Choose Your Metaphor
Life is a battle. Life is a contest. Life is a struggle. Life is a game. Life is a race.
Pick anyone you want and the results are the same—you can lose or win at life.
- The battle isn’t always won by the largest army.
- The better team does not always win the contest.
- Sometimes the struggle gets the best of those engaged.
- The better player doesn’t always come out on top.
- The race is not always to the swift.
Are these commonly held maxims the absolute truth? Can an exception be found anywhere? Is there a sure winner?
Of course there is. His name is Jesus.
Christus Victor
The first time I heard the term it came from Dr. Robert E. Webber. He was looking at me while addressing the students at IWS. It was like he wanted to see my reaction to the term. I think he saw me react with delight—Jesus is the Victor! It sounded right to me, right and proper and beyond dispute. Bob saw my reaction and smiled—he knew ahead of time how I would respond. The absolute mastery of Jesus and the centrality of Him in worship fueled the passion that burned in each of our hearts.
I knew nothing of the debate between those who embrace a view of Christ’s death called Penal Substitution which emphasizes the guilt of mankind and those who hold to Christus Victor which focuses on His absolute victory over evil. (For more on this read The Problem with Christus Victor from Christianity Today.) I only knew that if there was a victor anywhere to be found, it had to be Jesus of Nazareth.
The modern mind tells us to reject one view or the other, but I reject that demand. I want them both: Jesus as the ransom for my sins and Jesus as the absolute victor over evil. I find both in the Bible and each view makes Him dear to me as Redeemer and vital to me as Savior.
Jehovah – Nissi, the Lord My Banner, My Victory
This covenant name of God was given after a great victory.
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner Ex 17:15 NIV
As with the other covenant names of God, Jesus is the exact representation.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Heb 1:3 NIV
He is Jehovah – Nissi who has come in the flesh, redeemed a fallen mankind with His atoning death, and who is now reigning in majesty over all things. Who else could occupy the absolute center of worship?
He shares His victory with those who worship Him.
- We do not slink away from His presence laden with guilt—we stride into life forgiven!
- We do not cower at the forces arrayed against us—we are more than conquerors through Christ!
This is not a western truth or an opportunity afforded to the lucky or the strong. This is New Covenant Spirituality and it is available to all.
- Just as Jesus provides for those who worship Him, (Jehovah-Jireh) and
- just as His healing essence flows to us as we worship Him, (Jehovah-Rapha)
- Jesus defeats all who would dare oppose those who call upon Him in truth.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Ps 145:17-20NIV
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Rom 10:12-13 NIV
The Deepest Pit
Like many men of the Baby Boomer generation, World War II is an endless source of interest for me. Of all the amazing stories contained in that narrative, the Holocaust is perhaps the most amazing. Hitler targeted the Jews of Europe as the source of all evil and set about to systematically eliminate them. Among the millions of Jews were a smaller number of Christians, also recognized an enemies of the Third Reich.
There were survivors. One of them was a lady in her 50’s—Corrie Ten Boom, of Holland. She and her sister were arrested because they hid Jews from the Nazis. Her sister died in prison, but Corrie survived to witness for Jesus for another generation Her story is told as The Hiding Place. (book) (film) This moving story provides us with a testimony of the greatest battle of good vs. evil of the Twentieth Century.
Hitler was utterly defeated by the Allies. His atrocities exposed, never to be denied or to be repeated, (thus far) and setting the standard for evil to this day. To speak his name is all that is required to express the nadir of evil in this world.
On a smaller scale, Jesus defeated Satan in the victory of Corrie Ten Boom. When she was plunged into the depths of the century’s most horrid evil what did she discover?
“There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” Corrie ten Boom
So, let us worship Him! Let us guard the center of our lives and the centerpiece of our services of worship from all interlopers. Serving Jesus isn’t about “success” as the world defines it. Worship isn’t even about worship! Living and worship are about Jesus—Jesus the Victor!
John the Beloved Disciple knew this and it permeates his writing. No more explicit passage can be found than this.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:1-5 NIV
Everywhere in this world people struggle with life. We who worship Jesus in spirit and in truth may suffer temporary setbacks but in the end we are the winners. (2 Cor 4:16-18)
- Life is a battle—Jesus is the victor –and so are we!
- Life is a contest—Jesus is the winner –and so are we!
- Life is a struggle—Jesus has overcome –and so do we!
- Life is a game—Jesus is the champion –and so are we!
- Life is a race—Jesus comes in first –and so do we!
Semper Reformanda!
The African-American Miracle
I believe one the most amazing evidences of the validity of Christianity is its embrace by African slaves who were stolen, sold and suppressed by white “Christians.” How could it be that slaves would embrace the religion of their masters? The only answer I can think of is the only reason anyone embraces Jesus—He is real.
The reality of His presence granted the displaced African slave a vision of hope that saw far beyond the lash of the overseer. Even as “Christians” failed the Lord so miserably, Jesus Himself did not fail the African believer. Even without the ability to read the Bible, (It was against the law!) the stories, prayers and truths of the Scripture afforded a hope so great, they abandoned their pagan religions and believed in Jesus. Christianity became their source of strength for the struggle.
We are enriched by the legacy of that struggle through the on-going impact of the Negro Spiritual—that amazing collection of songs authored by a whole race of people to express their pain and hope. One of those songs is Balm in Gilead.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul. (African-American Spiritual)
The song is based on Old Testament metaphors. Gilead was a forested mountainous region bordered by the Great Sea. Trees from Gilead were injured so their sap would flow for use as a medicine. Gilead became a metaphor the nation of Israel and the “balm” came to refer to the healing power of Jehovah.
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? Jer 8:22NIV
The Question that Will Not Go Away
Jeremiah the Prophet, asked the question that will not go away. It has been asked in many ways.
- If God has the power to heal, why are so many sick?
- Does God just heal some and not others? If so, how is the selection determined?
- If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there so much pain in the world?
We have all wondered about these things. I know of no satisfactory answers. I know the standard reasoning about the sovereignty of God and the necessity of man’s free will but these truths never quite put my mind to rest. They lead me to a point of insight but leave my vision still dim enough to trouble my spirit.
I’m not foolish enough to think that this little column on the healing impact of worship will solve the ancient riddle. However, I think I can clearly see the steps the worship leader and the worshiper must take today.
Jehovah – Rapha, The LORD who heals.
As in all mysteries of the faith, we place our trust in the character of God. Somehow He allows the terrible suffering in this world and remains a loving God. In the scriptural narrative He reveals His character to us through His covenant names. Our worship of Him is based on His character. One of those names is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord Who Heals.
He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (Ex 15:26 26 NIV)
…who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Ps 103:3-5NIV)
He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. (Ps 107:20 20 NIV)
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isa 53:4-5NIV)
Healing our woundedness is not something God does; it is who He is.
When we worship Him in Spirit and Truth, The Balm of Gilead flows to us again. Like the wounded trees that shed their healing balm, Jesus’ atoning blood flows to our health. There is a Balm in Gilead.
- Pagan worship may be passionate but it does not heal.
- Atheistic allurements may challenge the mind but they cannot speak peace to the troubled heart.
- Hedonistic pursuits may please the flesh but they will never satisfy the soul.
Only the worship of Jesus flowing from the redeemed human heart by the power of the Holy Spirit according to the truth of the Word of God is a healing force in this world.
So, we worship Jesus and we lead others in the worship of Him.
- We organize the artists of the local church into a skillful team to lead the church in worship.
- We dismiss the People of God after Lord’s Day Worship to be the People of God in their world, standing for Jesus, speaking for Jesus, and touching their world with His power.
