Awe

Awe [noun]

1: an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime

2: archaic

a: DREAD, TERROR

b: the power to inspire dread

Would awe describe sung worship within our churches? Not about the music, the execution, the band, or creativity, but in the way that the people of God see and respond to God as we gather?

In Jesus, we are invited to ‘…with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ Hebrews 4:16, but sometimes I wonder if this confidence can quickly shift to being casual, flippant, and irreverent.

Many low-church traditions do an excellent job of articulating and celebrating the immanence of God - the reality that God is knowable and near. Many high-church traditions do an excellent job of articulating and celebrating the transcendence of God - the reality that God is above and completely other than His creation. Either of these realities can - and should - inspire our worship and devotion, but so few traditions (much less Christians) equally grasp these truths.

One of the themes that has emerged from my recent reading has been how living post-Enlightenment means that our world - and therefore our minds and daily lives - are emptied of wonder. What use is wonder when we have knowledge, understanding, and explanation for so many things? Agreeing to the spiritual - and therefore mysterious - reality of our world can often be seen as an intellectual cop-out. A failure to work toward a knowable resolution. But perhaps wonder and knowledge do not need to be on opposing sides, but can in fact hold hands in the way we approach God as the people of God.

Our people inhabit a wonder-less world, are we leading them toward the transcendent reality of God as we gather?

Intentional Silence

Within and without our world is full of noise. And our churches are no different. One of the things I see and hear increasingly is a complete lack of silence. Pads running the entire service, the band playing behind a call to worship or announcements, piano during the sermon, and on and on.

Our tolerance for silence is dwindling.

Truthfully, I do not mind a little musical cover for the elements of the service - our Good Friday service had wall-to-wall pads when we were not preaching or singing. I think that sometimes a little music helps people focus, and avoid being self-conscious. But as is true for many things, it can be taken to an extreme.

If our gatherings are forming our people, how is our perpetual space-filling forming our people? Where are the places where we are inviting our people to remember and practice the reality that “…the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” - Habakkuk 2:20

"I Can't Worship": Worship Leader Edition

“I can’t worship…” If you’ve been leading worship for any length of time, you have probably heard that statement. But perhaps, you too have felt the same way. There are endless lists floating through my mind as I am leading worship - am I distracted? There are endless realities (and alternate realities) floating through my heart as I am leading - am I worn down, frustrated, hurt, steeling myself? Airtight theology is good, but it is of little use if we are not transformed by its presence in our lives. We can believe and teach that all of life is worship, and still struggle to ‘enter in’ to worship in this moment as we lead.

But what do we do in this moment when we are leading but in fact do not feel that we are able to worship?

Pray. Ask that God would unite your heart to fear his name (Psalm 86:11).

Think of the throne room of heaven. Day and night the saints and angels and living creatures never stop singing, saying, and shouting - the holiness, glory, and worth of God. This present reality will be an eternal reality for all who are in Christ. View the temporal in light of the eternal.

Think of my brothers and sisters around the world. We are a part of a diverse, global body of believers stretching through generations into eternity. We are caught up in a story larger than this moment, and many of our brothers and sisters face real and acute danger from their families, friends, neighbors, and governments for gathering with the people of God or professing faith in Christ at all. May the perseverance of the saints fuel your own perseverance.

Think of someone else worshiping. One of my youth pastors told a story about how when he would struggle to fully enter into worship, he would think of a specific family member (who expressed outright hostility toward faith in Christ) face down, arms raised in worship… The reality is this will one day be the posture of all people (Philippians 2), but does it stir your heart, does it fan the flame of wonder in you when you consider enemies becoming worshipers?

It is all normal. It is normal that some days our worship flows freely and easily - from a heart and cup that overflows. It is normal that some days our worship is labored and mismatched to the worth of the One whom we worship. Worship is costly, and Christ is worth the cost - press on.

You may also like…

When you don’t feel like serving.

When others don’t feel like serving.

Serving.

Post-Easter Expectations

One of our church staff's conversations in preparation for Easter is that Easter (for us) is another Sunday. We celebrate the same truths on Resurrection Sunday that we do every Sunday. We open God’s Word, sing God’s Word, pray God’s Word, read God’s Word, apply God’s Word, and live in light of God’s Word on Resurrection Sunday like we do - hopefully - every Sunday. But certainly, we can feel the pressure of trying to cultivate greater meaning or intentionality into this one day - for those who call our churches home, and for those who may walk through the doors for the first time.

Hear me, Easter is not unimportant. The whole purpose of the incarnation, the whole purpose of the season of Advent and Christmas is to lead us to this moment - celebrating the resurrection. The resurrection is of eternal importance.

