Before walking into the Chesapeake Arena for this show, I didn't expect anything more than your typical Christian concert with a lot of prayers and hand waving that by the time you left didn't leave an impact on you. What happened was much different from this. While there were a lot of prayers and hand waving, it meant more than the words and the motions. There was purpose behind the words they were singing and the prayers they were praying.
The opening act was Lauren Daigle, a young up and coming Christian artist. Her genuine love for what she was doing resonated through her voice and actions throughout her set. She had an amazing voice that rang out through the arena.
Instead of just leaving dead space between the two sets, they used it for a purpose. They took the time between sets to promote their upcoming movie, new album and encourage people to donate to World Vision. They actually recorded their latest album in Israel at places like the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. They wanted to feel the Lord's spirit as they were giving him praise. They are releasing a movie September 16 entitled "Let Hope Rise" in order to bring the worship experience into a more mainstream arena. The goal of it is to reach non-Christians with the amazing worship experience the Hillsong group provides with every show they perform. The group took a trip to Lebanon to visit Syrian refugees. They spoke with a family and the father tried to explain the pain they were feeling after being ripped from their home. After the interview with the family, they had a group of volunteers from World Vision walk around the arena and hand out flyers for people to donate to the cause. The number of people who donated was truly inspiring.
As Hillsong came on stage, the energy in the room changed. There was hope and peace in the room. Everyone seemed so happy and full of life and faith. Hillsong performed for roughly an hour before they stopped and began a time of prayer and communion. They brought a man on stage and he took communion with the band to symbolize the sacrament with the entire audience. The entire show was an eye opening experience to how much bigger the Lord's spirit is. It taught me to open my heart to all of the experiences around you. The Lord can work in every part of your life, even a concert, you just have to let him.
"A faith that is afraid of other people is not faith at all." -Thomas Merton
