Musical Growth

If you have to choose between being a competent musician and being a competent theologian when it comes to sung worship - choose a competent theological. But being a competent theologian should lead you to desire to grow in excellence in your musical craft.

Yes, leading worship is pastoral before it is musical. But music is one of the tools we use to shepherd-well the people of God. Whether that be through song choice, dynamics, or transitions.

When we do not seek to become the best musicians we are able, we begin to create distractions for those we are serving. Our inability becomes a hindrance rather than a help, enabling the people of God to sing and celebrate who He is and what he has done.

If this is describing the way that you lead worship - what can you do? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Find free resources. Youtube has millions of tutorials. Find a friend to help give you feedback and give direction about how you could improve.

Get to the woodshed. Go ahead, spend an hour on a single part, a single piece, a single song. Work at it until it feels like your hands, legs, and throat couldn’t stand to play it one more time - and then play it one more time.

Build time into your schedule to practice songs. One of my work goals last year was to get better at memorizing my music. This meant that along with blocking out time for all of the things that were important to me during the week, I needed to find a few spare hours to work intentionally on the songs for any given Sunday, and the new songs that we would add to rotation - this was hard work and seemed less ‘important’ initially to me, but I was surprised how free I felt during sung worship to actually engage the songs and the people - without being conscious of the chord chart.

Listen to songs and artists outside your personal musical preference. Are there genres that you avoid, or have never considered? Familiarize yourself with the techniques, tones, and tricks of other musicians and genres. And return to what is familiar with a fresh awareness and musicality.

Not every musician will be a world-class musician. Not every musician is ready for a Nashville recording studio. But I do believe that every musician can work to hone and build their skill to the glory of God and the good of His people.

Tuesday Refocus: January 31

“To fold one’s hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” - Karl Barth

Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Can there be any other response when we recognize that we are engaged in a battle that is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)? We are people who live in humble dependence for our very breath (Acts 17:25).

If our very breath is a need we cannot supply in our own strength, how much more do we need to be people to are anxious for nothing but pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7)?

When I pray, I acknowledge my dependence on God both to God and to myself. When I fail to pray I acknowledge my attempts at self-sufficiency both to God and to myself.

Lord, may prayer be the language of my dependence upon you. May it be the beginning of an uprising in the disorder of my own heart, and life, and in the world. Let it be so, amen.

Dependent,

AB

29 January: Liturgy + Set List

• ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING

  Call to Worship: Psalm 95:1-7

  The One who created and sustains all things is the One who keeps promises, keeps covenant, and keeps faithfulness forever. Let’s sing these truths about God to God, and to one another:

• PROMISES

• O PRAISE THE NAME (ANÁSTASIS)

  Sermon: Mark 2:1-12

  The Apostles Creed

  Communion

• HOLY (JESUS YOU ARE)

  Benediction

Worship With Your Mind

In Luke 10:27, Jesus said, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” As worship leaders, we know that worship is more than songs, that worship is the right response of our whole lives to God’s revelation of Himself. Over the last four weeks, I have spent time exploring what it means to worship God with our hearts, with our souls, with our strength, and today, our minds.

We are easily distracted people. With so much knowledge, information, and entertainment available, we bounce from one thing to the next without any real, or lasting ability to concentrate and give our full attention to one thing. Even while watching television we are scrolling through social media on our phones. If we are to worship God with our minds, perhaps one of the ways we are counter-formed in our worship is by learning to focus our minds and attention on and toward God.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:2

One of the critiques I have heard often of sung worship among those from my theological stream is that much corporate worship in the church is overly emotional, repetitive, and shallow. The criticism is that these kinds of songs feel more like love songs to Jesus than declarative statements about the truth of who God is, what He has done, and who He has called us to be. As you look through your master song list, we need to make sure that we are balanced in our songs that primarily help us to think, and songs that primarily help us to emote. The same is true with the way that we communicate, the way that we navigate our liturgy, and current events - are we helping people engage and form their minds through the corporate gathering, or inviting laziness?

I hope and pray as a worship leader there are many things that I do, say, and plan that help to engage the minds of the people I serve. But weekly there are at least two things. First, I think of my lyrics slides as another opportunity to shepherd the people with Scripture and definitions. Second, I include hymns in my set list because they can often include rich truths and ancient language that requires us to use our minds to think while we sing.