But often as worship leaders, we can believe that it is our efforts - song choice, skill in leading, our team’s ability to execute with excellence, unique articulation of truth, and creative and artistic prowess - that makes the day special and set apart.

Here is the good news: you are not that powerful. We are not so powerful that our skill and ability - or lack thereof - can make or break the truths we celebrate on Easter or every week. That means whether you sit on this side of Resurrection Sunday feeling the swell of pride in a flawless set list, or the drop of disappointment that what you executed did not live up to the vision in your head and heart, neither reality is the truest thing about you, about the team, about the church, and the resurrection. We bless God for flawlessly executed set lists knowing that was his kindness. And we bless God for unrealized visions knowing that this too is his kindness.

And we lay down what we have been carrying, and serve faithfully into the next Sunday and beyond.

You may also like:

Every Resurrection Sunday 2023

Easter Recovery 2022

Good Friday

Lent is the season of bright sadness. And perhaps we feel the sadness most acutely on Good Friday. We take the bread and wine, behold the cross, read of the suffering Savior, and recognize the severity of our own sin. And still, on this side of the cross, we know that resurrection has come - and is coming - brightness - life, hope, return. So whether you gather with the people of God, or reflect silently and individually today, lean into the sadness and feel it give way to brightness.

Here are a few other Good Friday reflections:

Good Friday - 2023

Good Friday - 2022

"I Can't Worship"

“I wasn’t able to worship because…” I have been on the receiving end of more than one post-service statement, or email beginning with this sentence in my life. I know that I have to settle some things about what I believe and how I will respond ahead of time, because in the moment - depending on the state of my own heart - these statements can make me angry, sad, self-pitying, dismissive, belittling, and unkind, or they can be an opportunity to further and clearly shepherd those I’ve been called to serve - including myself!

First I need to settle that this statement from a theological perspective is untrue. No one is ever not worshiping. Worship does not turn on and off like a light switch, worship is either rightly aimed at God, or it is bent in on self. And unless God reveals himself, we are all incapable of right worship. But as worship leaders, we know that people can easily shorthand ‘worship,’ for the sung worship portion of a Sunday gathering. And so often what people mean when they say they ‘can’t worship,’ is that something in the gathering was not to their preference.

Preference plays a role for everyone in our congregation - even for those of us who are leading worship, building the liturgy, and executing the service. Sung worship is participatory in a way that other aspects of our gathering are not. And I have noticed throughout the years, this seems to give people the freedom to speak to what they like and do not like more than other elements of a church or service. Music engages our minds, our hearts, our emotions, and our experiences - so we can quickly make preference a gospel issue when certain songs, styles, and aesthetic choices have been so deeply a part of our faith journey.

I consider the source. I have said regularly when it comes to feedback of any variety, the seriousness of which I receive, weigh, and implement feedback is: first, the staff and elders, second, anyone who serves on the worship team, third, the congregation. This is not to say that anyone is more valuable or important than any other - but staff, elders, and people who serve on the team are often more aware of what we are trying to accomplish. We are all on the same team and pulling in the same direction. Their feedback is most helpful if/when they sense we are drifting from the stated direction.

Do not take it personally. This is incredibly difficult for me. I deeply care about the work that I do, and it is hard to untangle my identity, my calling, and my vocation with enough distance to not feel like these kinds of statements are not a value judgment of me as a person. Everyone has an opinion, some people feel compelled to share theirs…

Because there is only one mediator between God and men - the man Christ Jesus - there is no song, style, or preference that can thwart true worship. True and right worship is only accomplished as God reveals himself and we respond - yes, in song - but also in all of life.

Guest Worship Leaders

Whether leading worship for a specific event, filling in at the last minute because of an illness or joining the rotating of worship leaders for a church I did not attend, I have had the opportunity to lead worship as a guest many times over the years. It is a gift to be reminded that the Church is larger than my church. That the body of Christ is diverse, global, and growing down the street, across the country, and around the world. Here are a few things I have learned that I hope will help worship leaders who are leading as a guest, but also those churches who are hosting guest worship leaders:

A word to the worship leader.

• You are there to serve. I know this might seem obvious, but in serving we must consider others more highly than we consider ourselves. Be willing to be inconvenienced, or to go with the flow of another style, setup, structure, or rhythm to a rehearsal and gathering. Practically, this might mean choosing songs that this body will know that are less familiar to you. Asking good questions about the team, the congregation, and the sermon. Offering yourself whatever is required and expected of others who serve weekly. Engaging relationally with the team - taking time to learn their names, and thank them for serving.

• Be gracious. It can be disorienting and uncomfortable to play music for the first time with someone you have just met. Be as gracious to the team as you hope they will be with you.

