This week we laid to rest one of our own - a true brother in Christ to us all. I know for me, it has been a week of quiet reflection and a time to ponder some of the mysteries of life. To all of us, Alvin McNair left this earth way before his time, and much too soon for his family and friends. It's hard to make sense of it. If we had asked Alvin, he would probably have said that it wasn't his time - that he had so much more to do here on earth. I would say the same! Yet God saw that Alvin's work was done, and God brought him home in His time, not ours.
As I watched the family say a final goodbye this afternoon before they closed the lid of the coffin, I was struck by the finality of it all. I felt their pain as they all clung to the last vestige of human contact with the him. I knew that they knew where Alvin really was - with his heavenly father - but it didn't make the parting any easier.
Somehow, in some way, this is God's plan. God has never promised us a life without pain. God has never told us that we're going to be able to avoid heartbreak. As Lorrie and I drove home from the memorial service she commented to me on that fact that no one escapes from this kind of sorrow. We all have to remember that pain and sorrow are an important part of the passage from the this world to the next. Why would we look forward to heaven if life on earth was perfect? How would we long for glory if earth was so glorious?
God makes no mistakes! What we experience here on earth is our training ground for glory. As worship leaders we have the tremendous privilege of helping those left behind come to terms with the blessings that God has in store for those who grieve. It is a somber but rich element of our worship ministry that we can help with that process.
As we prepare for the Easter season, let's really keep in mind that the victory of the cross turns our sorrow to joy, our tears to smiles, our despair to hope. Let's do a great job this Easter in focusing on the victory, in leading people to the one who will wipe every tear from our eyes, who has forgiven all our transgressions!
Joshua 1:2 - "Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Great Sea on the west." If you've ever purchased a home, you know that one of the very important things that you need to have done is a survey of the property. A survey defines your property limits - that is, your boundaries. Why? Well you don't want a lawsuit over a fence that extends on someone else's property, or a barn, garage, shed that happens to sit on the edge of your neighbor's yard. A survey clearly marks out what property is yours. I find it very interesting that after God tells Joshua to to get ready, He clearly defines the property the Israelites will possess. Don't you think it's rather curious that God so specifically defined the boundaries for the Israelites? After all, He is God, He could have given them twice the amount of land. But He didn't.
He gave them a parcel of land carved out of the landscape of the middle east. And He was quite clear as to the boundaries.
If there is anything you learn as you grow older is that boundaries are important. Whether they be physical or social, there are boundaries. Adults understand the need for "personal space". Adults understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate contact. Adults understand that there are questions you can ask others, and then there are questions that are very off limits. It's all a part of the maturation process - to come to understand and appreciate boundaries.
I like to think that God has carved out boundaries for our "move out." Not boundaries to limit us, but to protect us. Not boundaries to confine us, but to define us. We can't reach the whole world, we know that. We can't reach the entire state of New Jersey, small as it is. We can't even really claim that the all of Mercer County is ours. But know this - God has marked out our boundaries and given us a "territory". He has set it aside just for us to claim.
The great thing about this is that we don't have to compare what God has given us to the church down the road, or across town. We don't have to compare worship center capacities, or who has the coolest tech toys (although I do get very jealous I must admit). You see, just as God clearly laid out a territory for the Israelites, He has a ripe field ready for us to harvest. He also gives us boundaries to protect us from ourselves - from our own egos. It is not our influence that is important - it is that the message of salvation be preached and proclaimed. Do we want our church to grow? Of course! Do we want to reach as many as possible? Absolutely! But we also must never think that God "needs" us. Yes, God wants us to be shining lights in a dark world. Yes, we are to do our very best to be meeting the needs of those who are seeking spiritual answers. But let's remember who is in control and who provides those answers - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Gay has just begun a new series entitled "Moving Out", as we
prepare to open the new facility. I hope he doesn't mind me blogging
on that theme; as I thought about the idea of moving out I had some
things I wanted to share with you. My hope is that this will dovetail
with what Pastor is going to be presenting over the next several
weeks. I would imagine that my thoughts will probably take a different
direction than his.
Over the course of our marriage Lorrie and I have moved thirteen
times. We started in an apartment in North Plainfield, NJ; from there
we moved to a small house in Mount Clemens, MI; and then another move
to a parsonage in Mount Clemens. From there a move back to Toms River,
New Jersey, then a move to Clinton, New Jersey. We bought our first
home in Warren Glen, New Jersey, then subsequently sold that and
bought a home in Easton, PA. We went from there to a house in Red
Hook, New York for one year, then back to the home in Easton. We moved
from there to a new home in White River Junction, Vermont. A move back
to PA brought us to a townhouse in Yardley, then we purchased a house
in Fairless Hills. Finally, we sold the house in Fairless Hills and
landed in our current home in Newtown. Are you exhausted yet?
