BEFORE THE THRONE
Call to Worship: Psalm 24
Let there be no mistake, we gather to lift our eyes to the King of Glory. The One who made and sustains all things, who has pursued us with His goodness and mercy. Let’s sing together:
GOODNESS OF GOD
IN CHRIST ALONE
Sermon: Joshua 5:13-6:27
If we were honest, each of us desire to be our own king. And more than that, each of use desire all of the benefits of living in God’s kingdom while remaining king of our own lives. We want God’s justice enacted on those who have wronged us. We want to receive God’s goodness, kindness, grace, love, mercy and forgiveness, but we don’t want Jesus to be our King. Because if Jesus is king it means that you are not. Jesus is a king who disrobes himself of glory and majesty, steps into our world to pursue treasonous and rebellious sinners like you and me. Jesus is king and that is good news for you and me. Let’s sing:
GOD WITH US
REVIVE US AGAIN
Worship Leaders
Family and Leading
Whether as a volunteer or as a paid staff member - ministry is not for the faint of heart. It can be easy to become discouraged. It can be easy to work for God without spending time with God. It can be easy to have our time become consumed with pursuing excellence in our preparation, to the neglect of other God-given responsibilities. And if you feel called to some kind of ministry, it can be tempting to see others as an obstacle, rather than co-laborers in serving together on mission.
Whether you are living at home with your parents, are married, or single, or have children, a calling to ministry is not an individual call as much as it is a communal, familial call. I have found Pete Scazzero’s language to this end helpful when he talks about how we lead ‘out of our marriage or singleness.’
And if it is true that we minister out of our marriage or singleness, how should that reality shape the way we lead? I am learning that this idea means we do not lead and serve apart from our family but from our family. We lead as a missional representative of the family to which we belong. What is more, if this is true for those of us charged with carrying the responsibilities for a team, it is true for each person serving on our team as well.
Here are some of the rhythms I am trying to incorporate as I consider what it looks like to lead out of my family, and encourage my team to do the same:
Thank families, not just individuals. We often think that the individual is having to sacrifice their time to serve - this is true, but it is also a sacrifice for the family. Less time with a spouse, or children with their parent. It may mean driving separately, coming early, sitting by yourself, or solo-parenting. This is not just a sacrifice of the team member, but their family unit.
Involve the kids. I like to strike the stage every week. If and when possible, my kids love to help me wrap cables, clean up trash, and carry equipment on and off the platform. This is a simple way for them to feel a part of what we do as a family. And I hope and pray this is the way they will come to see ministry in the future.
Prepare at home. This is a great way to involve our families in what we are doing, and why we are doing it. My kids love to sing and practice with me for a Sunday - they will get out all of their instruments and play along as I sing through the setlist.
Use your home. Whether for team meetings, training, or discipleship - our homes can be a great place to show hospitality, but they can also be a great way for our families to be able to participate with us - in the preparation of cleaning, cooking, and hosting, as well engaging face-to-face with those we serve alongside.
Thank your family. I want to be aware that I am able to do what I do because my wife encourages and enables it. I can do what I do because my kids are willing to give up time with their Dad - this is not my thing, it is our thing, and they deserve credit and appreciation for the sacrifices made as we serve together on mission.
Lead from your family, not apart from your family. And encourage your team to do the same.
February 6: Liturgy and Set List
HOW GREAT THOU ART
Call to Worship: Psalm 70:4-5
We gather not for a spiritual pick-me-up, but to delight our hearts in the salvation of our great God. The One who has enabled us through Jesus to be in right relationship with Him. Let’s delight in that truth together:
WAYMAKER
MY JESUS, I LOVE THEE
Sermon: Joshua 5:1-9
The people of Israel saw God do great and glorious things and still did not obey. Brothers and sisters, we sit on this side of the cross of Christ and still do not obey. Our obedience to God does not earn God’s love for us. God loves us, so we desire to obey. Let’s remind one another of that truth together - would you stand and sing:
HOW DEEP THE FATHERS LOVE FOR US
RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)
Shifting The Culture
We are always building culture.
We shape the culture and the culture shapes us.
As leaders, specifically, those who oversee an area of ministry, we have a responsibility to intentionally form, clearly articulate, and faithfully model the culture we are seeking to cultivate.
Intentionally form. You are forming the culture of your team right now. Rather than haphazardly letting it grow wild, cultivate, till, prune toward the kind of culture you believe with honor God and serve His people - both the congregation and the team - well.
Clearly articulate. Much teaching and training is caught, but it is also important to teach, train, and articulate the kind of cultural values you are seeking to develop among the team. We cannot expect people to embrace and embody a culture if we articulate it one time, this is an ongoing, repeated conversation.
Faithfully model. Our behavior reveals our values. I can say that I value being healthy and in shape, but if I do not consistently eat well, and exercise, those are just words, not values. As leaders we always go first - we must show our team how to carry the culture. Do not give up, or lose heart. Consistency is essential in establishing and shifting anything meaningful.
