I Love You
-Sanctus Real

Can I look past the cliché in every moment
Can I learn to be amazed by you
Can I find a simple way to praise you
Even if it’s already used
Can I put my pride aside and learn to sing in time
with someone else’s praises
I love you, I love you, I love you and nothing new

Can I accept in a world of changes
you’re not impressed with something new
If I don’t understand the language of a heart that’s after you
Can I put my pride aside and learn to sing in time
with someone else’s phrases
I love you, I love you, I love you and nothing new

Sometimes God really likes to talk to me through lyrics. It’s amazing how a song I have listened to over and over can all of the sudden make sense. Sauder and I used to put this song on repeat in our room because one the message is awesome and two the song sounds awesome. But as I’m listening to the song now, I finally understand what its’ talking about. Back at home Sunday’s are awesome, by far my favorite day of the week. I love going to church whether it be at Calvary or LCBC, but part of that is because of the style. I like the songs we sing, I am able to connect to them. I like the pastors, they don’t put me to sleep and I am able to relate to their messages. I like the people, they are my friends. But this summer I was able to experience worship with none of that associated. Church in Africa is something that is very hard to describe unless you have been to a service. It’s completely different than anything we are used to back home. Yet despite not having an electric guitar, or a welcoming desk, or even a bulletin; God was still very present. “Can I put my pride aside and learn to sing in time with someone else’s praises.” Can I forget about what I’m used to, can I get rid of the lights or the high-end audio system, can I take down the projector screen, can I strip away everything I am used to when I typically worship, and still find it in my heart the ability to praise our father. “Can I find a simple way to praise you.” For me, sitting through a couple hours of worship in a language I couldn’t understand, made me look at worship from a different perspective. Although I love the way we worship in America, and I am definitely looking forward to coming back to that, it was important for me to realize that worship is not about what’s around you. It’s about what’s inside of you. Worship is business for the heart; your hands and voice are just ways to express what’s going through your heart. Sometimes I miss that. Do I think that our style of worship in America is taking away from that? Maybe. Would I rather worship like they do in Africa? Probably not for too long. I love worship in America, God speaks to me in many ways through the songs and messages preached. But I think before that can happen, we need to make sure our hearts are ready for worship. That’s what God cares about. He doesn’t care if our songs sound perfect, or if we have a record attendance that week. He doesn’t care if we are worshiping in a church on Sunday morning, or on our back porch on a Thursday night. He doesn’t care if it is in English or Swahili. He doesn’t care about these things, he cares about our relationship with Him. It’s a matter of the heart. “I love you, and nothing new.”