Business As Usual

 

So, here we go...

Little by little businesses across the US are starting to re-open.  Of course, everyone's notion of what the looks like seems to vary - and that's simply because there is no 100% accurate way to measure what "re-opening" should look like.  The government doesn't know.  The WHO doesn't know. Doctors and scientists and even religious folk don't know.  And, of course, you or I don't know either. In a sense it is all up for grabs.  Wear a mask - don't wear a mask. Practice social distancing in some places, gather for riots in close proximity to others in other places.  Nobody knows what to do.

And, yet, here we go...

I've been trying to get a sense of what churches are doing in the midst of this "almost re-opening" season and what I am finding is a bit surprising - and disturbing.

Trust me - I have served in Christian churches for over four (4) decades so I fully understand the need for pastors and church staff to "get back to normal" by creating worship experiences that include familiar music, meaningful times of prayer and sermons that both encourage and call to action new ways of living our lives for the Kingdom.

But... here we go...

Back to business as usual.  Back to the same old same old.  Back to "doing church" the same way we always "do church" with - what - a hope that suddenly everyone will hop onto the bandwagon and join in with something they barely were connected to before the pandemic?

Do we honestly need sermon series on topics like Living a Godly Life, or Tithing, or 30 Ways To Pray, or How To Follow Jesus... I am asking seriously - is that what we need right now?  Bible talks? Churchy music performed for us by well-skilled and well-meaning musicians?  

I don't think so.

It occurs to me that what people - all people - so desperately need right now - right now in the midst of pandemics, right now in the midst of racial tensions, right now in the midst of fear and stress and hopelessness - what people need right now is NOT another sermon or another well-performed song about God.  

What people need is JESUS - not in word, but in DEED.

People need to BE loved.

People need to BE welcomed.

People need to BE heard.

People need to BE met with open arms.

People don't need "the church structure" - they need "the church people" doing first and foremost what Jesus calls us to do... listen, come alongside, love, heal, restore... 

This is not the time to "get back to normal" because, unless I'm way off base here (and I may be, but I don't think so) - doing church "back to normal" has not been working for us for a long, long time.  

Jesus told us to feed His sheep.

Let's get back to doing what JESUS did... even if it does not appear to be "normal."

To God Be The Glory?

 

Almost every church in the world includes music in their worship gatherings.  The style of music, of course, varies from church to church but, with few exceptions, music is a huge part of worship gatherings.  

I am not going to re-visit earlier conversations on music styles - you can simply read back through this blog and see previous comments.

That said, I do wish to pose the very basic question: WHY do we include music in our worship gatherings?  And what purpose does it serve?

A quick place to start is to simply refer to God's Word and see how music was described in Scripture.

In a very general sense, it seems there are only a few ways music is "used" in connection with anything Godly or "worship" minded.

We see examples in the Old Testament of the musicians (Levites) going out ahead of the armies entering into battle.  This is like a bold proclamation of, "Hey, watch out, our God is great and we will proclaim his mighty power by blasting trumpets and singing and shouting!"  It is both a warning and a battle cry; a call to recognize the power of God.  

Another way we see music used in worship gatherings are when, for example, in the early church, after the proclamation of God's word, after the miracles performed, after the sharing of each other's belongings with others, and more - these early Christians sang songs of praise (though it is not 100% clear that they sang - it could have been shouts and prayers, too.) 

And, of course, we see examples of people like David, alone, with his lute, singing (and composing) songs of praise to God.  Take a walk through Psalms if you have not done so in a while.  

Somewhere along the line, churches brought in organs and choirs to aid in their singing.  Hymnals were created to offer per-sitters the opportunity to sing-along.  All of this was great - but it causes me to wonder if, by doing this, we began to lose touch with the intimacy we enjoyed in previous eras? 

Then - in rushed the Jesus Movement which led to what we now call Contemporary Christian Music which, for the most part, is even further removed from an intimate connection with God and more connected to the performance of "God-themed" songs in front of spectators.  

Yes - there are churches where the intimacy is still strong.  But it seems that the modern way of approaching music in the church is to create something for the congregation (audience) to watch, rather than engage in for the purpose of encountering the presence of God.

So - I ask again - what is the PURPOSE of music in our worship gatherings?  

Is it to simply remind everyone that there is a God?

Is it to entertain?

