LIVING WORSHIP

I was standing there in church the other morning enjoying our time of worship. I love gathering with my brothers and sisters in Christ (yes, that does specifically mean people who have believed on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – John 1:12 – ‘nuff said) and worshiping God together as a congregation. I have some wonderful time in the presence of God on my own, but there is something very special about the gathering of God’s family in worship.

As I walked back and forth and talked to the Lord, I noticed that the music and vocals were absolutely wonderful. Sure, music tastes are personal, and all flavors of music have their place, I guess, (I can think of a couple of exceptions in my opinion, but let’s not get distracted), but I am so grateful to live in a day that allows me to worship with electric guitars, keyboards, awesome drums, and a fabulous sound system. It’s my culture, and I love it.

I also noticed the lights. These days, we enjoy some beautiful lighting in our sanctuaries that, if used skillfully, helps embody the tone of the worship. I also noticed the backgrounds behind the words on the screen. We have some very talented people at RMCM that find and use some beautiful backgrounds that also help direct our attention to God.

Now, I say I took notice of all of this, and this brings me to a couple of points. We have a conviction about worship at RMCM that says worship is not music, it isn’t even about music, but it is often expressed through the vehicle of music. The Bible makes it very clear that worship is an attitude of heart, which can be expressed through actions. While the term worship can speak of an action, it is only really worship if it is an action that comes from a worshipping heart. We can play Christian music all morning, we can sing every song along with the worship leader, we can lift our hands, bow, and lay out before the Lord, but if it is not from the heart, it is meaningless.

It is also important to remember here, that many of our daily expressions of worship are choices that we make, rather than words that we say. For my daily purposes, I think of worship as an outward action that reflects, or expresses, an inward adoration of, and submission to God. In that context, worship can take many forms. Having once had a big problem with alcohol, choosing to drink a coke instead of a beer is an act of worship for me. Choosing to watch an old Andy Griffith rerun, instead of Sex And The City (which, for the record, I have never seen) might be an act of worship for me. Choosing to forgive instead of holding a grudge – worship. You get the picture; any time I choose a life-giving course rather than a worldly course, it is an expression of worship.

Worship is however often expressed through music and song. David was the first person that we know of that designed and built instruments, and gathered gifted individuals to serve as musicians and song writers, specifically for corporate worship. Music stirs the emotions and helps the worshipper express the worship that is in his or her heart. Music, video, images, and lighting, can all help to capture the mood that the worship leader senses from the Holy Spirit. Our goal in corporate worship is simply to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. All of this technology is wonderful and should be enjoyed, but the bottom line remains that worship only exists where there are worshiping hearts.

I say all of this because we live in such a media driven culture that it is really easy for us to become confused about the role of all of these elements that surround worship. We are so used to music videos, concerts, light shows, and musical entertainment, that it is easy for us to think the bigger the show the better the worship. It just isn’t true – the two are not even related. Bad music can certainly distract from a worship experience. Bad lighting could do the same. But good music and spectacular lighting done for the wrong reason can just as easily distract.

This is something that my wife Karen, our Worship Pastor, emphasizes to the team all the time–and I am pleased to say that our team gets it. They know what worship is about. They hone their musical skills, NOT so that they will be noticed, but specifically so that they will disappear and the Lord will be noticed. The members of our light and projection teams all understand this idea. What they work so hard to do is help people see the Lord face to face and not see their art. See, that’s why I had to pause the other morning to on purpose notice the music, the lights, the screen, because they were all being used well. They were not a distraction–what they were doing made it easier to focus on God and express my worship.

I’ve been in “worship” settings where the people on stage are clearly there to show their talent. The quenching of the Holy Spirit’s presence in those settings grieves the heart to no end. Now, to be fair, if I come in with a distracted heart and mind and I don’t get that right with God, any worship setting anywhere can feel distracting to me. If I am used to a different “worship culture,” it might take me a little while to engage, but where hearts are pointed to God I can get there in any setting.

This is one thing I enjoy about our midweek worship. Our midweek service is generally a very small group. Usually we have a short time of worship at the beginning to get our focus out of the busy week and onto God. It is usually just Karen and her guitar. Once in a while we have one or two other musicians involved. The lights are simple, there are usually no words put up on the screen, by modern standards it is bare bones. This is a wonderful time to remember that deep, fulfilling worship does not require much outward support. It comes from the heart, the worshipper gives it freely, and it is about God and nothing else. When we find ourselves unable to connect with God without a full band, it is time to unplug. When we find ourselves put off by a full band and a few lights, it is time to plug in.

So, I am grateful for the worship that we experience together at RMCM. I love our team, I love our atmosphere, I love the worshippers that bring worshipping hearts into church each week and are not afraid to express themselves. I love our loud times, and our quiet times, I love my alone times, I love worship, I love the fact that God meets us every time right in the middle of all our stuff. Worship – living, powerful, engaging worship, filled with the presence of God – what a deal!!

