Recently, I had the opportunity to sing in a choir behind praise and worship leader Charity Gayle at one of her concerts. What I experienced was beyond my expectations and I learned more than I imagined.
My church choir was invited to sing in a choir at her concert in suburban Charlotte. When our worship leader told us we were invited everyone was excited, but I was nonchalant. I didn’t know who she was.
Jeremiah Bullock
I grew up listening to old gospel music. My parents liked Kirk Franklin, CeCe Winans, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, and many more. Artists like these are mainly what I listen to today. So Charity Gayle was outside my genre. However, when my music leader sent out the music, I started to listen to the songs and instantly added them to my playlist.
When I got into the choir stand and they went through a roll call, I was amazed to see there were 183 people in the choir.
While we were waiting, Charity came by to talk with us and spoke kind and loving words over us. This was when I knew this wouldn’t be a regular concert.
The church we were in seated 2,000 people, and every seat was filled.
Once the concert started, the lights got dim, and Charity walked out with her people, and the first thing she said was, “I don’t want this to be a concert, but a worship night to our Lord and Savior.” That instantly set the tone for the rest of the night, that this would be a night of worship.
Once the first song started to play and the choir came in, I was instantly flooded with emotions. The sounds I heard were so beautiful. Hearing the choir sing, hearing the crowd sing, hearing Charity and her team sing, it was so beautiful. I kept telling myself, “This is what heaven must sound like.” Everyone singing to God at the top of their lungs.
During the concert, I didn’t have time to comprehend what I was experiencing, so after I took a moment to sit and gather my thoughts. I received a lot that night.
(Photo courtesy of First Baptist Church of Indian Trail, N.C., via Instagram
One thing I received was what music does to people. I noticed one person in particular while people were walking in who looked as if he was forced to be there. By the time we got to the third song, I looked back at him and he was singing at the top of his lungs, with his hands up, in the middle of the aisle.
The power music has on people is strong. When you are listening to a song that has an amazing guitar solo, like “Hotel California” by the Eagles, it makes you start playing the air guitar like you are right there with them on the stage. When you are listening to an upbeat song like “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, it makes you want to get up and start dancing around the room. And when you are listening to a song that describes what God did for us through Jesus, like “Thank You, Jesus, for the Blood” by Charity Gayle, it brings worship to God out of you.
I also realized singing with other people changes people. While we were warming up for the concert, the couple of guys who were standing near me in the choir were stiff and serious. But once the concert started, they too had their hands up, eyes closed and were just singing their hearts out. Some weren’t even singing the right harmony, but they didn’t care and I didn’t care either because we were authentically worshiping.
Openly worshiping God by raising your hands or doing a little dance has become viewed as a taboo thing. Some people say being overly expressive during worship is a Pentecostal thing. I disagree because when the person next to you is openly worshiping God it provokes you to unapologetically worship God as well, not minding the possible judgment of others.
After being in an atmosphere of worship like that, I didn’t want it to be over. It was such a refreshing, stress-relieving experience that left me craving to go to another one. There’s nothing like it.
Jeremiah Bullock is a junior at Wingate University and serves this semester as BNG’s Clemons Fellow.