- We send missionaries to points of ministry all over the world where their hands are the healing hands of Jesus, their mouths speak His truth and their lives are spent to relieve the pain of the world.
Yes, we get weary. We have learned that “the arm of the flesh will fail you” (“Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus”) so we must depend on the strength of the Spirit. Hear the verse of the old song.
Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
There is Still a Balm in Gilead.
Worship makes a difference in this world because
- Jesus is the only healing balm that reaches deep enough to heal the bruises on the human spirit.
- He is the only salve that can clear the clouded vision of eyes that have seen too much suffering.
- His anointing oil is the only medicine that soothes the sin sick soul.
There is no doubt the church has greatly relieved the suffering in this world. Unheralded by the media, unnoticed by the critics, the People of God exit their sanctuaries to teach, touch, trade and take real and public stands for Jesus every day. The second verse says it this way:
If you can’t preach like Peter, if you can’t pray like Paul, just tell the love of Jesus and say He died for all.
Worship (including work as worship) makes a difference in this world because worshipers make a difference in the power and in the name of Jesus.
There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin sick soul.
Semper Reformanda!
A Community Survey
Some have suggested that the road to the renewal of the church begins with a survey of the community. Leaders need to find out why people in a specific community don’t go to church and design a church that offers them something they will come to church to get.
Such information is certainly helpful and useful in stylistic matters. However, the road to revival must begin at a deeper level of investigation. Leaders should survey the Scriptures to discover truths of a larger nature, truths that are as true in their local community as they are in the whole world. Based on these absolutes, the renewal of spirituality and the reform of public worship will lead to the revival of the church.
True Revival impacts a community in ways nothing else can. History reveals a pattern: when revival comes to a community,
- the demand for sinful things declines.
- Alcohol and chemical dependencies are reduced.
- Crime rates plummet.
- Productivity increases.
- The moral climate improves and
- social justice comes to those who had been marginalized.
Why?
It is because in True Worship the needs of mankind meet the heart of God.
Admittedly, such absolutes are rare but they do exist and they are the proper starting point for any local road to revival.
The Covenant Names of God
I believe the covenant names of God reveal both the fundamental needs of mankind and the fundamental character of God. The Good News of the Gospel is this: They form a perfect match! So, as worship leaders fill their worship plans and their liturgies with the truth about who God is, worshipers can experience the presence of the Lord in ways that meet their deepest needs.
Here is an overview:
- Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord Who Provides: People need things. God promises to provide them those in covenant relationship with Him.
- Jehovah-Mekaddish, The Lord Who Sanctifies: People need to live purposeful lives by a higher standard than that of their own animal passions. The Lord calls each of us to such a life and enables us to live it.
- Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord Who Is My Banner, My Victory: People are overcome by life. The Lord transforms them into overcomers.
- Jehovah-Rapha, The Lord Who Heals: People are sick and injured. The Lord makes them well.
- Jehovah-Roi, The Lord Who Is My Shepherd: People need constant care. The Lord provides it.
- Jehovah-Shalom, The Lord Who Is Our Peace: People need true rest and a life free of fear. The Lord grants these things to those who covenant with Him.
- Jehovah-Shammah, The Lord Who is Present: People need to live in the presence of their Maker. The Lord promises never to leave those who turn to Him.
- Jehovah-Tsidekenu, the Lord Who Is Our Righteousness: People need to be forgiven of their sins. The Lord does that for those who repent.
True Worship traffics in these realities, not in the fleeting, jumbled desires of any single community.
A church that intentionally uses worship structure and style in the service of worship substance of this magnitude will reach its community because in public worship the needs of the people are met by the compassion of God.
Fulfilled in Jesus
Just as Jesus stated that He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it, Jesus is also the exact representation of Jehovah. All the promises of the covenant names of Jehovah are fulfilled in Jesus.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Col 2:9-12 NIV
The character of Jehovah revealed in the covenant names is present and revealed to us in Jesus. (The sign of the Old Covenant was circumcision but the sign of the New Covenant is water baptism. This is the outward sign of the inward reality of salvation, announcing to the world that we are now in covenant relationship with God.)
Jehovah – Jireh: Because People Need, the Lord Provides
The covenant name Jehovah-Jireh was revealed to Abraham on the mountain of sacrifice. (Genesis 22:8, 14) He had been commanded to offer his only son to God as a sacrifice. He climbed the mountain knowing he had heard the voice of God and believing that God would provide. The result was the ultimate test of obedience and the ultimate example of worship. Just as Abraham was about to complete the sacrifice, the Lord Who Provides provided a substitute lamb.
What People Need
People in your community need things. Of course, they want things they don’t really need—all of us do that. But the people you are called to reach have needs deep within them that drive their choices and motivate their actions. They have no idea that the Lord has promised to help them. In the worship you lead, they can encounter the One who can meet all their needs, if that worship is all about Jesus.
For those who have repented of their sins and claimed Jesus as Lord of their lives, amazing promises of provision are in place. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed the character of God as the basis of New Covenant prayer—“Your Father knows (what) you need!”
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:30-34 NIV
In more than five decades of Christian living I have seen Jesus provide for those who covenant with Him. I have seen people raised out of abject poverty. I have witnessed and experienced healings of body, soul, and spirit. Chains of addiction have been broken and broken relationships repaired and made stronger.
This One about whom we sing is the answer to the needs of the people in the community we have been called to reach.
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19 NIV
So, let us climb the mountain of worship as Abraham did, ready with the knife to sacrifice things we hold precious in order to obey the Lord. The Lord will provide what we need just as He will provide for the needs of the worshipers we lead. It is His nature, His very name.
No matter what the question or need, Jesus is the answer.
Semper Reformanda!
(Author’s Note: The following is an outline for a workshop I did at the Christian Musicians Summit in Buffalo, NY, May 4-5, 2012.)
Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples! Isa 62:10 NKJV
INTRODUCTION
Worship Leadership means letting something happen, not making something happen.
People do not create worship; it is constantly happening around the Throne of God and of the Lamb. When we worship, either privately or with the congregation, we join the worship already in progress as the church in heaven and the church on earth become one worshiping congregation. (Heb. 12: 22-24)
Joining this heavenly worship involves a spiritual pilgrimage from our starting point to our destination before the Throne of Heaven. The psalmist describes worship as “ascending the hill of the Lord and standing in the Holy Place.” (Ps 24:3) Worshipers start this pilgrimage in many places:
- the struggle to get everyone ready and to the church on time,
- a family argument in the car, or
- the confusion of the church passageways.
As worship leaders we help them get from the parking lot to the Holy of Holies.
We must assume that many of them want to make this journey. They look to us to join them on the climb, not to drive them up the hill. The shining Zion of God’s dwelling place glimmers at the summit as memories of distant Eden glow in our hearts—we were made for this!
But, rockslides happen. Sometimes there are stones, huge boulders, in this pathway and it is our job to remove them. I want to identify six of these barriers and suggest ways of removing them. They are:
- The wrong music
- The wrong musicians
- The wrong words
- The wrong plans
- The wrong technology
- The wrong timing
Of these six hindering stones, the most important are numbers three and four because what we believe and teach about worship informs the others.
THE WRONG MUSIC
An Uncertain Sound
For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. 1 Cor 14:8,12 NKJV
If our music makes an uncertain sound, it is like an unskilled bugler signaling the army; the soldiers don’t know whether to mount up for battle or bed down for the night.
Music is the principle art of worship. Therefore music must be meaningful and useful to the worshiper.