Is it to create a space for intimate connection to God through the Holy Spirit?

Is it to give a platform for musicians who would probably not work in the "real world?"

Is it to show off our talents to the masses?

What is the purpose of music in our worship gatherings?

Ponder that.,,

NEW NORMAL CHURCH

 

I write this during week 6 (give or take - because who's keeping track of time any longer?) of the 2020 Corona Virus Pandemic hat has, in many ways, altered the course of our lives across the globe. 

It is definitely a new day with new challenges and new opportunities to explore new ways of doing just about everything on a day to day basis - including attending church. 

Over my many years serving in local church ministry I have been a part of conversations where well-meaning people pontificated on the notion that we don't need to "attend church" in order to worship God and, while there is an element of truth to this statement - that we don't NEED to "go to a church building" in order to commune with our God - could it be that there actually is something we are missing by not gathering together with others in a worship setting?

To combat the "new normal" of social distancing, we "church leaders" have decided to create a means of "attending church" online - through the broadcasting of our worship services to our congregations. Music leaders, pastors, and others have found ways of offering their ministry gifts via a camera and computer hook up.  The congregation can tune in, watch, and engage as they are led.

But - are we engaging?

This leads me back to a similar theme you have heard me speak about before - - what, exactly, is worship?  Is it truly satisfying; is it "enough" to sit in my den and watch worship on my laptop?  Is that actually "worship?"  Or is it something else?

I wonder if we are, collectively, rediscovering just how important it is for believers in Jesus to gather together and actually fellowship with each other as we unite our hearts and spirits to glorify the Creator of all - the Lord, God, Almighty.  

Personally, I think it's a noble effort churches are making to bring the Word of God to their church congregations by offering online services and other ministry meetings.  But is this "new normal" church honestly working?  Are people tuning in and worshiping?  

Here is the bottom line - - we need each other.  God designed us to be in relationship - real relationship - face to face and heart to heart.  We are not designed to observe each other from a distance.  That is not "relationship."  It seems to me that we are, due to very severe circumstances, learning the valuable lesson of our need for one another.  

And taking this a step further - perhaps we actually need to be around... people we don't always agree with... people who don't share our political values... people who have different tastes in church music... all of it.  We need to be around people who are different from us - so that we can learn to love others without the ease of "clicking away"from an online video or comment.  

My prayer is, I'm sure, the same as everyone reading this - - that this Corona Virus would come to an end and we would return to a world where we are forced to be in close proximity again; where we can re-learn what it means to accept and love one another regardless of our values and opinions.

For now, do what you need to do in order to maintain a sense of "virtual togetherness."  We don't really have another choice.  But, when the time comes to return to what we had, step into that reality with a new-found love for your fellow human.

And maybe sit just a little closer to each other in the pews.

JOY TO THE WORLD!

JOY TO THE WORLD!  

That is just one of the phrases we hear or sing every year at this time.  It has become a "standard" Christmas song or carol that is sung this time of year from churches to sidewalks and even in the shopping malls.  It may even rank up there as one of "the best" Christmas songs if, for no other reason, than simple familiarity.  

This morning I got to thinking about the opening line to that familiar song...

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come!" 

I have to admit, through my many years of walking this planet I have typically thought of that sentence along these lines:

"Hey, world, here's some great news - the Lord has arrived!" - like a shout of exclamation.  And, certainly if you view the song in sheet music form, you can see that realized in the way the text is written - with an exclamation point following the first four words. In this way, "Joy to the world!" is a shout of exclamation... LISTEN UP!  or  THIS IS FANTASTIC!  or something similar... as if the song is saying to us, "Wow, this is so cool, the Lord is come!"  Of course that speaks of the arrival of Jesus as the baby in the manger.

And, while that is a nice sentiment, it occurs to me that the lyric may be inferring something else... at least it did for me this morning...

I suddenly considered the sentence in a new way...

"JOY (the Lord, has come) to the world!"  Or, When God sent His Son, Jesus, to us, He was sending us His JOY!  That line speaks of the ARRIVAL OF JOY to our hell-bent world.

Perhaps another way to consider that opening line is like this - and notice the placement of the second comma...

"Joy to the world, the Lord, is come!"  In this manner, the sentence clearly states that Jesus is the Lord, or the Joy, that has been sent to our world!  Rather than being a shout of exclamation it is more of a statement of intention.  It speaks of a PERSON, not simply a PROCLAMATION. 

