Hope for Weary Worship Pastors

1 Comment » Written on December 9th, 2013     
Filed under: Advent, Better Together, Church Year

Matthew 11.28 - wearyby Matt Nightingale

It’s that time of year. In the Better Together forum, it’s not uncommon to read posts and comments that sound something like these:

  • “I am overwhelmed.”
  • “Our choir is really struggling and our concert is this Sunday!”
  • “There is so much pressure to make the church look awesome this time of year.”
  • I picked a really tough song, and I’m afraid the band is not gonna nail it.”

and this, rather poignant, one from this last weekend:

  • “I am so tired. Your prayers appreciated…”

I’m aware that, for many of us, this is our job. And just like tax accountants struggle through the month of April, busy Christmases and Easters are simply an occupational hazard for worship pastors. My prayer is that despite the crazy schedule and high expectations, that we would find the compelling and hopeful message of Advent applies to us as well as to the members of our congregations.

Emmanuel, God-With-Us, is here. And he invites us to find our hope and our rest in Him. Take heart, colleagues, Christmas is coming. Jesus is coming. And we will find rest for our souls.

Matt Nightingale is Pastor of Worship at Redwood Covenant Church in Santa Rosa, CA, and a member of the ECC’s Commission on Worship.




He Changed My Thinking: Remembering John Tavener (1944 – 2013)

2 comments Written on November 22nd, 2013     
Filed under: Arts, Culture, Current Events, Formation, Stories

12453

by Geoff Twigg

When I was seventeen, and in my last year of High School (which in England is called Grammar School, but we won’t worry about that…) I was very interested in studying music composition in college. One of the major events we attended as a class was an event called “Meet the Composer” on the South Bank in London, a major center for the arts. The composer we were introduced to was a man called John Tavener, still in his twenties, who was already pursuing a successful career and gaining a powerful reputation.

John impressed me – and his music impressed me even more. He had written a large and very demonstrative piece for orchestra called ‘The Whale’ which was all about the story of Jonah. He had also written a beautiful piece in memory of a minister friend, called ‘Requiem for Father Malachy.’ A number of other pieces were played, showing a broad range of style and expertise. It was a moment that left me thinking “when I grow up, I want to…” and made an indelible impression.

When I left High School I started to perform more, took on an increasing amount of teaching, and continued to study composition with the head of the area’s official music school. Soon he said to me: “I’ve taught you all I can. Who would you like to learn from next?” and I immediately thought of Tavener.

It was worth a try. I wrote to John and was amazed when he accepted me as a private student. Not only that, but he invited me to major festivals to be his assistant, and – at first rehearsals with major orchestras – asked me to stand in for him when he was sick. My relationship with my teacher gradually turned into what we would now call an internship or apprenticeship, and – looking back on it –  I can hardly believe what an enormous privilege I was given. It was a unique honor, one I didn’t fully appreciate at the time, and I’m thankful to God for the training and trust involved.
As you can probably tell from the titles of his works, John was a deeply spiritual man, and helped me to see how faith could be integrated into life as a creative artist. He took me to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in London, where we heard some of the great music of that tradition, and I met one or two of the people who were influential in John’s life and thinking.

John had a great sense of humor. Once, when his opera “A Gentle Spirit” was being premiered at the Bath Festival, we heard that the librettist Gerard McLarnon was unable to attend. At the end of the performance, John stood and acknowledged the applause – and then (with a twinkle in his eye) signaled that I, too should stand… Impersonating the poet. I’m sure no one ever knew until now. Don’t they say confession’s good for the soul?

It’s thirty-two years since I studied with John. He has become well-known for his beautiful art and made some of the best-selling recordings of the late 20th century. Sir John Tavener passed away earlier this month, and it was my honor to be asked by the BBC to comment on his influence and mentorship. John gave me the gift of time and attention; an invaluable treasure in a world that moves so fast. I can only hope to pass on the same encouragement to the next generation.

(Click here to see the BBC article and learn more about Sir John Tavener.)