The Little Things That Say I Love You

With Christmas morning just hours away, I find myself reflecting not only on the extravagance of God's grace that is reflected in the gift of His Son, but on the goodness of God that we see in His attention to the smallest details of our lives.

Tomorrow morning people all over the world, Christian and non-Christian, will open gifts given by their friends and relatives. Gifts are always displays of love to one degree or another. Often, the most precious gifts we receive are not the most expensive, but the ones that in some way communicate that the giver really knew our inmost desire. It is the gift that says "I love you enough to listen to your words, to watch your life, to know your true desires," that brings the greatest and most lasting joy to our hearts.

How many times do we hear of situations where a husband, sorry guys but we seem to do more of this than the ladies do, gets an elaborate gift for his wife, only to discover that it was not at all what she wanted? On the other hand, the husband who listens, who reads between the lines, who finds a way to communicate his care through a gift, will be richly rewarded-not that that is our motive!

When we think of the gift of God's own Son, sent to carry our sin, shame, sickness and poverty, of course we are overwhelmed by this act of love. It is an extraordinary thing for which we are eternally grateful. But what amazes me, maybe not more, but in a different way, are the many times each year that God brings something much smaller into my life that tells me that God Almighty is paying attention to, not just my needs, but my desires, my hopes, my dreams. He goes so far beyond what is necessary for salvation, He touches our lives the most intimate fashion.

So I pray that your Christmas is filled with joy; joy over your salvation, joy in the purpose that God has given to your life, joy in your family and friends, and yeah, joy in what you give and receive. But I hope that in 2011, all of us make a habit of frequently and purposefully recognizing ALL the gifts that our Father gives. Let's spend a lot of time bragging on Him, sharing His love, cherishing our interaction with Him.

Merry Christmas, and happy New Year.

Thanksgiving Is a Verb

I was thinking this morning about the whole idea of thanksgiving and what it means. I heard one of the guys in our congregation say that he and his wife take time every day with their kids to talk about what each one is thankful for. I thought that was fantastic. What a different outlook on life that will produce over the course of a couple of decades.

In our home growing up, as in many American families, Thanksgiving centered around a feast. There is nothing inherently wrong with that of course, and we did take a brief moment to say a prayer of thanks for all our blessings, but I was mostly focused on the food. I think that if we are not building a much stronger culture of gratitude than that into our children's lives, we are doing them a great disservice. Of course we were encouraged to be thankful at other times too, and we were reminded to "count our blessings" whenever we would complain about the lack of something, but in my estimation my own sense of gratitude needed to be deeper. It wasn't until God became very real in my life, And I began to grasp the enormity of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, the depth of my own non-deservedness (that's a word 'cause I just used it), and the magnitude of Gods grace, that I really started to be grateful in life.

So, I was pondering a few questions this morning, and I thought some of you might want to ponder them with me:

What does thanksgiving, or thankfulness, really mean if there is no one specifically that you are thankful to? You could feel happy about some aspects of your life, or maybe even feel "blessed" knowing that some people don't have it as good as you do, but is that gratitude? Gratitude has to have an object, doesn't it?

Thanksgiving is not just a feeling, but an expression. Isn't it an expression of gratitude to someone that has shown us kindness, provided for us in some way, or somehow made our lives better? But many people around us say they do not believe in a personal God, so who exactly are they thankful to? If we believe that there is no one but ourselves that is responsible for the good things that we have or enjoy, then who are we saying thank you (did you see the word YOU in thank you?) to?

I guess you could be thankful to your parents, your friends, the society itself; but from where I sit, if you take God out of the picture, the giving of thanks for the blessings of life loses all its meaning. Sure, we are grateful to and for many people and things. But ultimately, all things are to Him, through Him, and for Him. I can be grateful because I have worked hard and carved out such a wonderful life for myself (even saying that makes me a little sick) but who provided me with the talents I possess, the resources I use, the very life in my bones? I feel very sad for people who are missing out on this aspect of life. Gratitude to God fills our lives with humility and peace.

No, thanksgiving is inherently personal, and must be directed toward someone, or it's not thanksgiving. And, it is extremely important that thanks actually be given, that is, expressed in word and deed rather than just thought about - thanksgiving is a verb. My family said grace, and maybe mentioned a few extra things on Thanksgiving Day, but I wish we had taken time to really discuss what we were grateful for, and to whom we were grateful. It is a wonderful and fulfilling thing to give thanks to God. This past Sunday we took the majority of our church service for people to stand up and talk about what they were thankful for. It was wonderfully encouraging for everyone.

So, I simply encourage you today to not only ponder what you are thankful for, but tell God about it, and tell others. And let's go far beyond this short season, and build a continual culture of thanksgiving into our hearts and homes.

Happy Thanksgiving (a verb)