. Let's live in a way that people know we are authentic and unique. And if we are going to "do" church, let's do it contextually and confidently and creatively. What I wouldn't give for a style of worship music unlike any other church we've ever been a part of. (I'd personally choose a banjo, a mandolin, a cello, some interesting percussion playing with Travis on acoustic guitar, all playing fast and singing loud.) I want a church with music just for our context because there is no other Downtown Greenville and no other Origins. I would have greeting, childcare, videos, communion that are all authentic. And I want to be that one-of-a-kind follower of Jesus. And I crave the same for you.

The question is never, "How can we be different from those guys?" That's not sound and style. The question is, "How can I be the best version of me?" knowing that God only created one me. What's the song the world needs to hear me play? What's the style the world needs to see because I alone can "get it to canvas" or model it? And for you. What is your "sound" and "style"? Come make culture and music   -- both metaphorically and literally speaking -- with us. Gotta run... I hear "The Cave."