You might say that I'm somewhat of a an expert on moving out. Along
the way I've learned some important lessons. . . lessons that that
might have some application to the concept of moving out that we are
studying now. The first lesson that I'd like to share with you is this
- a successful move begins with strategic planning. Long before we
completed any of our moves we had carefully planned out the move. We
planned out the packing. We planned the change in address
notifications, the bank accounts, and the doctors. We made sure that
we were leaving a place in good repair and thoroughly cleaned. There
were always dozens of details to remember and plan. We found that
careful planning was essential for a smooth transition to a new home -
especially during those moves where we were carting around two small
twins!
As you open the book of Joshua, the very first command that God
gives Joshua is this . . . "get ready." (vs.2) Get ready, Joshua! Make sure
you have a plan in place before you leave. Know where you're going and
what you are to accomplish. Don't just act on a whim!
God has the same directive for all of us as well. Get ready! What does that
mean for us as worship leaders? Certainly there's the aspect of physical
preparedness; making sure we have the equipment, technology and materials
in place and ready. But there's also a spiritual readiness as well. Understanding
that this move is not about us, it's about Him. Realizing that we are going to
have new opportunities to reach more people for Christ. Disciplining ourselves
to make our worship totally focused on God rather than on our performance
or our own egos.
As the day draws closer to our moving out event, I encourage to BE READY!
How well do you know the one you worship? It's a legit question. How
can we worship something that we really don't know a whole lot about?
If I'm going to make something the object of my worship, I ought to be
pretty sure I know what or who it is I'm worshiping. That's why the
Bible is so remarkable. Do you realize that it is highly improbable,
for example, that you could trace your genealogy back 42 generations?
Yet the first chapter of Matthew clearly outlines the genealogy of
Jesus back 42 generations. I'd say that's a valid birth certificate.
(Some of you probably can't even find your birth certificate). It's
not just the birth certificate, it's also the pedigree - starting with
Abraham, through which God promised that he would bless all mankind.
The result of that promise: Jesus.
Think about this. When Jesus was here on earth, there were no
newspapers. No magazines, no periodicals. No cameras, no audio
recording devices, no telecommunications, no tv, no radio, no
satellite communications, not even a telegraph. I doubt they used
smoke signals. There was NO INTERNET. (How did they get by!!) No
blackberries, no pda's, no assistive devices of any kind. Yet in
spite of all that deprivation (at least it would be for me) we have
specific, detailed and intimate records of the birth, life, death,
resurrection and ascension of Christ. I encourage you to take a few
minutes today and read Matthew 1. That's right, read the genealogy. It
is a record of the amazing path that Jesus took to arrive here on
earth. It's filled with great people, prostitutes, kings, heros, and
sinners. Yet somehow their stories all contain that one inescapable
truth - that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would descend from their
lineage.
By the way, I'm still getting to know the one I worship. I've been
with him now for a grand total of 48 years. (Yikes am I old!) And
after 48 years I still have so much to learn. What about you? Are you
getting to know, really know, the one you worship? It will make your
ministry so much more effective as you begin to plumb the depths of
all there is to know about your Savior. Get started today. After all,
you might only have, say, another 48 years to go. . .
The character and style of our worship services has changed dramatically over the last decade. If I were to look back exactly 10 years ago to our services in 1999, they would be drastically different (with the exception of the classic service) than they are today. Even looking back five years you would see some pretty dramatic differences. This evolving pattern of change in worship has been greatly influenced by the megachurch movement in our culture. As the megachurches go, so goes the mid-sized to even small churches. They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery; however, there may be some disturbing elements to that truth when it is applied to the culture of worship in our churches. I speak now not just about our own congregation but the vast majority of small to mid-sized congregations in the US. In their book Beyond Megachurch Myths Scott Thumma and Dave Travis comment on the worship environment that is generally characteristic of megachurches:
"The culture of the worship service encourages everyone to "come as you are". There are low, and often almost no, boundaries between where the church's ministries start and the world's influences end. The distinctions between secular and sacred are often minimal at best. Such blurring is easily seen in the use of technology and pop cultural influences in the services. Recent movies are often used as examples in sermons; contemporary Christian music in the service could easily be heard on the radio or at a Grammy Awards show. Worship is undertaken in part to entertain, to entice, to excite and to inspire. The congregation is a mix of the committed and the spectator, the saint and the seeker." (see page 16)
There are a couple of very disturbing statements here - do they bother you as well? Are we comfortable with the lack of "boundaries between where the church ministries start and the world's influences end"? Perhaps for the seasoned believer, the one who is able to discriminate between the two worlds, there is an ability to compartmentalize. As a veteran believer and someone who has been around churches all my life, I understand that what we are doing to is help both believer and non-believers make a connection to God through mediums that they are already familiar and comfortable with. I could compare it this way - if I were to walk into an Greek orthodox church on a Sunday morning I would probably have a pretty hard time relating to the worship. I would probably be even somewhat uncomfortable with what was being done. It would most likely hinder and impede my ability to truly worship. In my own worship environment I'm comfortable with the process, the elements of worship, the style, etc., so that I can focus and concentrate on the act of worship.
