Monday, April 27, 2020

10 Tips for Worshiping Online

While many in church leadership are trying to figure out how to provide the best online worship experience, it would be wise to remember there's another side to the equation. Perhaps we can serve our church families by helping them know how to worship from their family rooms. Here are ten suggestions I'd make. I'm curious if you see anything I've missed. Let's learn from one another!

1. Get the time on your calendar. If at all possible, meet at the same time as the rest of the church. You won’t see the people in the next row, but there is something about knowing you’re doing this at the same time as the rest of the church family. Blocking out the time may help you focus. Don’t do the dishes during the sermon or check your email. Practice being fully present. 

"It occurred to me one day that though I often worry about
whether or not I sense the presence of God,
I give little thought to whether God senses the presence of me."
Phillip Yancey

2. Get your space ready. Have your Bible handy, and maybe a notebook and pen. You could light a candle or do something else that helps your space have a sacred vibe to it. If possible, use the biggest screen in your home. Turn up the volume so you can sing along, talk back to the preacher, say “amen,” etc. If you’re not sure how to do “screen sharing” and get the service on a smart TV (which you’ll need to do this), ask a tech-savvy friend.

3. Get yourself ready. Get dressed. Whether you dress up as much as normal isn’t as important as that you simply “get ready” for the online experience by getting some clothes on. Comb your hair. Dress for an encounter with God, not just a seat on your couch.

4. Get your family together. If you have children in your home, this is a tremendous opportunity to teach your children how to worship, especially by your example. You can do things at home that might feel uncomfortable in the church building. Kneel when it’s time to pray. Sing. If you have to, turn up the volume again so you can sing without feeling self-conscious. Dads, lead your family here. You are the pastor of your home. If there’s no dad in your home—which was true for much of my upbringing—God will empower you moms to do this.

5. Get communal. If you know of a single person, invite them to watch with you via FaceTime or Zoom. You could do this with your small group. It takes a little more work and technical resources, but many of you can do this. It’s a way to feel more together while we are physically more separated.

6. Get active. Stand up for the first song, or any time the music is upbeat. You can move around. Again, kneel when you pray. If this feels awkward, do it anyway. God is going to grow you in this season in ways you've never experienced--if you let him. We all know growth usually happens outside our comfort zone.

7. Get generous. While we are not meeting together physically, the church is still operating. Many churches are taking care of people who are struggling financially. The church staff is still working, many are sacrificing more time than usual to make ministry work in a paradigm we've never known. The equipment it takes to do online worship well is expensive. If you are able, this is a great time to step up your giving. And if you are in need, be sure to reach out to a pastor or church leader. We want to take care of you.

8. Get a plan for afterwards. Follow the service with a meal, an on-purpose meal. And while you eat, talk about the service. You could use the “events” tab on the YouVersion app to talk through the sermon. If there was a song lyric that grabbed you, talk about that. If there was a call to action, decide with those in your home how you will respond. This could become a powerful habit after we’re back together.

9. Get word out. Inside the service you can leave comments any time. Real-time feedback is familiar to church-goers. We say “amen.” We clap. We interact. Now you can do that online using the comment feature. And get The Word OUT! Invite your family and friends to attend with you or after you. Share the post if you're on Facebook. You can text or email a link to others inviting them to be part of this. Online invitations seem a little less intimidating than in person invitations, so invite people to "church" online.

10. Get gratitude out. Unexpressed thankfulness is just a feeling. Expressed, it is far more powerful. People are taking a great deal of their time to make this experience possible, and at the top of that list is the tech team. Reach out to those who serve in your church and tell them thank you.

Let me know what else you're doing to make the most of online worship in your house?

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

The Idol of Musical Style

[DISCLAIMER] I am serving the best church I've ever known. This has never been the issue at Woodburn Baptist that it has been in other churches I've served or in churches I hear about. My pastor has led through the "worship war" part of history with wisdom and grace. I am certainly not targeting  any individual or any church. It is a post for Christendom. For me and you.]

We have become far too tolerant of the idol of musical style.

There. I've said it.

Far too tolerant.

For nearly 35 years I have led worship as part of a church staff. That's about 1800 weeks. Most of those weeks someone has been upset over musical style in worship. And by most, I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 1750 of them.

Far too tolerant.

God is not so hesitant: "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods." (Deuteronomy 5:9, emphasis mine)

That's actually part of commandment #3. Yes, that #3. Of the Ten Commandments.

You may say, "But my love for old hymns, or new songs, or loud drums, or organ sounds... those aren't gods!"

Can I be bold? I often see more impassioned posts on social media about the style of music than the saving grace of Jesus.

If an idol is anything that gets between me and God--takes my affection away from God and puts it on something else--then surely musical style is an idol in the modern church.

I have been screamed at. I have been cried on. I have gotten letters that are pages long. I have had my job threatened. I have had annual reviews with a personnel committee where my performance was called into question.

All over musical style.
  • Not the amount of prayer in our services; Jesus was pretty big on that one. (Mt 21:13)
  • Not the theology of lyrics; that seems like a pretty big deal. (2 Tim 1:13)
  • Not the level of engagement of the people; God is seeking those who will worship (that's a verb) him. (Jn 4:23)
Musical style.

If you don't think it is an idol, can I just be so bold as to say... there's a chance you may be the idolator.

Of course I don't know your heart. I'm not accusing you. Remember, through this whole series on idolatry, I've been journeying with you as a confessor.

I have idolized musical style too.

I once visited a hero of mine in the ministry. It was early on; I was under 30. It was upon that visit that I discovered he had, in my mind, "sold out" to musical style. I confess to you that I thought less of him that day. Makes me want to throw up to think of it now.