Geoff Twigg is Adjunct Professor at North Park University in Chicago. Geoff is a pastor, singer/songwriter, worship leader and ministry consultant, and serves the ECC as a member of the denomination’s Commission on Worship.




Unqualified

1 Comment » Written on November 15th, 2013     
Filed under: Guest Post, Leadership, Local Church, Stories, Vocation and Call

norm-abrams-publicityby Chris Willard

I’m a fan of the home improvement show This Old House. On this show is a master carpenter and home improvement guru named Norm Abrams. He can do seemingly anything when it comes to building. If you want to build a house you’d probably want someone like Norm Abram as your go-to guy, the kind of person who would not only know what is needed to build your house, but also have the skills to do most everything himself. I bet he could sit down and draw the plans, order the materials, lay the foundation, frame it up, finish it out and even build the furniture. He is the full package when it comes to home building!

In my mind there exists this mythical, idealized worship ministry leader we’ll call “Worship Norm” who has all the answers, does everything well, and, if necessary, can do them by himself, with a singing voice like liquid gold. Have a song that needs transposing on the fly? Norm can do it.  A team member with a marriage falling apart? Norm can fix it using the marriage enrichment curriculum he wrote. Write a song? No problem, you’ll hear it on the radio next week. Need someone to conduct a choir, lead an orchestra, lead a band, play guitar and sing all at the same time? Norm’s your guy. I’m not that guy! Just thinking about Worship Norm makes me feel very small and unqualified to be leading a worship ministry. Surely we should just look harder and maybe we will find our Worship Norm.

We need someone to make sense of this pile of “raw materials” we use to fashion worship services that engage those who walk through our doors and glorify Jesus. We want an expert who easily navigates assembling sermon ideas, songs, people, scripture passages, equipment, etc. into worship services. When I look at the raw materials and resources from which we build a worship service, I’m probably not the first person I would pick to decide which things are needed and how to assemble them. And although it’s clear to me that inviting other people with expertise into the process is a part of the solution, these people also present a whole other pile of things to sort out: emotions, giftings, preferences, biases, and baggage. Aack! I’m an introvert; inviting messy, inter-personal chaos into the situation isn’t the first place I would go to solve this!

So here I sit, a software architect and project manager by training, plucked out of the ranks of our worship volunteer ministry seven years ago and brought on staff to build a Production Department to fully utilize our brand new, state-of-the-art worship space. Then three years ago, after the departure of my boss, the worship pastor, I was asked to bring leadership to the entire worship ministry. Unskilled? Ill-equipped? Unprepared? You betcha. Being the wrong type of person for the challenge at hand is something I’m pretty used to at this point. I am not an expert, I am not Worship Norm.

Happily it’s turned out not to matter that I’m not the Norm Abrams of worship.  I have had to continually set aside my notions about what a worship ministry is “supposed” to look like and face the reality that our ministry looks different.  Having open hands with respect to what “should be” and how it should come about keeps away the frustration of my ideals not resembling reality. God’s plan for doing this worship thing here has turned out to look different from my or anyone else’s plan. An expert hasn’t shown up on our doorstep to be our Norm Abrams, so we have to work hard as a team to get things done wisely and effectively. The beauty of the limitation we have is that God has shown up in amazing ways and raised up everything we need to do what he is calling us to. He puts things together and gives us what we need through gifts he has given his people in a wonderful picture of the Body of Christ. When I rest in the knowledge that God not only calls us but also provides for the things he calls us to, I stop looking for things I don’t have and become open to both God’s timing and unexpected methods of provision. God’s plan is better than a Norm any day.

Chris Willard serves as Worship Director at Crossview Covenant Church of North Mankato MN.




Perspective

1 Comment » Written on November 8th, 2013     
Filed under: Culture, Formation, Leadership, Local Church

Today’s post is written by Chris Logan, Pastor of Worship Arts at Community Covenant Church in Lenexa, KS.

 

The word on the street is that perspective matters.