It is when we worship leaders, praise team members, and others involved in the worship process are simply mimicking the world for recognition, for pride and the sake of our own egos that we run into serious problems. Are we just trying to impress? Who are we trying to impress? Is our worship focused horizontally or is it focused vertically? There are a great many pitfalls, snares and traps in the ministry area called worship. It is a dangerously narrow tightrope that we walk.
Then there is that comment, it actually makes me begin to sweat - that worship is "undertaken in part to entertain, to entice, to excite and to inspire." Two of those words I'd like to burn and two I can live with in the proper context. If what we are communicating in our worship is considered "entertainment" then we have seriously lost our way. Worship and entertainment are not words that mix well. Worship is focused on the divine; God does not desire or require us to entertain Him. Entertainment is for someone to observe; worship is for someone to participate in. And why would I need to "entice" you to worship? The word itself is used more often in a negative connotation than a positive one. Why do we need to lure someone in to worship? Worship leaders are not there to coax you, or lure you, or attract you; they are they simply to facilitate what should already be the desire of your heart.
The threat to our worship culture is that we have lost the skill of discernment. Knowing exactly why we do what we do, and doing it in such a way so as to insure that our worship is vertically directed, divinely anointed, and humbly offered. Discernment to be able to avoid the traps of enticement. Discernment to be able to quelch the insatiable egos. Discernment to keep a proper, God-honoring perspective to everything that we do.
Yes, our worship culture is being threatened. How do you say we've done in answering that threat? Share your thoughts!
"Did you take out the garbage?"
"No, I forgot."
"Did you call in the prescription?"
"Ah. . . what prescription?"
"You said you were going to fix the broken lamp. Did you?"
"Not exactly."
Sometimes, it's worse. It's worse than doing something wrong. It's not doing something - something that we should have done - that is the real crime. In spiritual terms, it's called "sins of omission." Why is it that it's worse? (Yes, I know, sin is sin in God's eyes.) It's worse because it's so much easier to justify our lack of action. For example. . . no, I didn't tell a lie. . . I just never told the truth. Ouch!
I don't bring this up to hang some huge guilt necklace around your neck. It's just that as worship leaders and as people involved in ministry, I think it's important that we understand what James says in chapter 4 of his letter: "Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (vs 17, slightly paraphrased by yours truly)
I'll be the first to point the finger at myself. When I am honest with myself I realize that there is plenty that I should do. People I should encourage. Brothers in Christ who I should support. Children who need guidance. Missionaries I should be more diligent in lifting up in prayer. Time that I have robbed from God that is wasted on the computer. (Yes, I admit it)
Here are some things that we should be doing for one another. I offer them to you as a somewhat serious reminder that the Christian Life is serious business.
1. Encouraging one another to keep in our minds the image of a sovereign, holy, perfect God. And because He is sovereign, holy, and perfect He wants the best from us as well. If we see someone falling short of the obvious potential that God has given, do we not have a responsibility to remind that person to be a good steward?
2. Teaching one another. That's right. It's the same principle that Pastor Gay mentioned on Sunday - who is your Paul, your Barnabas, your Timothy? Teaching one another does not mean that we have to assume an air of superiority over someone. There is something that I can learn from the youngest member of our team (is that TJ??) and from the oldest (I think Tom wins that award) Withholding something that I need to learn stunts my ability to grow. And growing is what we as believers are to be doing.
3. Holding each other accountable. Again, that's the same principle that we've heard many times. If we fail to hold each other accountable we have ignored and passed over what Scripture clearly teaches us to do. Some feel that it is not their "place" to hold someone accountable - I would suggest that it's EVERYONE'S responsibility to hold peers, leaders, teachers, etc. accountable.
So what's it going to be? Are you preparing a list of lame excuses, or are you prepared to be victorious over the sin of omission? Let's start today to build a community that worships, grows, challenges, and exhorts one another to aspire to the life that God has designed for us to life - a life of purpose, meaning, and commission!
Our post today will be a little different than usual. As I was looking through our list of worship songs yesterday it occurred to me that we have a fairly large list, with some songs dating back all the way to the start of the worship team back in 2000. Some of the songs are classics, some are really average, and some are, well, frankly, just bad! Here's what I'd like you to do . . . I'd like you to post your opinion(s) on the following:
1. The best worship song in our repertoire
a. Fast/upbeat song
b. Slow/Contemplative Song
2. The worst worship song in our repertoire
3. The most underused song in our repertoire
4. The most overused song in our repertoire
5. The best song you'd like to add to our repertoire
6. A hymn you'd like to add to our repertoire
You are welcome to add your comments, however, please respond by listing the answers according to the numbers listed above. (Everybody understand that??) It will be very interesting to see what your responses are. Your opinions will be taken into consideration for future scheduling. No "anonymous" comments please. Thanks!