This is no easy thing to determine as it depends on several factors:
- The musical languages of the worshipers
- The textual languages of the music itself
- The fitness of the music for use by the Holy Spirit
- The quality of the music within the musical languages of the people
- The quality of the music making by the standards of those musical languages.
- The appropriateness of the music and the flow from song to song.
The Right Musical Languages
Discover who your people are. BUT DO IT WITH GREAT STEALH!
Never, never let the worship be about the music; the music must always be about the worship—that is—about the Lord! Jesus tears down the walls of hostility between opposing groups. (Eph 3:14-18)
- Identify the generations within the congregation.
- Appreciate the history of the church worship culture.
- Manage the repertoire of the congregation.
- Avoid the prejudice that people only want to hear the music of their life in worship.
- Model your joy in the amazing diversity of musical languages springing from the congregation.
- Engage the worshipers by intentionally using the “heart-songs” of the people.
- Teach a biblical theology of worship (“spirit and truth” worship) as both spiritual and intellectual, both transcendent and imminent, both high and lifted up and close at hand.
- Lead private worship through teaching, books, websites like (www.TheWorshipRenewalCenter.com), books, magazines, and recordings.
THE WRONG MUSICIANS
Singers and players must be worshipers. They must possess both skillful hands and a tender heart. Two things can make musicians the wrong musicians: the wrong skills and the wrong heart.
Among The Wrong Skills are these:
- Musical illiteracy,
- Lack of musical knowledge (keys, scales, style, form)
- Lack of knowledge of the instrument,
- Hostility toward practice and progress,
- Poor musicianship (tone, pitch, rhythmic stability)
The Wrong Heart is seen in these things:
- Envy of the success of others,
- Gossip about others, etc.
- Contentiousness, jealousy, backbiting,
- Self-consciousness,
- Self-centeredness,
- Laziness, apathy, and most of all,
- The caricature of the “artistic temperament”—undependability.
Those with wrong skills and the wrong heart are of little use to the Holy Spirit.
The Right Skills
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. (Ps 33:3 NIV)
The music of worship demands consummate skill because it is both simple and challenging. The difficult music must be made with extreme care and the easy music must be played with great passion.
Among the skills required are:
- Senses of rhythm and pitch,
- Some form of musical literacy (by ear, by eye, or both,)
- Playing skill,
- Ensemble skills,
- A teachable spirit,
- A servant attitude, and
- A desire to keep growing as an artist.
The Right Heart
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Ps 57:7 NIV
The Steadfast Heart is
- Settled on ministry to the Lord,
- Dedicated to the mission of worship—“the glory due His Name,” (Psalm 29:1,2)
- Dependable in season and out of season, and it is
- Connected to the Heart of God.
Inside-Out Ministry: The ministry of worship music must spring from a heart for God.
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” Matt 15:8-9 NIV
Sometimes poor musicians are deeply entrenched in the church. Sometimes leaders work with people and sometimes we work around people.
Conversion recommended!—inside-out change!
THE WRONG WORDS
The wrong words form an immense stumbling block to vibrant worship. They come in two sizes:
- Words poorly projected or,
- Words poorly chosen: Songs that failed to match and elaborate on the truth.
Words poorly projected suffer from these deficiencies:
- Poor visibility, (location, fount size or style, dimness)
- Out of sync with singing,
- Too much information on each slide, and
- Competing images.
Songs with a poverty of words are a more serious though less immediate, problem.
The Right Words
Our liturgies should overflow with truth.
- Songs should express, celebrate and teach the doctrines of the church.
- Songs should express the testimonies of the people.
- Songs should place great prayers and praises into the mouths and hearts of the worshipers.
Songs should be “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (definitions from Vine’s)
- Psalms are songs of praise with instrumental accompaniment.
- Hymns are songs of praise addressed to God. (songs of prayer)
- Spiritual Songs are songs with the anointing of the Spirit upon them, songs speaking to the present moment and to the future of the church.
There are important direct applications of “spirit and truth” to songs and singers.
- Spirit-songs are songs that are more about the experience of God’s presence—our spirits soar in worship.
- Truth-songs are songs that are more about the truth of God, our minds are challenged and expanded by revelation.
- There are spirit-people who love spirit-songs and truth-people who love truth-songs.
We are commanded to use both so that the worship we lead won’t be limited by our preferences.
THE WRONG PLANS
Poor worship planning and poorly structured services are massive roadblocks as people attempt to ascend the Hill of the Lord to stand in the Holy Place.
Poor worship planning may be caused by poor worship theologies like these.
- Praise and Worship are preliminaries.
- The purpose of worship is to prepare people for preaching.
- The worship leaders are ministering to the congregation.
- The worship music/presentation should attract people.
- We want to be known as the cutting-edge church.
Plans based on these theologies will be barriers to True Worship. They can be:
- Man-centered,
- Music-centered,
- Tradition/Innovation-centered,
- Performances before men,
- Disjointed, nonsensical, stop-and-start, and hit-and-miss.
Great plans based on poor theologies are still poor plans.
The Right Plans
The right plans are those that operate within the theological framework of your tradition.
- Have confidence in the order of worship handed down to you.
- Don’t gripe about it–bathe it in prayer!
- Infuse it with artful, spiritual creativity.
Your worship plan should flow (like the River of Life.)
- The music should flow from song to song with musical gravity (circle of 4ths and 5ths)
- Thoughts should flow.
- Direction should flow (inward, upward, outward.)
- Posture of worship should make sense (Rom 12:1-2-”the reasonable service of worship.”)
Connections are the key: when planning, connect the last thing said in one song, to first thing said in the next song.
Paul’s iron-clad rule of worship planning:
…everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. 1 Cor 14:40 NIV
A biblical order of worship is remarkably consistent throughout the Bible.
The Tabernacle/Temple Model is the original order for corporate worship. We progress from:
- The Gates of Thanksgiving to
- The Outer Courts of Praise/Repentance and Humility to
- The Holy Place of Word and prayer in the Light and Power of the Spirit to
- The Holiest Place of divine presence—the Shekinah.
In my tradition this was Worship/Word/Altar.
Along the way never forget that Worship should tell the Jesus Story.
THE WRONG TECHNOLOGIES
Like film, worship has always been a combination of ideas and technologies. And like film, there is constant danger of the technology supplanting the ideas rather than supporting them. Worship technologies should serve the worship service and the worshipers.
The Right Technologies
Creating the context for worship
Setting should be consistent with the theology of worship:
- Intimate? “I Friend of God”
- Transcendent? “Immortal, Invisible…”
- Both as led by the Spirit?
From Judaism:
- Tabernacle/Temple?–the Holy Nation: grandeur, majesty, priesthood, “Throne of God High and Lifted Up”
- Synagogue?–the community: Rabbi, scroll, elders, scripture reading, commentary, and prayer.
From Church History:
- Cathedral? — bishop, high art, choir/organ/orchestra/mega-church
- Country Church?–preacher, little or no art/ piano/worship band/small church
Visual presentation should be consistent with the liturgy—we should not show one thing while saying another.
Sound focus should center upon communication, not effect.
Technicians must be seen as part of the worship team and fully respected as the Lord’s Anointed.
Instruments and equipment should be the best possible with routine and thorough maintenance.
THE WRONG TIME
A theology of worship time guides the decisions we make about how we use time in worship.
Life is ruled by creation-centered time. The time cycles found in Creation: morning and evening, the seasons the year, the seasons of life.
The modern world introduced industrial time to life: work day, work week, time off, days off, vacation, holidays.
The Right Time
Worship should be ruled by Creator-centered time.