RelativityHow you understand what’s happening depends on where you’re standing. If you’re on the sidewalk, the car is what’s moving; but if you’re in the car, it’s the rest of the world that’s moving past you. This is the basis of everything from conflict resolution to quantum physics – we must consider where we are in relation to the rest of the world in order to understand what is happening. So too with our story; the place where we start telling our story affects the outcome of that story, and to be plain about it, our story is not one that begins with sin, but rather begins when God created the world and called it good.

A creation does not need a redeemer if there is nothing worth redeeming.

Your perspective – where you stand – matters.

What story are we telling worship gatherings? Is it one that is told with only sin in mind, with an impersonal, distant god who demands obedience before forgiveness, who has little regard for circumstances and prefers an uncluttered desk and labeled files for his creation? Or, is the story we tell a story of a God who created the world good and wants us home again, and is willing to make a way where none seems to exist, a story where redemption is actually possible? Is it a story of a god who demands subjugation to rules or a God who invests in restoration to dignity?

29_Drawing Hands by Escher

Corporate worship without celebration tells a story without hope, for what is there to celebrate without the possibility of transformation? Likewise, corporate worship without lament tells a story without zeal or passion or drive, where nothing is really wrong and so we need not long for a world that is better. Our worship must not simply state the facts of God, but must help us celebrate that God is active and working to restore that which is wrong, and must then help us engage in what God is doing. Our worship must not only celebrate the fact that redemption is possible, but must help us recognize that we actually long for it.

And that it is already here.

Your perspective – and how you choose to live it out – can change everything.




I Was Wounded During Worship

2 comments Written on November 1st, 2013     
Filed under: Better Together, Devotional, Events, Formation, Health, Spiritual Direction, Stories


Billow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Lisa Eastman

I was wounded during worship.

It happened during the last song of the last set at Triennial XIV down in San Diego this last August. I was enjoying being with my sisters and worshipping at this powerful event. In the beauty of the moment, a friend and I picked up a piece of silk fabric and let it float up into the air as the women sang their praises to God. As I was walking around a corner (thankfully in the back of the room), my sandal slipped under my heel and I went down…hard. I didn’t want anyone to see I was wounded so I kept walking and pushed through the pain of a broken bone.

I was wounded during worship. The recovery has been long, and at times my patience has been pushed to the limit. I started a new job with a cast on my leg and did not realize how difficult it is to try and pack up an office and move with this kind of an injury. I know that I have a long road of recovery ahead of me, and I know that I will be working hard to get my leg and foot strong enough to walk without a limp. I know that I have to rely on others to help me with everyday tasks….and, I have to ask for help.

When talking to my spiritual director a few weeks ago, I realized my injury paralleled my spiritual life. How and when it happened encompassed my woundedness over the years…the things I have hung on to…the words spoken over me that were lies, all words that threatened my identity in Christ and what He had called me to. I had to face the truth that I have a fractured spirit that I need to tend to in order for it to be well.

I am in recovery both physically and spiritually, and I need the help of others in the process of healing. We are “better together”…I need my brothers and sisters around me to encourage, challenge, pray, believe for me, and help me see that I am not alone in this process of becoming who God has called and gifted me to be as a Worship Pastor.

This call as Worship Pastor is something that tends to the wellness of the congregation, the wholeness of the soul and the encouragement of the body of Christ. In other words, this is a call of healing. If I can be vulnerable with my brothers and sisters and allow them to see that I am on the same journey as they are, all of us broken and in need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ, then I am allowing the wall to come down, the mask to come off and to get out of the way of what God is trying to do in the midst of His people. When we gather to worship the Creator, something begins to happen that is so profound words cannot describe it… if we would just get out of the way.

Romans 12 says, “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord… this is your spiritual worship.” Could this mean that offering our bodies means offering the broken parts too? Even a broken spirit? Scripture tells us, “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit and contrite heart.” Honestly, I never tied Psalm 51:17 together with Romans 12 before and now it is just so obvious.

Broken bones actually get stronger when they start to heal. My broken spirit will be stronger. Perhaps I will always have a limp, a reminder that my broken spirit can only be mended by the Healer, but on the way to wholeness is a journey I take along with my brothers and sisters, and it is in the gathering of the saints in worship that God begins to work.

