Before we begin… If you’ve already heard about the most exciting thing to emerge from the worship scene of late, then this is only going to have you nodding wisely and muttering ‘I told you so’. But if you’ve not yet heard of Rend Collective Experiment, then this is your chance.

Rend are from Bangor, Northern Ireland and have jumped straight out of the box marked ‘Organic… Creative… Game-Changing Worship’. Seriously, this family of singers and players and thinkers have torn down the scaffolding that we’ve all forgotten was surrounding much of our worship of God. What they’re unveiling is a fresh approach, the sort that immediately has people feeling connected, liberated and inspired to worship. It’s the shape of things to come.

So – on to business. With YouTube already counting over 10,000 views of their last video – Movements – now seems like a good time to pull another one out of the bag. So, a few weeks ago the Collective found a hall, invited some friends and made themselves a short video for the epic track ‘You Bled’. You’re going to love it…

The Video

We start with the band playing. A little slo-mo, a few breathy vocals, a sense that even though none of them have dressed up for the occasion, this is going to be something personal, something different.

Then… the kids. Costume fixes and make-up and we know we’re back stage before some kind of show. But not any show: this one’s got some characters we can all recognise.

“You left your perfection” sings Chris, as the kids play out a scene around a homeless man. Jesus approaches, removes and hands his crown over before they hug.

And then we’re off into the chorus – the grinding, determined, insistent praise of the ultimate rhetorical question: “How marvellous, how boundless is your love? How wonderful, sacrificial is your love for me?” And while the singing continues we see Jesus stepping in between a couple whose love has turned to hatred, taking the blow that the husband aimed at the wife. Jesus is left bleeding, but the couple’s love is restored. There are soldiers dressed in military fatigues, loving the violence as they shoot each other with plastic guns. Jesus steps in to disarm and unite.

Then we start to get darker. The devil returns to tempt Jesus, but he is pushed away. The brooding verse reminds us that this is a story whose happy ending only comes after the suffering. A dozen black umbrellas are held in place then retracted to reveal Christ crucified. The camera moves in for the video’s longest shot – and it’s clear (as if we needed reminding) that Rend are not afraid of telling the whole story. And to tell it in alarming ways – after all, a child on the cross might not sound like perfect Sunday service material, but in the hands of Rend it works, bringing to mind a little of what God the Father’s perspective might have been as his only son took our sin upon himself.

There’s a tone to the video now that’s more powerful than any PowerPoint presentation or fancy graphical wizardry. It might just be a bunch of primary school kids acting out the passion of Christ in a school hall, but it’s profoundly moving.

Into the second chorus and the story of Christ’s death moves into its final section: the resurrection. Jesus bursts through the wall and there’s a scene that will put a smile on even the most hardened of faces.

Most bands would stop there. But not Rend. They bring out the big toys:
And the lyrics get turned up to 11: “Yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me – how wonderful! Yes Jesus loves me; this is love – you gave yourself.” Simple, powerful and as enduring as a late night lullaby – it all makes sense: this is a message that needs to be heard and followed with childlike trust. We take a recap of the story – the homeless man, the fighting couple and petty soldiers, the agony of the cross – and then, something truly wonderful… the beautiful chaos of a room full of God’s children – some old, some young – playing with all the freedom that they have.

We’ve gone from hatred to love, violence to peace, from death to life… and it does the soul good. If it doesn’t make it up onto your church’s video screen some time this Easter, then you might just need to get help.
Welcome to the family!

You Bled
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N3h0BKV6gw

Movements
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCYgQWLO8vY

Faithful
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPmxI8XRTkI&feature=related