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.