We give our time to that which we treasure and value. Or you could say we give our heart, soul, strength, and mind to that which we love most. How are you helping the people you serve to engage in worship with their whole heart, soul, strength, and mind?

Tuesday Refocus: January 24

“The day is coming when there shall be a congregation that shall never break up, and a Sabbath that shall never end, a song of praise that shall never cease, and an assembly that shall never be dispersed.” - J.C. Ryle

On this side of eternity, we see everything in part. Everything is as though looking through a dim glass (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). This is the place where familiarity and ache collide as we recognize our citizenship is another kingdom (Philippians 3:20). 

This is the place where we say ‘Come quickly, Lord Jesus.’ 

This is the place where we cry ’Save us!’

Here all things are fractured and yet still reflect a sense of glory - a sense of what has been and what will be.

So we give ourselves to the Bride knowing that the Groom will soon return. We rest knowing that one day our labor will be joy and fulfillment. We sing today knowing that one day there will be a new song, an everlasting song of praise to our God. We stand shoulder to shoulder week after week with those against whom we sin, and who have sinned against us knowing that one day our lives will no longer bear the marks of pain we have experienced or inflicted.

God, for that day we live with expectation and hope. May we practice now what will give us a glimpse, and a taste of what will one day be. Hallelujah, amen.

With expectation,

AB

22 January: Liturgy + Set List

Call to Worship: Psalm 139:1-6

If you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, you can come boldly to your Father not because of your righteousness but because of Christ’s complete righteousness. We get to celebrate the person and work of Christ together this morning, let’s sing:

• HOUSE OF THE LORD

• HIS MERCY IS MORE

God’s mercy is greater than all our sins, that is the only reason we can read and pray these words with joy instead of fear:

LEADER:

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

ALL:
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a] Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

LEADER:

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. (Psalm 139:7-18)

Sermon: Mark 1:29-45

Elisabeth Elliot says, “Leave it all in the hands that were wounded for You.” The wounded, healing hands of the King who has forgiven us not partially, or temporarily, but forever. Would you stand if you’re able, we’ll sing together:

• FORGIVEN FOREVER

  The Apostles’ Creed

  Baptisms

• JESUS PAID IT ALL

  Benediction: Based on Isaiah 1:18, Mark 1:45

Worship With Your Strength

In Luke 10:27, Jesus said, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” As worship leaders, we know that worship is more than songs, that worship is the right response of our whole lives to God’s revelation of Himself. Over the next four weeks, I will spend some time exploring what it means to worship God with our hearts, souls, strength, and with our minds.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

- C.S. Lewis

Life is hard and exhausting. Perhaps this is why we easily set so much of our time and routine on autopilot. The same is true as we gather with the people of God - we know what time to arrive when to sit and stand, when to sing, and when to listen. We can easily go through the motions without having a posture of heart that is open, soft, and responsive to the truths we proclaim as the people of God.

If we are to worship God with our strength, there should be an intensity that we exercise in our response to God that focuses our half-hearted affections. No, our churches don’t need mosh pits for Jesus, but we do need to invite our people to see how their affections have been splintered. In the corporate gathering, we can bless and thank God for being the Giver of every good and perfect gift, while also acknowledging that we are quick to worship created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).

Perhaps one of the ways we need to encourage people to worship God with their strength is to sing loudly. Sing like they believe what they are singing. Sing like they want to believe what they are saying. Sing like they are building up the faith of their brothers and sisters surrounding them in the room - because that is exactly what is happening. We are strengthened, and so is our worship as we gather and respond to the One who is called Almighty.

Tuesday Refocus: January 17

“In all acts of worship let us summon our whole nature to the work; let our intellects know God, our wills choose him, our hearts go out after him, our confidence lean on him, our love delight in him, our tongues praise him, and our hands clap for joy of him.” - William S. Plumer

In more than our songs.

In more than our words.

In more than our Sunday services.

In more than our Bible study.

In more than our times of prayer.

In more than our deeds.

In all of life, worship is the right response of our whole lives to God’s revelation of Himself.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1-2

Lord, may every corner of our lives be lived in response to You. Responding to Your heart, Your character, and Your completed work on our behalf. In Christ’s name, amen.