- Constant prayer: morning and evening, wearing of the word, life of prayer
- The Sabbath Day/Lord’s Day rules the week.
- Worship as morning or evening prayer.
- Seasons of the Life of Christ—The Christian Year.
Worship time should integrate and rule life, not just on Sunday, not just at the hour of worship.
Worship time is determined by your spirituality—your expectations of God.
- Do you expect that your job is to plan everything that will happen?—This is a spirituality of getting on with it—getting on to the next event.
- Do you expect God to do something beyond your plan?—This is a spirituality of waiting on God, of not hurrying through worship.
Worship without the expectation of divine interventions leads to uninvolved worshipers.
Worship that welcomes divine interventions must also deal with human interventions.
ROAD MAINTENANCE
Three Points of maintenance ensure continued fullness in worship: (1) Theology, (2) Doxology and (3) Spirituality
- Theology—knowing what you believe
- Doxology—accurately and powerfully expressing what you believe
- Spirituality—living what you believe
These three factors form the paradigm of your worship. All renewal movements and reforms must take all bear all three in mind to be successful. As these three forces support each other, hindering stones will be clearly seen and what to do about them will be apparent.
CONCLUSION
Isa 62:10 NKJV
Go through, Go through the gates! –Be bold! Now is the time for renewal, even if only in your heart!
Prepare the way for the people! –Be prepared! Plan and lead worship that is theologically sound, culturally relevant, and spiritually strong.
Build up, Build up the highway! –Be a builder of people.
Take out the stones! –Be a reformer. Let something powerful happen.
Lift up a banner for the peoples! –Be Christ-centered in all things.
Semper Reformanda!
(Author’s Note: The following is an outline for a workshop I did at the Christian Musicians Summit in Buffalo, NY, May 4-5, 2012.)
INTRODUCTION
The Three-Engine Airplane
In the 1930’s people built and flew airplanes with three engines: one on each wing and one in the nose. By the end of WWII, this design was discarded for single, twin, and four engine planes. The idea was revived in modern jet aircraft with the engines in the tail.
Like the old ford Tri-motor and the modern passenger jets, the worship life of a church is driven by three powerful engines: Style, Substance and Structure. This Workshop is about understanding how worship leaders can get all three motors pulling in the same direction and about deciding about which motor should be in the lead position.
Bob Webber and Me
The teacher/student relationship is one of the classroom and the conversation. I was in the fifth class of doctoral students at the Webber Institute for Worship Studies. I was never in Bob’s class but my life was repeatedly changed by intense conversations with him. On one occasion in my first session at IWS, I was sharing with Bob about all the work I had been doing to try and end the worship wars raging in my denomination. I told about the differences I had discovered between style and substance as people treated temporary stylistics factors as if they were eternal, substantive things. Bob reached out and touched my arm to stop me. “Steve, there is a third factor you are not considering—structure.” In a flash of revelation, I saw the importance of the third leg of this triangle—structure. Strucutre prioritizes and organizes substance and style.
When we decide to renew and/or reform public worship in order to experience the promised last-days outpouring of the Holy Spirit, (Joel 2/Acts2) emotions run high as defensive attitudes and suspicious minds run amok. Spiritual forces and natural influences merge in worship because it is expressed through group art as worshipers, worship leaders and the Spirit of God interact with each other. In these processes strong feelings are guaranteed to surface because we care deeply about worship. We are possessive of our worship tools and suspicious of those that seem strange to us.
Today, I want to take an unemotional, rational look at the forces at work in worship renewal, reform and revival.
One More Thing
Before I get into this, please understand that my work is about these three things:
- The renewal of spirituality
- The biblical reformation of public worship
- The revival of the church in worship, witness, and world impact.
How do cultural, personal and biblical influences relate to each other?
THE MOTORS
Clearing Up the Confusion
Worship wars generally result from attempts at worship reformation in which style is treated as substance and structure is an afterthought.
For the purposes of this discussion what do these word mean?
The Style-motor - The style elements of worship are:
- Music: traditional, contemporary, blended, and convergence
- Ceremony: traditional, contemporary:either one can be prayer-centered, preaching centered, seeker-centered, intellectual, emotional, or crisis-centered (altar call.)
The Substance-motor The substance elements of worship are:
- Biblical elements: Thanksgiving, praise, prayer, confession, Scripture reading, preaching;
- Theological elements: View of God and His presence; Identity of worship leaders, lead worshipers, and the congregation;
- Cultural elements: Doctrine, piety, polity; and
- Personal elements: sincerity, passion, obedience, humility.
The Structure-motor The structural elements of worship are:
- The beginning, middle and end of the service,
- The function of the elements of worship,
- The flow from beginning to end, and
- The presentational/artistic goals of the presenters.
Tuning the Engines
Every church has all three engines running at the same time with a style, a preferred structure and their particular understanding of the truth. The engines are running, be cautious, proceed with care if you wish to tune them.
THE MATRIX
These motors do not work in linear, sequential ways. They work in multi-dimensional, inter-dynamic ways: in other words things don’t happen left and right or up and down, but left and down, up and right all at once.
What is relationship between style, substance and structure in the worship-life of the church?
The summation of all the styles in a church make up the culture of that church. Cultures are defined by common languages and customs. Each culture has its own language, (vocabulary) musical language, and ceremonial customs. If a worship leader wants to lead a group of people in worship, he or she must learn their languages and their customs! Ethnic groups and generations form cultural groups. Each group has a heart-song—a musical language and spiritual theme that unlocks the heart of that group.
The worship leader must know and use these heart-songs.
Heart-songs: Builders, Boomers, Busters/Millennials
- The heart-song of the Builders is “Jesus is my Savior”
- The heart-song of Baby-Boomers—”Jesus is my King!”
- The heart-song of children of the Boomers —”God is my Father! Jesus is my friend.”
These textual themes and the musicality that expresses them are powerful forces in the lives of worshipers. These songs open their hearts, express their dreams, and pray their deepest prayers.
The Power of Priorities
Three such powerful engines, substance, structure and style, must be tuned together if we are to maximum power and lift. Toward this end, each leader, whether renewalist, reformer, or revivalist, has an inner priority of the three forces:
Priorities: Finding the Lead Engine
| Substance | Structure | Style |
| Substance | Style | Structure |
| Structure | Style | Substance |
| Structure | Substance | Style |
| Style | Substance | Structure |
| Style | Structure | Substance |
You can find your church’s identity by determining the tuning of the engines: the priority of the three forces.
I believe there is a biblical priority that enables the Holy Spirit to empower our worship out of the cultural into the spiritual: Substance – Structure – Style
Why this priority?
- This priority places God and God’s truth in the center.
- Structure is based on the Character and truth of God.
- Style is chosen to serve the substance and function within the structure.
We must obey the Word of God and adjust our “styles” to this substance!
We can unify the church at the Altar of Truth. Substance will unify us! The truths we hold in common celebrate our unity. The styles we enjoy celebrate our diversity. The wise worship leader will bridge the stylistic and cultural gaps by using the truths of the songs within a Spirit-empowered structure.
Guidelines:
- Link songs from different generations by subject.
- Put contemporary songs in traditional settings like choir and orchestra.
- Do contemporary arrangements of the traditional songs.
- Try to employ the heart-song of the generations you are leading.
We can appropriate the content, expressed by the styles, through the proper structure.
Self Analysis–Know Thy Church as well as Thyself.
“Know Thy Church” might be a meaningful variation on the old maxim, “Know Thyself.” Worship leaders and their congregations form strange and wonderful relationships.
- The wonder of these relationships comes from the mystery of the Holy Spirit making Jesus real to the church, both as individuals and as a Holy-Royal Priesthood.