Ultimately real change is only possible through the empowering and ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. But if we neglect to continually cultivate our culture, the strongest personalities and cultural forces will shape, and disciple our team. Our cultures will grow either way, so why not intentionally invest beauty, goodness, and truth into what is growing in your team?
Identifying Team Culture
Last week I wrote about identifying the culture of your church. This week I want to take a look at how to identify the culture of your worship team. In many ways, identifying the culture of your team is similar - to identify the culture of your team you must be in relationship with the team members, you need to observe over time, and you need to ask questions. But as a church has a unique culture, so does a team functioning within the church community.
Are you stepping into a team that already exists?
No group of people is a blank slate. These are people who have served together, who have history, who have been formed and discipled, who have shared together. What things have historically been normative? What does the team value? What is the shared language and understanding of the mission and vision of the team?
Are you building something from scratch?
If you are church planting or beginning a new area of ministry within your church - you are the culture. Vision is important - without it, the people will perish (Proverbs 29:18). But we must also be open-handed enough to shift, change, and grow and God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Much of the work of identifying the culture of your team is so you can determine what needs to be celebrated and redeemed, and what needs to be rejected entirely. In what way has the team been formed? In what ways do they need to be counter-formed?
When I was living abroad a fellow American once shared with me, ‘The goal of serving here is not to make people become more American, it is to help them be more like Jesus.’ What would it look like for the people on your team to serve in this culture, with these skills, on this team as Jesus would serve? What would their life and ministry look like free from the weight of sin?
Culture-making is discipleship. And discipleship is the long-long, ongoing work of the Spirit and the community. Learn. Grow. Celebrate. Reject. Be counter-formed by the Gospel.
Identifying Church Culture
People are meaning-making, story-telling, culture-builders. We can identify cultural artifacts from surface observations and interactions like: does the congregation dress formally or casually? Do services begin on time, or is time more of a suggestion? Is the congregation warm and inviting, or quiet and stoic? But to truly understand the culture of our churches, we must be in relationship with the people of our church. Because it is people who make the culture.
In relationship we begin to understand and identify the values as well as the idols of the culture. These are things spoken and unspoken. The often hide just below the surface. These values and idols are exposed in our conversations, our thought process, and the way we spend our time and money. We see our culture exposed in what we fight to defend, in what we ignore, and what we cling to for life, value, significance, worth and identity. We study culture not to pander to peoples idols, but to show people how they have sought to find life outside of relationship with Christ.
Every country has a unique culture. Within a country each state and city have a unique culture. Within a city or state every community and church have a unique culture. Observe over time. Ask questions. Build relationships. Study the history and story of a community. These are the thing that will help us point our churches to a better, truer Kingdom.
Cross Cultural Worship
I am obsessed with culture. Culture is invisible, powerful, and hard to articulate. And because we are swimming in its waters, we are often unaware of how powerfully those currents of culture are shaping who we are, what we do, and why we do it.
My family and I lived abroad for four years. Serving on staff as a worship leader at a church in the United Kingdom. When you are removed from the familiar, your invisible culture quickly becomes visible. The same is true when you inhabit a new culture. In returning Stateside, I assumed that navigating American culture would be easier - it was my culture after all. But armed with the experience of another culture, and with an awareness of my own, I realized that all ministry is cross-cultural.
All ministry is cross-cultural because we live in the world but as followers of Jesus we are not of this world (John 17:16). All ministry is cross-cultural because although we may be citizens of a particular country, our true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). All ministry is cross-cultural because we are all temporary residents, passing through as exiles in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11, Jeremiah 29:7).
We minister to those inhabiting a world and a culture that seems normal and familiar. Part of our role is to show there is a greater kingdom, one that is near, now, and not yet. We live as ambassadors of this heavenly kingdom. We must be students of the culture - the one we inhabit right now, as well as the one to come - to point people to the beauty of the better Kingdom. As we study our cultures we can see that all culture-making is an attempt to build what is only truly realized in the culture of Christ’s kingdom.
There is beauty in this world and in our cultures. There are things that can be redeemed, and things that need to be rejected. And part of the work of cross-cultural mission is helping people identify the difference between the kingdom that is fading away and the kingdom that will last forever.
Quotes [Part 1]
A full week into a new year. As you find your feet, I hope these quotes inspire your heart, shape your imagination, and fuel your worship:
C.S. LEWIS
Praise is the culmination of our enjoyment of anything.
JEN WILKIN
Songs of faith are teaching tools, and effective ones. In an age of widespread biblical/theological illiteracy, leaders must choose those songs with care. Many who will sing them under our leadership are spiritual infants. Imagine if the lyrics of the ABC song were 85% accurate.
J.C. RYLE
All services without heart-service are unprofitable and vain.
JOHN CALVIN
We need to have songs which are not only honorable but also holy. They should spur us on to prayer and the praise of God, to meditation on his works, so that we love, fear, honor and glorify him.