Lisa Eastman serves as Pastor of Worship Arts at Praise Covenant Church in Tacoma, WA. She has also served as the Worship Chair and/or Producer of four Triennials.




Calling

6 comments Written on October 25th, 2013     
Filed under: Formation, Music, Vocation and Call

Today’s post is written by Chris Logan, Pastor of Worship Arts at Community Covenant Church in Lenexa, KS.

My call to ministry is a bit eclectic. Everyone – including me – expected me to grow up and go into some sort of science. I did a high school internship with my AP Bio teacher. I took every AP science our high school had to offer and I aced most of them. But in college (where I began as a neuroscience major), God began using what had always felt like more of a hobby – music – to give me a bigger picture of the world, and as any artist knows, when you open that bottle, there’s no going back. I began leading worship a lot, did a worship ministry internship, and grew increasingly passionate about the idea of leading God’s people in song. The more I thought and prayed, the more I saw the content of my life leading to this career.

life_calling_by_paullus23-d5e2rxzBut following graduation, when my wife and I moved to Australia to be part of a church-planting team, I began to have serious questions about my call to worship ministry. Even though I’m a third-culture kid (Swiss-American), for the first time, I began to step outside of my American roots and see my home culture from a new perspective. I began to see that the western church (no, not just the American church) has embedded within it a strong consumer problem, and the longer I engaged the team of church planters and the poor of inner-city Melbourne through my FORGE internship, the less I wanted to be a part of that. God had called us as the sent people, to go to make disciples of all nations, but it felt like all we’d accomplished was to drag people to a building for an hour a week to guilt them into giving money. We weren’t making disciples (the American church is in decline), and it seemed that the only solution to ending consumer-driven Christianity was to stop doing the very thing to which I felt called.

That is a lonely place to be: stuck between calling and conscience.

But the Scriptures tell us not to forsake gathering together. While that could look a lot of different ways (and does, as I’ve discovered in my travels), it means that there is something different about the thing we do when we gather. There is a reason we come together that’s not available otherwise, and to proverbially (as it were) throw the baby out with the bathwater is no solution to that tension.

The tension between my calling and conscience began to resolve itself during my time in seminary (an act of obedience in the midst of this turmoil), and has been a source of motivation for me ever since. If the scriptures call us to be the gathered people of God, it also calls us to be the sent people of God. We gather, and we are sent, to be gathered again, and sent again. It turned out that it’s not an either/or, but a both/and, a rhythm for us to engage rather than a hard choice to make.

goldfish-jumping-out-of-bowl

If we only gather, we do not fulfill the command of Jesus to love others as we love ourselves, nor His command to make disciples. Being sent is the very imitation of Jesus Himself – the Son of God who left the community of the Triune God to become incarnate among His creation for their redemption and reconciliation. And yet, to be the gathered people is also the imitation of the Triune God, of Father, Son, and Spirit in the eternal dance of community, the very reason by which the Son was sent in the first place. If we are only sent, we burn out, we become cynical and jaded.

To be the people of God, we must gather.

And our songs can remind us of this reality and this rhythm. The arts are a language unto themselves for encouragement, to spur us on towards love and good deeds, to participate in the re-creation and reconciliation of the world with its Creator. Whether in song or melody, in paint and canvas or in poetry, in dance or in sculpture, or in a myriad of other mediums, the arts are a call onward and upward into the mountains of a new reality, of a kingdom that is simultaneously now and coming. God, the lover and author of beauty, speaks to us through the Spirit-inspired creativity of His people. Together we sing a song of hope, that God has not abandoned us for distant shores, but to the contrary, draws close and invites into participating in His restoration.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you all see the Day approaching. [Hebrews 10:19-25]




The Fine Line Between Faithful and Fraudulent

4 comments Written on October 19th, 2013     
Filed under: Leadership, Vocation and Call

Today’s post is written by Matt Nightingale, Pastor of Worship at Redwood Covenant Church in Santa Rosa, CA.