- The strangeness comes from the personal and cultural forces at work as people lead people in the essentially spiritual enterprise of worship.
Worship leaders must carefully study their own hearts before God and the hearts of the people they are charged to lead in worship. We need to break worship down into three interactive forces: style, substance, and structure so that we may examine our own hearts as well as the hearts of those we want to lead.
- Each worship leader and lead worshiper, should be aware of his/her own inner tuning of the engines—his/her personal distribution of passion.
- The worship you lead will be an interactive result of your tuning and that of the church and the leadership.
THE MINISTRY: RENEWAL, REFORMATION AND REVIVAL
We can now identify who we are as worship leaders and who our church is.
The Substance of your church springs from your doctrine and the repertoire of worship music.
The Structure of your church is an expression of your spirituality and the priority of you passions.
The Style of your church is determined by your demographics, the cultural mix, and the spirituality mix of the congregation.
Worship is change. Worship Leaders are change agents. True Worship effects positive change.
The question is, “How do we lead change?” There are three possible answers:
- Cultural / personal reforms as leaders reshape worship according to their own tastes or to socialogical research.
- Biblical reforms as reformation springs from scriptural commands and principles.
- A combination of the two as cultural/personal renewal is guided by biblical truth.
Countering the culture—becoming One in Worship
Use the Heart-songs of each generation in your church.
- Builders: ”Jesus Is My Savior” Our older worshipers are the survivors of the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War and they are the architects and builders of post-war America. Their testimony is one of God’s faithfulness to them. They love to celebrate their salvation, the doctrines they hold dear, the veracity of the Word of God, God’s faithfulness to them and their hope in the return of Christ. They sing their worship with songs featuring verses and choruses with memorable tunes, rich harmonies and poetic words.
- Baby Boomers: “Jesus Is My King” The children of the Builders are kids of the 1950’s and 1960’s of rebellion and rock roll, of Viet Nam and Watergate. We (this is my group) “do our own thing” and that includes worship. The cultural revolution of the 1960’s was echoed by a revival among youth in the 1970’s called the Jesus Movement. These are the people who invented CCM and in the 1980’s expanded CCM into CWM. Most of us kept the best of the Builder’s music but added our own with new forms and harmonies and an emphasis on singing to God rather than just singing about him. The most important theme added by Boomers was the Lordship of Christ. We want a King we can count on, a not a president or a senator.
- Busters/Millennials: “God Is my Father; Jesus Is My Friend” Our children and now our grandchildren recognize the faithfulness of God the way Builders do. They crown Jesus King of their lives the way we Boomers do, but they also are in need of a Father and a Friend. They are the daycare generation. Their songs long for intimacy with God. The want to be held in Father’s arms and spend quality time with Jesus. Their songs reflect these desires.
It is not difficult to separate the generations and draw on their heart-songs to ascend the Hill of the Lord and stand in the Holy Place. But I beleive God is calling us deeper. I believe, we can gather them all together, recognize and share our heart-songs with each other and together we can be one in worship—the answer to Jesus prayer in John 17.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. John 17:20-21 NIV
We can fully engage the church in worship according to the ancient command to be an intergenerational community proclaiming the glory of the Lord.
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. Ps 145:4NIV
Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Ps 79:13NIV
Leading a multi-generational congregation requires great skill and sensitivity.
The Three engines renamed:
- Substance becomes the Renewal of Spirituality.
- Structure becomes the Biblical Reformation of Worship.
- Style becomes the Revival of a Passion for Jesus and His Kingdom.
Three biblical roads.
- The Path of Life (Psalm 16:11) Walking with God.
- The Highway of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3-5) The glory of the Lord revealed
- The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-53) The burning heart.
CONCLUSION: AIRSPEED, LIFT AND FLIGHT
To take to the air we must use all three engines:
- Respect the Past- discover and respect who your church was.
- Engage the Present- deal realistically with who your church is.
- Anticipate the Future-develop the vision of who God wants your church to be.
The Red Line
The first trumpet player in our orchestra in Winston-Salem trained pilots for USAir. He told me about the red line. On take off the plane gained speed on the ground until it reached the red line. It was the point of no return. Bbefore the red line, the takeoff could be aborted; past the red line, the plane had to lift off. I’ll never forget his words. “But, Steve, the plane wants to fly.”
I believe our churches want to worship God in Spirit and Truth!–the plane wants to fly!
All three engines, substance, structure and style, will purr, perfectly tuned with each other. You will feel yourself gaining speed as you taxi down the runway. You’ll hit the redline, the point of no return, and you will lift off the ground. You’ll climb through the clouds of confusion about what is permanent and what is temporary. You’ll ascend to an altitude where the curve of the earth meets the bend of heaven and the brightness of the Sun of Righteousness shines with healing in His wings.
Semper Reformanda!
The Fire Within
When each of us was forged in the furnace of God’s mind, He shared His fire with us. Just as God filled the universe with things, seen and unseen, that He simply spoke into existence, we continue to try to fill our worlds with the things we create.
This is a calling, not a drive. It predates the fall of mankind. God pronounced it “good, very good.” Because of sin this calling degenerated into an inner impulse, a drive deep in our wounded souls.
For this reason, I have never liked the term “driven.” It speaks to me of a loss of choice, like an animal following blind instinct. Animals are driven by instinct to do remarkable things. While it is true that people are driven through life by internal forces beyond their control, this is part of the fall of mankind. This is not what we were created for. Because of sin, we were banished from the Garden of fellowship with God. The natural desires God created in us morphed into animal instincts, driving us on like wildebeests migrating across the African plain.
Because of Calvary, we can reclaim the joy of being called, not driven.
When Jesus comes into our lives, filling us with the Holy Spirit, He heals the wounded parts of us and awakens His calling within us. We are no longer driven by powers beyond our control. We are restored to a state of grace wherein we are called to do creative things. This calling is stronger than instinct but, as powerful as His calling may be, we never lose our choice. Each day we choose to follow Him. At each day’s crossroads, we select the path we will take.
The Productive Path
The desire to work lies deep within each of us. We each have sense that there is a work we are destined to do. Two shop-worn clichés really do have meaning:
- Your work really is cut out for you. (Like a tailor with a suit of clothes to make, the pattern has been prepared and placed on the material and cut out; all you have to do is stitch it together.)
- You really do have a row to hoe. (Like a field hand in the hot Delta sun chopping weeds out of cotton, you see the work you have to do.)
We were made to produce. One of the most amazing verses about The Path of Life makes an amazing promise of an amazing life.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10 NKJV)
The Amplified Bible expands this in greater detail:
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. (Eph 2:10 AMP)
This comes from the creation of men and women in the image of God; He is the Creator and we are creative!
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen 1:27 NIV)
In my book, Worship that Pleases God, I tried to describe the creation of mankind.
The creation of man was a special event, separate from the stream of creative acts when God called things into existence. God crafted man out of the clay and personally breathed into him His own life, imparting the eternal to time-locked man. A bit of heaven was squeezed into an earthly frame, and a spark, a creative spark, jumped like lightning from the mind and heart of God to the mind and heart of man. (From Worship that Pleases God, SRP)
The Path of Life restores this creative relationship. Opportunities await us on this path, not random accidents of opportunity, but a planned pathway. The worshiper of the Lord Jesus is promised a life that moves from appointment to appointment, all arranged ahead of time (even the creation of time!) by the Lord Himself.
No other system in the world offers such security. Evidence of this is found at the beginning and the end of life:
- A child has a sense of destiny so he or she plays creatively as imagination, unhindered by adult realities, occupies their little minds with huge fun.