• Be a blessing. How can you encourage and speak life to the team, the leaders, and the congregation? How might you leave a blessing behind (Joel 2:14)?

• Communicate ahead of time. What is the gear you need? What is the expectation as far as speaking, leading, prayer, transitions, etc? How can you be prepared walking into rehearsal as well as the service?

A word to the host.

• Set Lists. If you are giving the guest worship leader the freedom to build the set list, provide them a master song list, as well as the last three to five weeks of songs. I once led worship for a church whose worship leader accepted a position and moved between Sundays. This church had no one to lead worship for the foreseeable future and was filling every week during their search for a new worship leader with guest worship leaders. In a situation like that, pair down a master song list to 12 songs or so - the band and the people will have enough change as you fill spots, do not also make them bear the weight of new songs every week in the in-between.

• Over-communicate. What do you want? What do you need? What is the expectation of the worship leader? Will you be giving them access to Planning Center, and communication to the team? Will you distribute songs, keys, communication and all you need to do is have the worship leader plug and play? Are paying the worship leader for their time, or the travel?

• Be generous. This does not necessarily mean financially - but how might you be generous in your encouragement and appreciation? Whether down the road or across the globe, taking time outside of your normal responsibilities, time away from your own community, and family is costly - can you celebrate and honor the people who are serving your community? Several times I have had people thank my wife and children or send me back with gifts for them because of their willingness to allow me to serve.

What would you add?

Priesthood of All Believers

Before sin entered the world, worship was unbroken in its aim and purity. After sin infected every corner of creation, worship did not cease, it turned in on itself. We worship created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25-26), but even our ‘right worship,’ is not something we can produce by our own force of will. Right worship is our response to God’s revelation of Himself. Worship begins with God, but it also must be mediated by God because sin cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. From the beginning of history, and throughout Scripture we see that God has always made provision for His people to return to Him. Killing an animal to cover the nakedness of our first parents, instituting the priesthood, and the temple and sacrificial system were all temporary shadows of what was to come.

This, in part, is why priest to worship leader is not a fair comparison. For lack of a specific job description found in Scripture, people will often point to priests of the Old Testament as some of the first worship leaders - leading the right worship of God through sacrifice. But what we know living on this side of the cross, Jesus is the Great High Priest to whom all priests and sacrifices have always been but an arrow. Jesus is the one who continues forever, is able to save to the uttermost, lives to make intercession, is holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted in the heavens, has no need to offer sacrifice for his own sin because he is without sin, and has offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews 7:24-27).

People do not mediate the presence of God to man, because there is One mediator between God and men: the God man, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). But what we see in Revelation that God has made all of His people priests - small arrows of God’s provision who can intercede for others:

“…To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6

So while worship leaders are not modern-day priests, the people of God do make up a priesthood of all believers.

This is why I will often encourage our people - do not just stand silently, do not just close your eyes, do not just stare directly at the screen - instead, sing out, look around, sing for your brothers and sisters around the room, hold their stories of joy and sorrow in your mind as you declare the truths of God’s Word to God and to one another.

In this way, we remind one another how the Lord daily bears us up, but also are used as priests to bear up one another (Psalm 68:19).

Liturgy: Start Here

The longer I lead worship the more heavily I lean into liturgical rhythms and practices. I have seen in my own life how deeply formative these practices slowly, consistently, and over time transform my affection and attention. But if you say ‘liturgy’ or ‘liturgical’ in some contexts, they immediately think Catholic. But liturgy has nothing to do with style, nothing to do with denominations. The word liturgy is Latin for ‘the work of the people.’ Every gathering is formative whether it is shaped by smells and bells, or loops and lasers.

When I served on staff at a church in the UK, apart from the Church of England and the Catholic Church there really was no context for liturgical rhythms and practices. So when I started bringing up the idea of corporate confessions, responsive readings, and scripted prayers, I had to spend time helping our people grasp the purpose and intention behind incorporating elements that were immediately associated with churches to which they intentionally did not belong.

But discipleship is the long game, so just because you serve in a context where there may be misunderstanding or immediate resistance to incorporating new rhythms does not mean you should not try. If you are looking to create liturgical rhythms within the community you serve, I think the church calendar is a great place to start. Engaging the seasons of Lent and Advent. So if you’d like to dip your toe in the water of more intentional liturgy, here are a few things I’ve written that can get you started:

• Creating Liturgical Rhythms

• Liturgical Resources

• Identifying Church Culture

• Know Your People

• Shifting The Culture

Lent Preparations

Have you ever decided on a whim to begin something new, only to realize you’re in over your head? That is what it felt like when my wife and I decided over a weekend that we would begin the Daniel Fast at the beginning of the week. Fruit and vegetables, how hard could it be? No meat, no sugar, no caffeine. For 21 days. How hard could it be? What were we thinking?