From worship,

AB

15 January: Liturgy + Set List

• THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

  Call to Worship: Psalm 40:5

• HOW GREAT THOU ART

• ABIDE

  That song is taken largely from John 15 - where Jesus says ‘I am the vine and you are the branches, abide in me, and I in you, because apart from me you can do nothing…’ 

  You and I are incapable of saving ourselves, and even beyond that, you and I are incapable of living the life God has called us to live apart from the ongoing work of Christ in us and through us. You and I cannot love God and love our enemies apart from Christ working in us and through us.

  Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A day set aside to remember and celebrate the life and ongoing work of Dr. King. And remembering is right and good. But I think as followers of Jesus it is also right to be challenged by Dr. King’s faith in action. And as we remember, and are challenged by the ongoing work or racial justice in our country and around the world, and as we remember and are challenged by the counter-cultural life that God calls us to live as His followers, and as we are increasingly aware of our need for Christ to work in us and through us, we are going to pray. I will read this corporate prayer first so you can see and hear the words, and then we will pray this together.

  Corporate Prayer:

Almighty God, you created us in your own image: Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression; help us to use our freedom rightly in the establishment of justice in our communities and among the nations to the glory of your holy name; though Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer]

Sermon: Mark 1:14-28

Repent and believe the Gospel - that is the invitation of Christ in this passage, but it is also the invitation of Christ for every person here, whether you are a follower of Jesus or not. Let’s use these next songs as prayers of repentance and belief. Would you stand if you’re able, we’ll sing together…

• THERE IS A REDEEMER

• SON OF SUFFERING

  Benediction: Matthew 28:18-20

Worship With Your Soul

In Luke 10:27, Jesus said, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” As worship leaders, we know that worship is more than songs, that worship is the right response of our whole lives to God’s revelation of Himself. Over the next four weeks, I will spend some time exploring what it means to worship God with our hearts, souls, strength, and with our minds.

We like to compartmentalize our lives and relationships: this is my work self, and this is my home self. This is my church self, and this is my non-church self. But as embodied souls, our lives, desires, and affections are not so easily separated and split apart. Likewise, there is not a worshiping self and a non-worshiping self. It is all worship. All of life is a response to something or someone.

Sin did not end Adam and Eve’s perfect worship in the garden, nor does it end our worship now, but perverts our worship. Sin sends our worship spinning toward things that are not worthy of our worship. So part of what we are reminding the people of God as we gather is not that worship begins and ends, but worship continues, and our worship must be redirected toward the One who is worthy of our worship, the One who commands our worship, and the One who delights in our worship.

Worshiping God with our souls is worship that involves the whole of our being. All that we are and all that we have. Not just our songs. Not just our minds. Not just our hearts. Not just our time. Not just our talents. Worship that offers our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

I found this video from the Bible Project about ‘The Soul’ very helpful:

Tuesday Refocus: January 10

“If we do adoration right, then confession becomes the reflex of our souls.” - John Onwuchekwa

The new year tempts us to turn inward - what are the things I hope to accomplish? Who would I like to become? Certainly, there is nothing wrong, or sinful about having dreams, goals, and desires - some of these things are God-given. But followers of Jesus know that our lives are not our own, we have been given a new heart and new desires.

What if this year began not with a list of our desires, but by stilling our hearts toward adoration? Adoration turns us outward, away from created things and to the Creator of everything (Romans 1:25). In adoration my longs and affections are focused on Someone other than myself. My desires are uncovered and refined. My hope is aimed eternal rather than the temporal.

In adoration, I am forced to face up to the glory of God, and in so doing, see how I have fallen short (Romans 3:23). And in this glory gap, I am invited not toward self-loathing, not toward trying harder, but to confession. To draw near to the One who has first drawn near to me. To have my lips and life purified by the sacrifice of the One reveals the glory of God (Isaiah 6:5-6, 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Lord, may our hearts be steadfast in adoration, and quick in confession, for You are beautiful, good, and kind. In Christ’s name, amen.

Adoring,

AB

8 January: Liturgy + Set List

• ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

Call to Worship: Psalm 119:17-20

My hope and prayer for this morning and the year ahead is that we will be people who have souls that are consumed with the things of the Lord, not just the things of the world. Let’s sing to that end:

• CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED

• THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

Sermon: Mark 1:1-14

Brothers and sisters, hear the good news - Christ has come and will come again. Let’s join in the ancient praise of all God’s people proclaiming that good news.

• RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)

• GOD SO LOVED

Benediction: Hebrews 4:14-16