- Elderly saints lingering on the dock before the final journey to their eternal reward testify, that “God still has something for me to do!”
The Guarantee
Years ago I led worship at a church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where the North Carolina School of the Arts is located. Students from 7th grade through the masters level studied there. A couple of High School musicians played in our church orchestra and after a rehearsal, I drove them back to the school. For the first time I was inside the extreme security that protected the school. Before I left, I asked the Lord to show me His heart for these young people. I began to weep for them because the rates of success in their fields of endeavor were so small. I felt the Lord’s grief at how they were being ripped off. Most of them would never be stars or even make a living at the things they are training to do.
By contrast, I saw the importance of the Kingdom of God. He never wastes anyone. There are no cracks in the floor of His administration through which anyone will fall. As a pastor of artists and a mentor of those God gives me to teach, I can make guarantees to young artists based on the Word of God.
- God has a place for you! He has called to you to walk on the Path of Life.
- Other people who are walking their own pathway, will come into your life as you come into their lives.
- This is all God’s plan. You are called to walk from good work to good work. The things you will create are lined out for you.
- You can walk in this flow of good works, you can walk away from it, or you can stop walking and let opportunities pass you by.
- The choice is yours.
Just as the universe is not stagnant but is constantly expanding as The Creator keeps creating, we are called to a life of continual creativity, of perpetual productivity. Today, God is showing us the Path of Life, enabling us by His Spirit to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4) and to continue the work of creation. While He creates something out of nothing by the power of His speech, we are intended to shovel the raw materials of His creation into to our furnaces to fuel the fires he lit in us.
So let’s get to it!
We have quite a row to hoe! And,
Our work is cut out for us!
Semper Reformanda!
What the Modern World Has Done to the Local Pastor
In an older time the image of the shepherd was common. It was drawn from real life, from rural life to be sure, but there was little doubt about the implications of the term. A shepherd was someone who cared for the sheep. The local pastor saw himself, and was seen by the people, as a shepherd. Jesus was the Good Shepherd and the pastor was the under-shepherd, charged with the very ministry of Jesus in a particular place and at a particular time. With the local church as the flock and the pastor the under-shepherd, the people of the church expected friendliness, love, compassion, good spiritual food and above all, a relationship. When one shepherd moved on to another flock, his replacement sought to care for the sheep in his own way but he was not competing with his predecessor. He was merely taking up where another shepherd had left off, knowing all the while that one day he would move on and another shepherd would care for these same sheep. Just as he did not want the next shepherd to destroy the work he had done, he was careful to honor the work of the shepherd before him and to build upon it.
In the light of what they knew about shepherds in this bygone era when pastors and church people read the words of Jesus to Peter that morning after the resurrection, the words made sense to them. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” indicating the other disciples. Peter had boasted of a greater love for the Lord than all those who followed him. What an empty boast this turned out to be when Peter fled before those who arrested Jesus and denied three times that he even knew him. Now, here by the sea, after a miraculous breakfast, Jesus asked Peter this question three times. Each time Peter declared that he did love Jesus. He was making progress. He no longer quantified his love in relation to others, he merely stated that, in spite of his failure and denials, he really did love Jesus. Jesus’ three charges to Peter set the tone for pastoral leadership. In essence Jesus said, “If you love me, feed my lambs, care for my sheep, feed my sheep.” He was saying to Peter and the others, “You men are the ones I have chosen to do my work after I am gone. But my work isn’t about you as leaders. It is about you as sheep among sheep. This whole thing is about the flock, the church I am building that is impervious even to the gates of hell. I will give you a ministry. The Holy Spirit will dwell within you. You will have an anointing from me. You will be able to lead the multitudes but this will never be about you except that you are also a sheep in my flock.”
Today, as we stumble along listening to the opening, dark strains of the music of a new century, have we lost the song of the shepherd? The pastoral image of a shepherd watching the sheep is so foreign to our urban, suburban and even small town civilizations that the words Jesus said to Peter seem to have no place to take hold in our modern minds. We have created an office for the senior pastor that is nearly impossible to fulfill. The local church seems to be totally dependent upon the pastor: a good pastor means a good church; a young pastor means a young church; an older pastor means an older congregation; a struggling pastor makes for a struggling church and an ineffective pastor means an ineffective church. Just to make a random list of the expectations as they come to mind, the local pastor is expected to be administrator, teacher, preacher, prayer-warrior, soul winner, businessman, architect, building contractor, personnel manager, diplomat, referee and crisis counselor. He is no longer expected to function as a shepherd but more like a CEO, the Chief Executive Officer in a business.
How has this happened? In many ways that I have not seen, I’m sure, but I can see a theological downward spiral that has contributed to this demotion of the local pastor from shepherd to superman. It begins innocently enough with our theology of the centrality of the Word of God. While this is laudable, it is so easily corrupted. In an ever-tightening schedule, the worship ministry of the people of God is given short shrift to make room for the preaching. Congregational worship is even seen as merely a warm-up for the sermon. If the Word is the center of our spirituality, then the sermon is the center of the service, and the preacher is the center of our polity. Our church government has become an organization by, for and about preachers, especially pastors, and most especially senior pastors of larger churches. Often an “us and them” mentality exists between the professional ministry and the laity and there seems to be a state of war between some senior pastors and a host of enemies: the official board, the pastoral staff, the congregation and church government officials. Too often a new pastor feels he or she must first destroy the work and even the memory of his or her predecessor before he or she can do the “work that God has anointed them to do.” Charismatic giftedness becomes primary while the fruit of the Spirit is ignored. A preacher’s powerful “anointing” justifies ungodly methods, attitudes and behaviors. Along the way theKingdomofGodis lost. The kingdom of the “preacher” has come and his will is to be done. Should anyone dare to question the leader, that person is marked as an enemy.
Today, when we declare our love for Him, what do we hear Jesus saying? Judging from the fruit of “pastors” who are no longer shepherds, but “ranchers” as I heard one declare, or CEO’s, or generals or chieftains, this must be the way their Bibles read:
Peter, do you love me more than these?
Yes, Lord, I love you.
Count my lambs.
Peter, do you love me?
Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
Manage my sheep.
Peter, do you love me?
Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.
Dazzle my sheep.
We shrink in horror at such a prospect. Certainly the words of Jesus should still ring true in this postmodern 21st century.
“Feed my lambs.” Where there are lambs there are rams and ewes—families. The Lord insists that his flock be multi-generational. How can we deliberately choose one generation of sheep and eliminate those who don’t fit our target group? Like a healthy flock, we need children, youth, young adults and middle aged folk; we need our grammas and grandpas as well as our singles of all ages.
“Take care of my sheep.” Managers can manage workers they don’t like or even respect, but a shepherd must love the sheep. He or she must know them to love them. How often is the modern pastor advised to keep his distance from the sheep? This gap between the clergy and the laity serves no one well, least of all the Good Shepherd. “Taking care” is a job description so rich and varied that a team of shepherds can be required, but they all must be motivated by love for the Good Shepherd and for His flock. The building of a community is the role of the shepherd.
The words of my dear friend Jackie Brown, on his deathbed from cancer, made a life-changing impression on me. I was the typical artist—task oriented, driven, and fully capable of using people to help me slake my inner thirst to create. I also had a deep desire to worship God with my creativity and to lead the church in worship. “You can’t love God without loving his people.” Jackie’s words challenge me to this day. I must create, it is true; I must lead others, it is my calling; but I must, above all, love God by loving his people, if I am to be a shepherd.
