Facedown - Matt Redman - Hardcover (Book)

 Review

Has Matt Redman taken "worship" another level God-ward in his bold DVD and his book, Facedown? Does his theme "When we face up to the glory of God, we find ourselves face down in worship" add a needed spiritual dynamic to your worship and mine? Through the leverage of his book, and the lyrics of the DVD, Matt challenges us to live our lives, and lead our people "facedown" in obeisance before the throne of God. He includes instance after instance from the Scriptures of how people fell "facedown" before the Lord in their worship.

I don't write this review as a musician or songwriter. I'm simply a passionate advocate of praise, and an avid student of Scripture. I spent the last six years targeting and teaching praise and worship in God's Word. My findings are available at www.mindheart.com. Historically, churches conveyed God's truth through a partnership of lyricists and scholars. I hope this piece strengthens that relationship. As worship leaders, we are constantly faced with the dilemma of how to take the ideas of the lyrics and transform them into issues of the heart. Matt has given us a powerful and practical tool in the "facedown" metaphor that enables our people to leverage the lyrics. We know how to lift our hands in celebratory praise to Christ. We learn now to fall "facedown" in obeisant worship before Christ. I believe with Matt that time for the submissive metaphor has come. Praise the Father!

Chapter after chapter in Matt's refreshing book addresses issues of value to the worship leader. I was especially informed by those titled: Facedown, The Otherness of God, The Whole Christ, Worship With A Price, and The Sound of Sheer Silence. Each chapter turns over fresh smelling soil for the soul of the earnest worship leader. In the Facedown chapter, he hits the nail on the head: "When it comes to worship, the throne always sets the tone. Each time we gather together we journey to the very throne of God. To lose sight of this is to lose sight of the majestic in worship." We all need to dig this soil. In my opinion, the book and the DVD on Facedown should be ingested together. The book focuses light on the glory vision that inspired the DVD. The DVD brings you face to face with Matt's intensity, and his hope for the future. His "facedown" posture will certainly find creative expression in more carefully crafted lyrics that call the faithful to prostrate themselves before the exalted Christ.

Consider the ultimate outlook of the DVD and book. Matt's thought takes us beyond just satisfying the worshiper for the next session. He wrote: "When we face up to the glory of God, we soon find ourselves facedown in worship. To worship facedown is the ultimate outward sign of our inner reverence." Can you possibly imagine as a worship leader how awesome it would be to take your people to the "ultimate" in worship? Matt believes that the "facedown" metaphor promises what he calls "the ultimate outward sign of our inward reverence". I believe that Matt gave us the key to approaching the "ultimate" when he insightfully added: "More than anything, the call is for lives lived out in holy obedience and facedown submission-our greatest possible response to the glory of God." I refer to his use of the phrase "to be lived out in holy obedience." Look for example at the mission of our Lord Jesus! The "ultimate" for Jesus was his "facedown" submission to the Father that He obediently lived out by accepting and embracing the cross (Matt. 26:39). Are not "ultimate" responses those lived out in obedience to God, and worked out by trust in tackling the issues of our lives?

Worship leaders, Matt's DVD gives you a tried and tested tool to come to grip with the "ultimate" in worship. The powerful lyric "Facedown" addresses this with the compelling and repetitious determination: "Yes, I'll fall face down as Your glory shines around." Matt directs the assembly by simply falling on his knees as he leads in the song. When he says that that he hopes to see more of "facedown" posture in worship, I expect we will see more of his lyrics calling us to become "facedown" before Christ in living out our lives.

Here's an issue worship leaders deal with: Do we see the "facedown" posture as a general longing to achieve, somehow and sometime, a submissive lifestyle in relationship to Christ? Or, do we accept that we first must faithfully walk the "facedown" walk, then sing the lyrics in confirmation of his sovereign Majesty? I believe that Matt has helped us all take another step toward the altogether obeisant lifestyle in Christ. I encourage pastors and worship leaders to acquire both Matt's DVD and book for their ministries, and process the "facedown" posture through the habitual renewing of their minds, that they may prove (experience) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God during worship (Rom 12:2).

Review by John Hubley