worshipSeveral weeks ago, I was leading worship at RCC. I was playing piano with the band and singing a duet with a woman from my worship team. The song is intense… It’s called “Wake Up,” by All Sons and Daughters, and it builds from nearly a whisper to a huge chorus… “Wake up, wake up, wake up, all you sleepers… Stand up, oh stand up, stand up, all you dreamers… Hands up, hands up, oh hands up, all believers…”

I was concentrating on the piano part and singing well. I love the song, and I wanted to do it justice. I wanted it to sound awesome. But if I’m honest, I wasn’t really worshipping God. Not consciously, at least. Sure, I was worshipping with my life… doing my job… leading the people God has called me to lead… But I wasn’t even really conscious of God’s presence with me and my connection to Him.

Until someone stood up. Up till that moment, everyone had been sitting down in the dark while we sang to them. But then, on the bridge (“Here we stand, our hearts are Yours. Not our will, but Yours be done.”), someone stood up. And then another. And then another. And then everyone was on their feet, and hands and voices were raised, and it was a beautiful moment. And I realized in that moment that I had been going through the motions. That I was doing my job, sure, but not consciously connecting with the God who called me to this job. And I was grateful, again, that “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going” (John 3:8). The Spirit will move, with or without my help. I was humbled and I was moved. And I felt God’s presence. And it was good.

But looking back on that moment, I wonder if I was doing anything wrong. Sometimes I think the line between faithfulness (doing my job, leading the congregation, playing and singing well – even when I don’t “feel it”) and fraudulent (relying on my talents and experience rather than the Holy Spirit’s present guidance and power) is awfully fine. When have I crossed that line? There are days when I don’t feel what I hope the people of RCC are feeling, but I still show up and lead, hopefully well. Am I simply being faithful despite my feelings or am I being fraudulent?

I know you’ve experienced these feelings too, worship leaders. What are your thoughts? How do you guard against fraudulence? How do you remain faithful when you don’t “feel it”?




Chaos

3 comments Written on September 28th, 2013     
Filed under: Leadership, Vocation and Call
Tags: ,

Today’s post is written by Chris Logan, Pastor of Worship Arts at Community Covenant Church in Lenexa, KS.

Think of this as part 2 of my last post. A ying to its yang.

I recently read a new book by one of my favorite authors, who encouraged me to add a little chaos to my life.

cables.articleTo be honest, I found the suggestion a little insulting, since I, like many of you, find my life to be already too chaotic – the kids have their various activities, the job has its busy seasons, to say nothing of occasionally seeing other people over a food or beverage of choice. But the author wasn’t suggesting that I need to be more chaotic, but that maybe in order to deal with all the busyness of life, I tend to over-structure myself. For him, a life isn’t worth living without some space in it. And I couldn’t help but notice how often Jesus allowed disruption into his routine; on his way to an important appointment with a Jewish leader, he allowed the lowest of the low to stop him and in doing so, provided a beautiful picture of the Kingdom.

The applications of this for a worship pastor almost writes itself.

I’m honestly not very good at disruption. I’m a planner. I’m the guy who always responds to the whole “leave room for the Spirit to work” commentary with “why aren’t you letting the Spirit work in advance?” And to be fair, the Spirit often gets blamed for a whole lot of nonsense that could have been avoided if someone would have just spent a little time practicing their (message / worship set / announcements / etc).

But the flip side of the coin is that we can also get too planned out, too programmatic. In a perfect world (for me) the Spirit would give me the whole of everything ahead of time so I could get used to the idea that X was going to happen. To be honest, this has yet to happen. You know, ever.

The truth of the matter is that we don’t get to have the whole picture written out in front of us ahead of time, and so we need to be flexible and embrace the chaos when it happens. Chaos is, after all, an opportunity for creativity. It’s white space, a place of possibility.

So what might that look like for you this week? What opportunities is the Spirit opening for you that you haven’t noticed? What is God doing in the world around you that are a chance to bring life to those around you, be it family, coworkers, or complete strangers?