“Feed my sheep.” Don’t entertain them. Don’t seek to dazzle them. The world does that better than we ever will. Feed them. Feed them food fit for their stages in life, nourishing their growth. The food of the Kingdom is rich and filling:
- The Gospel accounts of who Jesus was on this earth, what he said and did;
- The Apostolic letters dealing with today’s challenges with such relevance that it seems impossible that they are 2000 years removed from our time;
- The psalms so full of pain and comfort, questions and answers, praises and petitions;
- The Old Testament characters and their stories, still so fascinating;
- The fiery prophets with their voices still hoarse with the anointing, calling us to lives of righteousness;
- The baptismal tank where the New Covenant is made public;
- The Table of the Lord where the New Covenant is made personal;
- The gifts of the Spirit, making us worshipers, witnesses and warriors in effectual, fervent prayer;
- The Fruit of the Spirit making us a people who can be trusted and dwelt with in peace;
- And the koinonia of the saints—a fold safe from the wolf, the bear and the roaring lion.
Food indeed.
I do not doubt that pastors love the Lord Jesus and want to please Him. If this is the case, we must listen to the words He actually said, not the ones our culture has put into His mouth.
Semper Reformanda!
It was a dark and stormy time…
Oh, I can smile about it now, but in those dark days, there was very little laughter. Fear had a tough grip on my mind and a painful squeeze on my heart. My only defense was the sound of my own voice praying the scripture. The First Song of Isaiah from The Book of Common Prayer was a torch that drove the darkness back and freed my mind and heart from the powerful clasp of fear.
Surely it is God who saves me; I will trust in the Lord and not be afraid for the Lord is my stronghold and sure defence and He will be my Savior…with joy will I draw water from the wells of salvation… 1st Song of Isaiah, Book of Common Prayer (Is 12)
After more than three decades of constant service through teaching music and leading worship, suddenly there was nothing. There was a lot to do, but none of it produced income and without a sense of “doing my part,” creativity, like a little bird with other nests to build, flew out my window never looking back.
Sitting in a backyard swing in the comfortable Florida winter sun, the bright world around me seemed only to deepen the darkness within me. The words to Psalm 23 came to mind: “He makes me lie down…” If I was going to lie down, I was going to have to be forced—so He did.
Across those decades of work, I had gone from job to job never stopping to process some important things that happened along the way. The inevitable hurts at the hands of others and mistakes made by no one’s hands but my own, seemed to pile up inside me. Pain accumulated in my heart and mysteries amassed in my mind—Why? How?
The details of my pain collection are not important. These were not moral failures or other gross sins. I had already passed through my mid-life crisis without the aid of red convertible or a blond. Our marriage was strong and functioning, a source of strength and sanity.
The important thing to note is this: “He restored my soul.” In that dark valley of the shadow He made me lie down. There were green pastures and quiet waters. The rod and staff of His ancient words comforted me. In the face of my greatest enemy, Fear, I found a table of grace spread for me. When circumstances finally stopped me so that I could give the Lord time, He healed specific injuries dating from my teenage years to the most recent past.
Through the on-going miracle of each day’s steps on the Path of Life, I was led to a place of service that also helps me do my part as husband and provider. The gentle bird of creativity has returned to her nest in my heart, to sing her constant song of observe and report, observe and report. Now my interior landscape is as bright as the Florida sunshine outside and I am “drawing water from the wells of salvation” and sharing it with you.
A poem I wrote at that time, Pastures Green and Waters Still, follows this essay.
Darkness and Light
Psalm 139 is one of the greatest prayer/poems ever written. I suggest we all read it, let sentences from it enter our memory banks for instant recall, and spend serious prayer time meditating on these verses. It breakdowns into
- an exposition of God’s Care, (1-18)
- a rant against the wicked, (19-22) and
- a sincere prayer of humility and repentance (23-24) as if the poet felt guilty for his hatred of his enemies.
In the first part, one verse stands out to me. I find myself sharing it with others so very often.
You hem me in–behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Ps 139:5 NIV
On this Path of Life, Jesus has my back. He is also scouting the path ahead of me. Most amazing of all, He has laid His hand on—me! This is no cause for boast, only for profound gratitude. His hand will guide me, correct me, comfort me, provide for me, and protect me from all sides. His hand is as skillful in the darkest night as in the brightest day for both are the same to Him.
Rest Area
When you need to stop for a while on the Interstate Highways of the USA, there is nothing like a Rest Area–no gas to buy, no cheap plastic memories for sale, just 24-hour security, clean bathrooms, and incredibly bad coffee from machines. Unless you are going to have a picnic at one of the tables, this is no place to linger, just a place to stretch your legs and ease the strain of driving.
On the Path of Life, there are rest areas:
- Morning and Evening Prayer,
- Sabbath Rest, and
- Lord’s Day Worship.
There are also detours for road construction where life narrows to a single lane and the struggle is just to keep going. The miracle of this journey is that even when we are at our regular rest, or when we find ourselves creeping along a detour, we are still making good time.
Because Jesus has laid His hand on us, because He walks beside us, guards us from behind and keeps a lookout ahead of us—
We can be fearless!
Semper Reformanda!
Pastures Green and Waters Still
You, who led me through the desert, brought me here. The breeze is soft. The sky is high and blue.
We sat together, not speaking. You were not offended or hurt that I did not speak. Silence was the order of the day.
You heard me thinking. You knew my questions, my doubts, my fears. You easily weathered the storm of my anger. You waited patiently for my reason to return to me.
I had followed you from city to city, from frenzy to frenzy, never resting for long. Then you led me here. I had sung for you in many a hall, never hesitating. Then you led me to silence.
When I ignored you in the morning, you did not abandon me through the day. When the evening found us still not speaking, you kept your watch through the night. When I refused to graze on the green grass you led me to, you held my weakened heart in your warm hands. When I would not drink from the deep, still water, you bathed me in an unseen mist called Grace.
Into this repose of pastures green and waters still, you invited beasts of the night. You left me alone (I thought) to do battle with my dreams, these predators from my past.
One by one they circled, threatening. One by one they smiled, tempting. One by one they went away, resisted.
Then I heard the ancient song. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
You loved me so much, you made me lie down.
Stephen Phifer, 5:00Am March 26, 2009, Bartow, FL
True Worship Feels Good
“We walk by faith, not by feelings.” This careful mantra rings in our ears from every pulpit, Sunday School classroom, parental talk, and discipleship manual as well it should. It is entirely true.
Emotions, however, remain as a vital element of worship. We tend to fear pleasure as an enemy of True Worship, a pitfall to be avoided. This is as unrealistic as it is illogical. We are made to seek pleasantness. How could pleasure be only a pitfall when it is promised as an eternal reward?
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Ps 16:11 NIV
Pleasure is not a metaphor; it is a God-given result of doing the right thing.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. (Ps 33:1 NIV) Other translations use “becoming,” or “beautiful,” or “useful.”
As the classical Christian summation of “the world, the flesh and the Devil” teaches, pleasure tempts us from many sources. The temptations of the world, the lusts of the flesh and the devices of the Devil are spelled out in detail in the scriptures. It is easy to latch on to these dire warnings and use them to fill holes in our lives where they really do not apply.
Good Music Feels Good
Music is a pleasure. Without thinking, we tap toes, snap fingers, clap hands and do deep shoulder moves to a pleasing rhythm. We sing loudly in our cars at traffic lights when a fun tune is on the stereo. This is not a surprise to the Lord. This is “good, very good!” God constructed us to respond to music:
- Mournful music makes us sad.
- Joyful music makes us joyful.
- Mellow music makes us sick (just kidding!) Mellow music makes us mellow.