Often this is how we approach the seasons of Advent and Lent: we think about it once we’re there. Part of the gift to us in the seasons is the space for reflection, repentance, prayer, and focused attention - but those things do not occur without effort before they begin. We must carve out time to consider things like:

• God, what do you want to speak to me in this season?

• How might I prepare my heart this season?

• How can I help my team and congregation engage this season in a meaningful way?

• What practical things will help me engage this season?

If you are looking for some additional resources on how to consider and prepare for the season of Lent for yourself, your team, or your church, here are a few things I’ve written over the past few years:

• Lent Preparation (2023)

• Preparing for Holy Week (2022)

• Holy Week (2021)

• Preparing for Sunday

Participation Vs Observation

“The church must worship, and worship and entertainment are at opposite ends of the table.” - A.W. Tozer

I have been thinking quite a bit about the line between worship and entertainment these days. In part because over the past 18 months, our church has been in the process of finding quotes, establishing a budget, raising money, and seeking grant monies for a major audio-visual update of our space. More than just the physical reality of new equipment, we have had to determine how our convictions shape not only the kind of equipment we purchase but how it is used during the weekly gathering.

Like many things in our world, there is an opportunity for polarization when it comes to style, equipment, and the implementation of technology in the corporate gathering. There are churches by conviction or default have a simple setup. Sometimes these churches will accuse the high production value of another church of being distracting, performative, and putting on a concert rather than leading people in worship. And there are churches that are early adopters of new technology, always at the cutting edge of the latest and greatest technology, style, or song. These churches can often accuse simpler churches of being distracting, unwilling to use technology to engage the world, and behind the times.

Everyone has personal preferences tied up in music, volume, aesthetics, and style that are important to acknowledge. I think it’s also important to acknowledge that in many cases the convictions we carry about the implementation of technology and how we chase the latest and greatest or cling to simplicity is a second and third-tier issue. Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians can hold different convictions around these ideas and still be in fellowship with one another.

This is an area that can be gray. But I have started wondering if we are asking the wrong questions. Perhaps the better questions here would be: Are the decisions we make encouraging participation or observation?

Participation is worship - it is liturgy - the work of the people. Observation is entrainment - it is passive and encourages consumerism.

I believe in some ways this question frees us to make decisions with our unique congregation in mind. It does however require an awareness of the culture, the people we serve, and a clear philosophy of worship that is rooted in something longer-lasting than style and technology.

Are the decisions we make encouraging participation or observation? In some ways, this question seems almost pre-Reformation. One of the things we see during the Reformation is the tendency all Christians have to outsource their faith to “the professionals.” The Mass was observed in a language many did not speak or understand - they became passive observers, rather than active participants. What was true 500 years ago is true today - participation is an essential part of the corporate gathering.

Hidden Visibility

In one of the churches of my youth, our Worship Pastor was classically trained. He could lead a band, conduct an orchestra, and direct a choir. He did not lead from an instrument, and truthfully, very rarely did he lead vocally. If you asked him, he likely would not have thought he was a brilliant vocalist. Most Sundays there was a small choir, a piano-driven band, and a handful of vocalists leading at the edge of the platform - and Steve off to the side, with a largely unoccupied microphone on a stand.

One of the things I have come to appreciate about Steve’s leadership as I have grown older is that when he led, he carried enough presence for the congregation to follow, without dominating the songs and setlist. He would give visual cues with his hands, raise his eyes, and turn toward the congregation when it was time to sing. But much of his leadership enabled the people of God to address ‘…one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord…’ (Ephesians 5:19).

When I began leading worship at our church in the United Kingdom, it took me - and them - months to learn the ebb and flow following one another. They would sing with such volume and confidence, and many times I would start to lead a song, but by the end of the song, they were leading me.

As production quality continues to increase across churches, as churches across denominational and cultural borders begin to look more alike, as backing tracks and strict time limits become more common, as congregations anticipate (or expect) their church worship teams and worship leaders look, sound, and lead like what they see online - some of the questions I am asking myself:

How can I lead with hidden visibility? Especially as someone who does lead from an instrument, who does lead vocally. I do not want the people I lead to observe my leadership as spectators but participate as worshipers. I want to lead with enough conviction, competence, and presence that people do not just think I am in my own ‘worship world.’ Nor do I want to lead as a performer or showman.

How am I encouraging increased ‘one-anothering’ in the corporate gathering? I do want to have so little margin, so little capacity for in-the-moment response that our services feel rigid. I do not want to be so visible - or so loud - that our congregation cannot hear the voices of the people of God as we sing to God or to one another.

As I think, pray, and plan for 2024 - Hidden Visibility is one of my goals.