Passion: Our Love is Loud, Passion Tour

CD Review by Boris Kris

With compassion, Jesus beheld Martha and Mary as they grieved over their brother's death, and He wept. Martha and Mary beheld their God, and they worshipped. With compassion, Jesus beheld the United States, as it and the world grieved over the many deaths of 9/11, and He wept. The United States beheld their God, and worshipped. On the back cover of the CD, it is written, "On September 11, 2001, as our nation was brought to its knees, Passion was poised to embark on a 25-city tour of the US, loading that very day three tour buses, one semi-filled with production gear. Though stunned and saddened, our mission was still clear, our calling sure...that our worship would not be silenced by men of terror." Hence the Passion CD: Jesus' weeping and our worship.

Listened to against this backdrop, the worship on this CD comes to life with the gracious and powerful redemption message that enables us as the children of God to persevere in the midst of suffering. On knees, we still come to Him who has entered this world of darkness and brought His light, regardless of what has happened around us. Indeed He still is the Lord, the beautiful and famous One. He is the gracious One, of whom the heavens cannot but declare that He is glorious. The earth will finally declare His fame and His deeds.

This is the testimony of the Passion CD. Remember the suffering, the towers through which the planes tore and burst into flames, the collapse, the people, the chaos, the shock, and then the grief over those who died. At that time the members of the Passion, the entire crew and its worship leaders Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, and David Crowder, decided not to cancel the tour, but to persevere and declare to our God that His children are madly in love with Him, and that He has done great things for them. Yes, their love, and ours too, is loud. In the midst of our testing and trials, we too will persevere and worship God, who is ever close to us.

Currently well-known songs are on this CD, as well as meditations on the simplest but most magnificent of truths: Here I Am To Worship, Enough, Famous One, Prepare The Way, Sweep Me Away, Madly, Psalm 126 (You Have Done Great Things), Wonderful King, Our Love is Loud, Come Thou Fount, God Of Wonders, My Glorious, Dance In The River.

Just imagine thousands singing prayerfully the inescapable and tender truth of our Emmanuel: "Suddenly I feel you holding me." Its repetition becomes a meditation on God's tenderness and then an invitation of the Holy Spirit to come and heal the wounds of a stunned and shocked people. In that loving and healing touch, the worshippers are swept away into God's sanctuary - His presence. We sense God lifting them and us up from the ashes. With boldness and joy, we declare that He is our Glorious One, who is bigger than the air we breathe - He will save the day. So we know and remain certain that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Indeed, we have become more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Through the collection of live worship on this CD, we join His suffering children by declaring in worship that through His awesome intimacy and love, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is our Passion.