In the music of True Worship, the joy of the Spirit is added to the joy of music, giving us legitimate pleasure for our whole being: body, soul and spirit. This is “fitting.” It is “beautiful,” “useful,” and “becoming” to the upright—those whose worship music flows from a heart made right by the blood of Calvary and empowered by the Spirit of God. Sorrow is a condition; Joy is a command. And—It is fun! Happiness is infectious; it spreads from person to person.
Pleasure Management
It is easy to confuse the natural pleasure of music with the fully human pleasure (body, soul, and spirit) of spiritual music. Just as pain must be managed for the chronically ill, so must pleasure be carefully managed for the worshiper. We face a constant danger of being swept away by the music in our bodies and souls when our spirits have nothing to excite joy in the deepest part of us.
Across the spectrum of worship traditions, emotions are managed in a wide variety of ways:
- Some seek to strip all emotion out of worship, leaving joy and pleasure in the realm of the abstract.
- Some seek to stir the emotions of the worshiper so that visual, measurable responses can be noted and logged.
- Most of us are somewhere on a line between these extremes.
In worship traditions which tamp down the worshiper’s emotion, worshipers may sing about shouting, but they dare not really shout. They may sing about clapping their hands or dancing before the Lord but are duty bound to remain motionless.
In those worship traditions which deliberately play to the worshiper’s emotions, the whole service builds to a massive group release of emotion. Manipulation (making something happen) rather than worship leadership (letting something happen) is a constant temptation.
“God is really among you!”
For all of us, the pleasurable aspects of worship must be recognized and placed in the proper perspective.
- “It is fitting for the upright to praise him.” It is only right that a God so loving and powerful and involved in our lives be the object of our full-throttle worship. When we minister to God with heart, soul, mind and strength, it stirs great pleasure in us. The pleasure of worship is not what we seek—we seek only to give unto the Lord the glory due His name—but pleasure is the “fitting” result.
- “It is beautiful for the upright to praise him.” We are made to respond to beauty, to symmetry, to loveliness of form and significance of content. Beauty and worship are deep companions. Artists who are designed to create beauty want to worship the Lord with the most beautiful worship they can produce. Choirs and orchestras, worship teams and bands work for hours to refine the details of their musical offerings. They do this out of integrity, not self-centered pride. They resonate with the Psalmist:
Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Ps 66:1-3NIV
From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. Ps 50:2 NIV
- “It is becoming for the upright to praise him.” As a worship leader, I can attest to the observation that people who are praising the Lord are beautiful. Like a tailored suit, “the garment of praise” fits us perfectly. There is an attractive pleasure in the deep sense of functioning in one’s purpose. Not only do we feel good when we worship, we look good!
- “It is useful for the upright to praise him.” While I want to stay far away from the theology that uses worship as a utility or a church growth tool, I want us to understand that worship has an effect on those who encounter it. I’ll be writing about the social justice effects of worship all next month. When we present True Worship—centered upon the Lord Jesus, full of truth, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit—unbelievers are pointed to the Lord.
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Cor 14:24-25 NIV)
True Worship witnesses—and that feels good.
The point is this: Pleasure is not the goal of worship, it is a result of worship. Just as we should not put pleasure in the center of worship, neither should we legislate it off the platform.
Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Ps 147:1 NIV
After all—what’s so bad about feeling good?
Semper Reformanda!
The Path of Life
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Ps 16:11 NKJV
The Way of Pleasure and Pain
Originally the Path of Life did not feature pain; there was only pleasure. You and I weren’t really there but our ancestors, Adam and Eve were. Genesis chapter three tells the story. The Path of Life God showed them was a Garden of peace, of delight, of pleasure, and of constant, thrilling discovery. In the cool of the day, they walked with God, enjoying the fellowship for which they were created.
In this forest of fun, only one tree was forbidden to them. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil bore the only forbidden fruit to be found in this paradise of pleasure.
In the shivering shadows of Eden a snake with legs slithered and slid around. Having no knowledge of evil, Eve conversed with the snake, believed him, and tasted the one fruit denied her. As her mouth flooded with delight, she shared with her husband and the knowledge of good and evil, of pleasure and pain, entered the collective mind of mankind. A wall of separation descended between this first couple and their Maker. The cool of that day found God and His creation separated from each other, Adam and Eve cowering in fear as God called for them.
Some innocent animal, abiding in the serene safety of the Garden of Eden, met with sudden, simple death as for the first time blood was spilt on the earth. God took the skin of the animal to make coverings for the nakedness of Adam and Eve. The serpent lost his legs and the rest of us gained pain.
- We would have to earn a living now by the sweat of our collective brow;
- We would enter this world through pain and danger as each mother approached the gates of death to bring a new life into the world; and
- We lost Eden, our fellowship with God.
A mighty angel with a flaming sword drove them from paradise and posted guard at the gate, sealing them off from their intended environment.
But the memory of Eden remained. As the first family grew, this hunger for the presence of God transferred from one generation to the next and along with it, strife over how to respond to God in worship. The first worship war produced one casualty and one killer.
The memory of Eden was so powerful, it drove people to all kinds of altars and approaches to the Maker they sought. Pleasure and pain were the result;
- their own pleasure was taken as a sign of God’s pleasure and
- their pain was seen as a sign of God’s displeasure.
I see this search for Eden as the deep worship impulse in the heart of man; we long to return to a walk with God.
David’s words in Psalm 16 ring with such hope—the Lord is calling for us! There is a Path of Life He wants to make known to us. Foreshadowed in the covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and King David, the Path of Life is completed and revealed to us in the Jesus Covenant, the New Covenant, the final covenant of God with man.
- Jesus, his heal bruised by the serpent at the cross, has crushed the serpent’s head at the empty tomb.
- The barrier that fell in one ancient garden, was lifted in another.
- Through Jesus we have been reconciled with God. His blood cleanses us from the penalty and power of sin.
- His Spirit seals us and fills us with power and knowledge of Good and Evil, the spiritual things we long for and their counterfeit in the world.
He shows us the Path of life and we renew our walk with him, interrupted in floral Eden and resumed in the predawn darkness of a cemetary.
As we walk the path, each step we take restores the green of Eden. Our walk with God blesses the earth. The lamp for our feet and the light for our path dislodges the grip of darkness, flooding our way with His light. We find others on the path and together, with brothers and sisters and the Lord Jesus at our side, we stride in the cool of each day, a pleasure walk indeed.
And still, there is pain. The ongoing harvest of a fallen system continues in our lives:
- Some prayers are not answered and some requests are denied;
- We have flat tires and find faithless people;
- We experience broken washing machines and broken promises;
- There are injuries done to us and those we do to others, and
- We endure annoying allergies and dangerous diseases.
Though we are restored, we still live in a fallen universe. Pain persists.
How did King David leave this out of his prayer in Psalm 16? Don’t worry, you’ll find it in the rest of the Psalms in abundance.
The pleasure helps us deal with the pain. Jesus promised us a joy that would help us forget the pain, just as the joy of birth of a healthy child eases the memory of the pain of delivery for the mother.
Jesus…said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:19-24 NIV)
Add it All Up
The Psalmist knew about pain, yet he rejoiced over the pleasure of the Lord’s nearness. When the final tally is in, on the Path of Life, pleasure outweighs, outlasts, and outdoes pain.
When we come to our altar of private worship, when we gather with the people of God for public worship, we are all seeking the cool of the day when we may walk once again with our Maker. Memories of Eden propel us and testimonies of Zion, where the Lord Jesus dwells and rules, are our reward.
Semper Reformanda!
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