Why Worship Lyrics Matter

Words matter at Passport. We choose them carefully in Bible Study and Worship. In a postmodern world, we are learning that words create reality, while in the modern era they described reality. We want to talk about God in terms that aren’t limiting, but describe all the depth and breadth of our God – who creates males and females in God’s own image.

Because God embodies male and female attributes throughout scripture, we will take out some of the male references for God for Worship at Passport. We also will refer to humankind instead of mankind. These subtle changes help us define a different reality – one where women and men are equal in our sight – and where all of us might see a tiny bit of ourselves in the image of God.

For example, we love Rend Collective and are singing a couple of their songs in worship this summer. They sing Be Thou My Vision like this:

You are my wisdom, You are my true word
I ever with You, and You with me, Lord
You’re my great Father, and I’m Your true son
You dwell inside me, together we’re one

At Passport, we will sing it like this:

You are my Wisdom, You are my true Word;
I ever with You and You with me, Lord;
You’re my redeemer, my love you have won,
You dwell inside me, together we’re one

This year, we are sharing an iTunes playlist* that includes some of the songs we will sing in Worship at Passport! We encourage you to purchase the songs and use them with your students so that they’ll have a chance to hear the music beforehand. This way, campers can more actively participate in Worship with songs that are still fresh, but also familiar.

We look forward to worshipping with you and your students this summer!

*Note: The versions you will purchase are the original versions that Passport used as inspiration to create this year’s Worship experience; they will not reflect any lyric changes.