Hillsong United — with their high energy octave-jumping choruses and emo-tinged ballads — dominates much of the modern praise & worship scene. I often find that I like their songs more after the experience of singing them live in the context of a worship gathering — although this is not strictly limited to Hillsong United songs (a prime example: Charlie Hall’s “Sweep Me Away” is literally one chord — with some minor shifts and tons of gagdetry — but is a personal favorite because of a particular worship experience).

This past weekend, I was guest-speaking at a series of gatherings where we sang the Hillsong-penned Saviour King (complete with the Aussie spelling of Saviour!).  A key theme for us was the idea that the church is not a building or destination but, as Rob Bell writes in the provactively-titled Jesus Wants to Save Christians, “The church is a people who live a certain way in the world.”  The church is not a monument but, rather, a movement.  So, this particular lyric from Saviour King was particularly meaningful for me:

Let now your church shine as the bride
That you saw in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

Perhaps it’s a bit of poetic license or holy imagination, but I really like the idea of Jesus picturing us and who we could become in Him as He gave His life away.  I’m really drawn to the notion that Jesus not only saves, but He dreams as well.