This week, let a little chaos into your life.

You might be surprised at what could happen.




Creatively Creating Culture

Post a Comment » Written on September 20th, 2013     
Filed under: Better Together, Culture, Local Church

Today’s post is written by Jessica Perez, Worship and Creative Arts Director at Crossroads Church in Loveland, CO.

What is the culture like on your team? Are you frustrated by it? Happy with it? Proud of it? I read a blog a few years ago that stuck with me: You Create the Culture, Punk, by Ben Arment.

Read it! As leaders, we need to own the culture we’re creating. If you’re not happy with how yours sits right now, go after it and fix it. There’s no time to waste—without change, you risk losing those you most want to keep around.

Second, and not-so-heavy, question: Do you share your Sunday set lists week-to-week? Are you a blogger? One thing I’ve found to be fun and informative, to our church and my social media followers who LOVE worship music, is to share our weekend experience each week through my blog. I get many requests asking about specific songs; sharing the set list weekly has helped our team to direct people to the post. I am able to include links for videos that we’ve done, a link to the service page on our church site (where the podcast, notes, and video are posted weekly), the songs with the writer information, and a fun piece of my blog that I call “BloggyBits” (where our behind-the-scenes culture really shows up—more on that at the end).

The reason on bring up culture first is because I’m so proud of my team and the culture we’ve created. Yes, we audition all participants and the skill level is high—a certain level of ability is required. But the cultural “fit” is also important, and we talk about that as people join the team. We have a climate and culture that is fun and relaxed; people have great attitudes, we serve one another, we are highly skilled (instrumentally/vocally), and we are ultra-prepared. We work hard and prepare hard; in our down time, we’re laughing uncontrollably and playing hard together.

Culture doesn’t have to mean a specific age or style, either. We are a multigenerational, multicultural team. We have teens through 60-somethings, a psychologist with a PhD, a former Billy Graham worship leader, a stay-at-home mom, educators, IT and computer programmers, gigging professional musicians, married couples serving together in the band, self-taught musicians, and people with Masters degrees in music. You want a relaxed, fun team with amazing camaraderie. The culture starts with you—you set the attitude and expectations; you own it and lead the way.

Back to the blog…

A fun way that I share our culture and weekly serving experience on my blog is called “BloggyBits.” These are simply wild, fun, random moments behind the scenes of our weekend together. I’m going to share some with you, in the style of my BloggyBits. These are highlights of this year:

The epic roof shot…

528535_10150694613514267_216365042_n

Family pic with some of choir too..

IMG_4315

Eating together during a service, missing our friend & team member who was out of town…

IMG_5542

Sometimes I take “Players of the Weekend” pictures & post them. Love every one of them…

 IMG_6635IMG_9761IMG_0179IMG_2192

Half of the band sneaking away to Sonic, seeing if they can do it in time & texting me the pic….

IMG_0777

Having a birthday party for our sound man and friend, Josh!

IMG_2219

Seeing who can still do a handstand/cartwheel in a upstairs, back hallway during first…

IMG_3172

Family pic in the photo-booth last Christmas…

IMG_3360

Eating together at my house. Of course, we HAVE to do this way more often. Andrew, our worship leader had just found out about his cancer…

IMG_3987

So, he missed Christmas but came to one of the services…family pic with Andrew!

IMG_4137

Praying for Andrew in all of the services…

IMG_4462

Now we’re rocking his WITT-Strong bands…

IMG_4813

So is choir as we group picture around his guitar while he was out getting treatments…

IMG_4913IMG_5037

Crossroads band rockin’ a mega BLIZZARD!

IMG_5532IMG_5536

Electric guitar player, smashing one of those weird cysts on our violin player’s wrist on Easter. We were SCREAMING laughing!

IMG_6282

Tailgating in my new RV out back before I flipped it…

IMG_6514

Yay!! This tech team had problems ALL weekend long & fixed everything with smiles & skills!!

IMG_6938

There may be beef jerky in my piano on stage…

IMG_0199

The band’s green room – my RV now glamorously flipped!

