You Can't Just Call it Worship

When I was young in the ministry--about 150 years ago--I wanted to call every gathering, every event, every concert...worship.

But I've discovered through the years that just calling it worship won't make it so.

Sadly, this is evidenced in many churches Sunday after Sunday.

People attend. They are dutiful. They sing. They listen to a sermon. They bow their heads when it's time to pray. They might even put a wafer and some juice in their mouths.

But doing those things doesn't make it worship.

I also get to attend and sing in some pretty cool gatherings. Concerts in churches, or at ball parks, or any number of places.

And we want to call those worship events too, right? After all, there are Christians singing, playing instruments, etc. Isn't that worship?

Well, as much as I don't want to write this, I don't think so.

We can have all of the sacred content we want, use that content in a sacred venue, and even be surrounded by people who believe in Jesus. But that's not what makes an event worship.

So what does?

Simple, really.

When the people in that place engage their heads and their hearts, their intellect and their emotion, their attention and affection... when they give themselves to Jesus.

That's worship.

You've experienced this, as I have. There is a song sung or a prayer prayed and people around you are attending the event but not attending to God. Then something changes. It's palpable. The song that is sung or the prayer that is prayed is indeed engaging God.

The room changes. The countenance on the faces of the people brightens. The Presence is present.

By the way, style is irrelevant here. I've seen this happen when singing Bach Chorales and leading with guitars and drums.

What is relevant?

What you do. How you serve. How you lead...

...with a mind and heart given to Jesus.

"But the time is coming--indeed it's here now--when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." - John 4:23-24

"These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made..." - Isaiah 29:13

Take that Baby Out!

“Somebody should take that baby out.”

I remember hearing that as a kid. Probably from my mom. Maybe even, on rare occasion, from my grandmother who, by the way, loved serving in the nursery at FBC of Walton, KY. I’ve heard it as an adult, too. Perhaps far more often, I’ve felt it. 

And yet every time a baby cries... every time a child acts up... every time a parent struggles to keep their kid “under control…” you know what I do? Can you guess?

I smile. 

While the singing or praying or preaching is happening, I envision Jesus sitting on the edge of the platform, arms wide open and a smile broadly crossing his face as he says to that little one, “I am so glad you’re here!” He might even invite that squirming little boy to sit in his lap.

And after I smile, I wonder—every time the familiar sound of a kid echoes through the room—if we’ve missed the lesson Jesus taught His original followers. 

According to Matthew 19:13, the disciples thought children would bother Jesus. But in reality they didn’t bother him at all. Sure did bother his followers though.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.' And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them…”

Can you imagine what it would’ve been like to be one of those parents? To see Jesus touch their child? To hear Jesus bless their daughter?

I think that’s why I smile when a child makes noise in worship. It seems the testimony of scripture is that when a child disturbs a follower of Jesus, the winner can still be the child.

After all, Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. 

Next time you hear a little one disturb the quietude of your worship space, I hope you’ll smile too.

(I imagine there is some sort of limit, of course. God is a God of order, not of chaos. I just think we may be taking ourselves more seriously than need be. And chance not taking God’s word seriously enough.)

Mom Came to Worship

My mom came to worship today.

This isn't all that unusual. She makes the four hour trip a few times a year, even at 83 years of age.

We started the service with "Glorious Day" from Passion '17. It was loud. Energized. People cheered as we sang. My 83 year old mother is cooler than most of us. She was fine with it. After all, she worked with teenagers for several decades, and recognizes the need to include music that connects with younger people.

Then we sang Keith Getty's "The Power of the Cross." Our family doesn't hang out with famous people, but we know the Gettys. Mom gave Keith and Kristyn (and Stuart Townend) a long ride from an airport to a worship conference the first time they were in Kentucky, more than a dozen years ago. If you ever meet Keith, ask him about riding with Kaye Ellis. He'll have you in stitches!

Here's why I tell you all of this: when our room started to explode with those powerful lyrics, I looked out and saw mom's face. She was immersed in the reality that "Christ became sin for us."

When I say "immersed" I mean that her face was rapturous. For those moments, in that song, for her our church was heavenly.

So again, why talk about my mom so much?

Three reasons:
1) There are people like my mom in your church too. Leading effectively matters. Our calling as worship leaders (band, tech, vocals) is to give them a glimpse of heaven. A look ahead to what it will be like when we see Jesus face-to-face.
2) There are people like my mom in your church too. Worship planning matters. Choosing songs that connect with every generation will help your room explode with powerful lyrics too.
3) There are people like my mom in your church too. Preparation matters. Our team of 14 was all ready to go. They knew when to sing, when to play, when to boost an audio channel or advance the screen content.

It wasn't easy for her to get to worship that day. There are folks of all ages and stages that struggle to get into your worship space too. What you do matters. Do it well.

So every soul sings.