After rewriting much of the worship vocabulary and reshaping the modern musical landscape of the Church over the past ten+ years and 14 albums, Delirious? has decided to call it quits at the end of 2009.

For all the complaining I might do about Jesus is my boyfriend-type praise songs, I have always appreciated the lyrical depth and musical integrity of the Delirious? crew. Though we might be inoculated to their power from overfamiliarity, there is something so deeply true about the following lyrics, taken from the chorus of Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?

Open up the doors and let the music play

Let the streets resound with singing

Songs that bring Your hope, songs that bring Your joy

Dancers who dance upon injustice

In our quest (pipe dream?) to build a community that actively engages God’s purposes in the world, we want to see worship and justice wed together in powerful ways. Our desire to become the change we hope to see in the world is fueled by the love who first came down to us.

We’d love to see more joy and authentic expressions of freedom in our gatherings (maybe any expression!), but it would be tragic for it to stop there. A true worship encounter with God does something to us — healing, restoration, joy and hope fill us and then flow out from us, both on a personal level and in the bigger picture of redemption.

Thanks, Martin and company, for the music.