IMG_9557

IMG_9559

IMG_9561

I always include others’ instagrams or facebook posts in the bloggy bits & now many people on our team will send me their pics from the weekend for the blog…

IMG_98911

You should think of doing this! One tip that helps me, is if I post the songs portion before the weekend so that I can gather pics & commentary after church on Sunday – then share. …AND lastly, don’t underestimate how a culture shift can impact your team & ministry…lead the way! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Sorted Out

2 comments Written on September 13th, 2013     
Filed under: Bible, Core Values, Ethics, Formation, Leadership, Order of Worship, Songwriting, Style of Worship, The Psalms

psalmsToday’s post is written by Geoff Twigg, Adjunct Professor at North Park University in Chicago. Geoff is a pastor, singer/songwriter, worship leader and ministry consultant, and serves the ECC as a member of the denomination’s Commission on Worship.

A headline drew my attention this week.

N. T. Wright, Bishop and Biblical Scholar, has recently published a book called “The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential” (HarperOne). In a ‘Christianity Today’ interview with Andrew Byers, provocatively entitled “N.T.Wright wants to save the best worship songs”, he tells us that the Psalms are an important resource. He says they contain a deeper and broader consideration and expression of ideas than most of the contemporary repertoire, and we should use them more.

Well, you won’t get much of an argument from me about that topic. In general, I like what he’s saying in the interview, and I’m tempted to put the book on my reading list. We all like to read books that reinforce our opinions, don’t we?

However, what really caught my eye was the answer to a question about halfway through the article – Byers was asking how the Psalms can form or transform us, and Wright’s answer goes like this:

“Within the Jewish and Christian traditions, you get your worldview sorted out by worship. The Psalms are provided to guide that worship. When we continually pray and sing the Psalms, our worldview will actually reconfigure according to their values, theology, and modes of expression.”

I think there are some interesting points being made in this answer, and I wanted to draw your attention to them. But I’ll take them in reverse order, if you don’t mind.

So, at the end, he’s saying that if we rehearse, repeat and remember the Psalms, they’ll change our thinking to more closely resemble the values implicit in the Psalmist’s mind. This idea assumes that you will take the terminology and vocabulary of the Psalms, “continually pray and sing” them, and that process will change your values. I expect that’s right, but I’m not sure how many people will want to do that. Do you really want to end up sounding like a Psalmist? It seems to be counter-intuitive for a church that’s striving to sound like the world in which we live. I may want my values changed, but I’m not sure about adopting the language to get me there.

The second point he makes, just before that, is slightly more palatable to us. “The Psalms are provided to guide that worship” says we can and should use the values, expression, breadth and depth of theology of the Psalms in planning how deep and wide is the expression in our acts of worship. Don’t know about you, but I’m totally on board with that, and for years I’ve been teaching songwriters that we have too narrow a range of expression, too small a focus and an emotional range that’s way too restricted. It’s a superb idea to.use the Psalms to guide and broaden our palette.
So what’s the first point? The one that really struck me and sticks with me even as I write?

“Within the Jewish and Christian traditions, you get your worldview sorted out by worship.”

That’s potentially true, wonderfully true, and there’s no more effective weapon in the disciple-maker’s armory in forming the Christian soul. Worship is formative, if we allow it to be. Worship forms character and shapes thinking, if we design it to do so and pursue that aim.

On the other hand, worship can entertain, impress and divert, it can be used to attract a demographic and meet a felt need for a musical style or a dramatic experience. Rather than forming, this is worship that follows the shape of its audience and pleases us by doing what we like. It doesn’t form our worldview, it reinforces the view the world has given us. It doesn’t change us to a biblical pattern, but rather personalizes Jesus and selectively applies the gospel to build our self-esteem. Lord, forgive me for the times when I’ve done that. It may have just been a temptation to please people and ‘go along to get along’, but I know it was wrong.

I want to write, plan and lead worship where our worldview gets ‘sorted out’ by worship. It will do my church good.




« Older Entries