I have good news: God has a 100% track record of welcome repentant sinners like me. Like some of you. Every time we confess, every time, he is faithful to forgive.

And so maybe this is where your repentance starts. Think differently about musical style so you can start behaving differently around style. Get to the other side of music you don't like so you can give your heart to the Savior you love.

Maybe you will be able to say, along with Harold Best, retired professor of music at Wheaton College and one of the godliest, smartest men I've ever known:

"Let the music come. Traditional, contemporary, avant-garde, ethnic, jazz, rock and chat... rejoice in it. Dance with David in it... Let the emotions roll and the endorphins break their dikes. But for Jesus Christ's sake, let's get music back where it belongs--as a lisping sign and not a glittering cause, as the response to a commandment and not just a set of tools for influencing people."

If you need help, I'd be honored to walk this journey with you, one recovering idol-worshiper to another. If you disagree, and I suspect more than a few of you will, I'd love to see your civil thinking in the comments below. Seriously.



If you want a couple more quotes that might help, here you are. They are from a book I just finished called "Preaching as Worship."
  • "It seems to me that if a church splits over music, that music has become more important than togetherness in itself." -- Keith Getty
  • "Whenever worshipers choose music out of personal preference (whether traditional or contemporary), they are in danger of excluding others and causing disunity." -- Michael Quicke

Monday, April 13, 2020

The Idol of People

I idolize people all the time. I'm terrible about this! While I know God does not show favoritism (according to Rom 2:22), I do. I hate this about myself. And I do it in two ways.

First, just to be brutally honest, I too often think too highly of people. Celebrity preachers or worship leaders feel like they are beyond my reach. I'm sometimes intimidated to reach out on social media or by email. I think they are, somehow, better than I am. Busier than I am. Holier than I am.

When I go to a worship event led by one of the mega-influential bands or worship writers of our day, I look on them with wonder and awe, emotions that should be--that MUST BE--reserved for the God we worship. I do this with preachers, too. Those I listen to via podcast, or read in their books.

But pedestals are made for idols, not for people.

I wonder if you do this as well.

There's another side to my idolatry... to my pride.

The second way I show favoritism is to myself. When anyone on the platform -- preacher, vocalist, instrumentalist, etc -- does not seem to be leading the way I think is right, I can be dismissive. That sounds bad, doesn't it?

It gets worse.

Because when I dismiss those people, I end up dismissing Christ-in-them. (Col 1:27)

Lord, have mercy!

Tragically, the very presence of God that is in those made in His glorious image is lost. At least on me. And perhaps, depending on how 'on display' my idolatry is, it is lost on others as well.

Image-bearers and presence-carriers bring the hope of glory to me. And I miss it.

As I said in the post that introduced this series, oh how this must grieve the heart of God!

Now, may I be even more honest?

I'm sometimes the person that people put on a pedestal or look down on. And this breaks my heart. I am not more or less than anyone. You and I are made in the same image, broken by the same sin, and covered by the same righteousness.

Wouldn't we all be better served if we looked for Jesus in everyone?

And recognize that the same Jesus is in us, as in in everyone?

I'm deeply curious... how do you avoid putting yourself or others on a pedestal? What do you DO or THINK that rescues you from idolizing people?

Monday, April 6, 2020

The Idol of Music

I have loved music since I was in elementary school. Second grade, best I recall.

By the time I got to high school I was hooked. Singing. Playing tuba. Singing. Trying to play guitar or piano. Singing. I loved it all!

So I went to college for music. Vocal performance, officially.

And then I went to graduate school for church music. I learned to stand before a choir and orchestra with a conductor's baton and lead reasonably well.

For years I read everything I could about how to hone my craft. I geeked out on professional journals, attended the finest conferences, and talked shop with some of the best in the field.

I really, really loved music. Maybe even more than Jesus. I don't think so, but maybe.

It's a good question to ask, especially in the church of our day: Do we love Jesus more than music?

Here are some ways we can examine our souls:

  1. Invite God to do this with us. Psalm 139:23 gives us words to pray: "Search me O God, and know my heart."
  2. Pay attention to your feelings when we are in worship. Does your heart light up more over a song than the name of Jesus? If so, music may have become an idol. Consider Deuteronomy 5:10, "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods." That's in the 2nd of the 10 commandments. Notice the word affection.
  3. Consider the ways we spend time with Jesus daily. Are we more likely to pour our hearts out in song than in prayer? That may be a warning sign.
  4. Have we ever considered leaving a worship gathering--or our churches--because of music? How good or bad, how old or new, etc.? Then perhaps our attention to music has become greater than our affection for Jesus. Perhaps. That's why we start with the prayer of David in Psalm 139. God is the one who knows our hearts better than we know ourselves.
  5. Are we more likely to evaluate the worship music in our gatherings than to be evaluated by the word of God in those same meetings? I find, when I do this, that it is from a place of pride, not humility. Again, I don't know your heart--and sometimes you don't either--but God does.
Just to be clear, I'm not talking about musical style. Yet. That hot potato comes in two weeks. I'm just talking about music in general. Style may be an indication, but music itself can be an idol. God gave it to us as a gift, but we--according to Romans 1--all too often exchange the gift for the Giver. 

Let me close with good news. God has a very, very long and faithful track record of welcoming the smashing of idols. If music has become too important to you, confess and repent. God is eager to forgive and ready to help us change the way we think and act about music. About all of our idols.

When you smash the idol of music you will find something beautiful in the shards. The glory of God that has been bottled up will explode your heart with pure praise of Jesus in new and beautiful ways.