In true worship the believer exercises faith and repentance as he meets with God according to His Word and grows in grace.
Singing has a great force and vigor to move and inflame the hearts of men to invoke and praise God with a more vehement and ardent zeal.
Remembering, Celebrating, Reevaluating
How much time have you spent remembering as we enter into a new year?
Understandably, the last two years have felt like a blur. And it can be tempting to simply rush past remembrance in hopes of finding something better in 2022 than what we have experienced in 2020 and 2021. But what needs to be remembered? These past two years have been painful but they have not been devoid of God’s grace and kindness. What ebeneezers can you raise in your life and in ministry?
Celebration begins with remembrance. After remembrance, what needs to be celebrated? How can you name the sustaining grace of God in your life and ministry?
Everyone of us has learned first hand, ’The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps (Prov 16:9).’ How can we plan for our area of ministry with open hands? How can we reevaluate how we lead and serve? Perhaps our priorities need to shift from planning further in advance, to being more present with people, more attentive to the voice of the Spirit as we remember, celebrate, and reevaluate.
‘You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes.’ Ps 119:68
Cradle and Cross
Advent means arrival. At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of God in human form. Certainly, this is worth celebrating. God is not just out there somewhere, but is here - wrapped in our skin and bone, among us. But I believe we do a disservice to the people we serve when we disconnect Christmas - the arrival of Christ - to the purpose of is arrival - the cross.
Long ago we had lived with God - in the cool of the garden - walking, talking as friends. But our original parents thought that there was life outside of life with God, and it was this seeking that welcomed death. Fracturing relationship between God and man, husband and wife, and all of creation. But even there hiding in the reality of chosen death, God promised to crush the head of the serpent - to bring life and light once more. This is what we remember and celebrate during Advent and Christmas - that there is no plan b, that the redemption of God’s people by the perfect life, death, and resurrection of His Son was always the plan. So we celebrate not just Christ’s coming - although this is a reality so significant it has split time into two halves - we remember the reason for His arrival.
We are people who live between two Advents - Christ’s first coming, and His second coming. When we link Advent to Easter we do not minimize our Advent celebrations but magnify the reality of the beauty of the whole story of redemption.
On Nerves + Anxiety
Anyone who says they don’t get a little nervous, or a bit anxious to lead worship is probably lying. There are so many things that regardless of our level of preparation are out of our control. There are so many things that have to work together at once in a corporate gathering.
So how do you deal with nerves if and when they begin to surface?
First things first, pray. Ask the Spirit who indwells you to lift your eyes to Christ. Many of our nerves as worship leaders come from our sense that it all hangs on me. We need the Spirit to remind us that the work is already finished in Christ, He is the One we lift up, He is the One we celebrate, He is the One who deserves all of the glory.
We need to remember. We need to remember that our life is hidden in Christ. We need to remember that we are serving our brothers and sisters, that our family loves us, and is for us as we serve. We need to remember that Christ’s ability to be honored and glorified is not dependent on our ability to perform or execute a flawless setlist.
We need to practice. The times I feel most anxious when leading are when I know I have not spent enough time with a song, or with something I feel the Spirit leading me to share. It can be easy to swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme by rehearsing to the point where we leave no space for spontaneity, but real preparation should be an act of worship. We should spend time engaging with song and Scripture throughout the week so that we can be freed up to lead and serve well because we have traveled the road, familiarize ourselves with the journey before our Sunday services.
We need to come dependent. Often when we feel insecure, anxious, or fearful we can be tempted to try and control. We rehearse and rehearse and rehearse, we map out every second of the service, we run transitions countless times, rather than release and empower others with responsibility and authority, we hoard in an effort to control and minimize risk. This is both exhausting, and it is also the antithesis of what the Apostle Paul reminds us - in our weakness we are strong (2 Cor 12:9-10). When we come dependent we acknowledge that preparation is important, but true power comes from the Holy Spirit working in and through us to point people to Christ.
If nerves or anxiety are a regular part of your experience of leading worship, I’d also encourage you to read Tim Keller’s short book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. Seeing ourselves accurately off of the platform will help us see ourselves correctly on the platform.
With Expectation
It is easy for regularity to breed repetition.
And repetition to breed familiarity.
And familiarity to breed contempt… apathy… indifference.
But if we believe that God is living and active, He speaks to us through His Word, and He desires to meet with us, to confront us, comfort us, and conform us - there is no such thing as just another Sunday.
In your planning and preparation, in your rehearsals and communication, in your set up and serving, do you expect God to speak?
Do you expect Him to move?
Do you expect Him to do what only He can do?
As those leading and serving week in and week out, we have to fight against the ease with which we can go on autopilot - just plan another setlist, just schedule another team, just set up and sound check another time, just lead another service.
May your leadership, your team, and those you serve be marked with expectation and desperation for God to do what only He can do in, among, and through His people. Because there are no such things as just another Sunday. So come expectant.