It is the truth that Jesus, our JOY, has been sent to us as the promised, prophesized, gift!

So, as we sing that song this year, I encourage you to do a simple mind-flip with that opening line and consider that Jesus, THE JOY, has arrived, or been sent, to our World to bring about a new way of living!  A truly Joy-filled life!  

IT'S COMPLICATED

Psssssst - church leaders... you are making this far more complicated than God intended. 

What am I talking about?  I'm talking about the way you go about staffing your church's leadership team and, more specifically, as it relates to staffing your Music and Worship Leadership personnel.

Let me first say that I agree with the underlying concept that we need quality people to help steer our "church boats."  You don't want an accountant strumming a guitar to lead songs and you don't want a guy who hates teenagers overseeing your youth ministry.  I get that. 

However, as someone who was recently released from a ministry position due to church budget cuts and finds himself searching once again for my next "calling" let me just say that what I am finding on the various church job sites is very disheartening.  Of course, this comes from a guy who is far more interested in the HEART of true worship than, say, our current trends to create "show" worship.  

I don't mind the long list of biblical mandates from the epistles to be a leader, a husband of one wife, able to manage his kids, above reproach and the rest.  Those are all necessary traits that someone shepherding others should adhere to.  I don't even mind comments that indicate the music and worship leader be a skilled musician (after all, that is biblical).  Of course, unless you've done an in-depth bible study on the word "skill" (as I have) you might mistake that word to indicate "great performer" which, in fact, it does not.  

Where I begin to lose interest in the job listing is when things are added that come more from a place of "humans in control" than "God in control."

For example, the need to take the popular Enneagram test and post your findings.  Not sure Jesus is too concerned with whether or not my "8" fits with your "3" and how that will make for a better staff team member.  Are we aiming for a type of "Stepford Church Staff" here?  Perhaps we are actually called to discover how to get along with, accept and love those opposite Enneagram numbers...  When I see that on a job listing I cross that church off my list.

Similar to the Enneagram, is the request to have me take the SHAPE assessment.  And my response to that requirement is the same - the church goes off my list.

I don't mind taking a Spiritual Gift assessment, though there are such a wide variety to choose from these days that it's hard to ascertain the most accurate results.  Bottom line, I am okay with these because it seems more general, balanced and biblical. 

Now we get into the heart of what really rubs me the wrong way regarding the job listings for Music and Worship leadership - anything that leans towards performance.

Quick backstory - - the Bible NEVER commends that we "perform" worship.  Worship is not a commodity that we create for others to enjoy.  Our music is not intended to sparkle, tritylate, entertain or otherwise provide a spectacle for people to watch.  A true leader of worship is someone who can use their musical or other artistic skills sets to help take others to a place of laying prostrate (figuratively or in reality) before the Lord offering complete gratitude, glory, wonder, awe and praise to Him and Him alone.  Such a person can be 15, 30, 60... they can be bald, have great locks of hair, or dreads... they can be tall and thin or short and stout... they can play a musical instrument without the need to show off their abilities... they can stand, or sit, or walk around on the platform... In other words - a truly anointed leader of true worship does not need to be a "front" person as we are seeing in more and more churches across the globe.  

Therefore, I will never submit my resume to any church that offers the following in their job listing:

> Send a video tape of you performing worship.

> Show us how you lead worship.

> List your musical accomplishments.

> We are looking for someone in their 30's.

> We prefer someone who appears healthy.

> etc.

All of these, and more, directly point to man's need to control the flow of worship in our churches, as if we are better at doing that than the Holy Spirit!  Far too many churches have fallen into the trap of "creating a worship-performance that is engaging" and have, sadly, missed the presence of God in the process.  

I realize my approach narrows the search field for me personally and, honestly, I'm okay with that.  God does not need "The Greatest Showman" to help lead His people into true, life-transforming encounters with Him. He simply requires that we give into the leading and guiding of The Holy Spirit who, after all is said and done, is the ONLY actual leader of worship.  

So, church leaders, take a step back and pray earnestly that God sends you the best person to lead your people INTO worship encounters - even if they are not the right "number" on the Enneagram! 

T-MINUS WORSHIP

You tell me you are not putting on a show or a performance.  Okay, I accept that - to a degree.  But then, I find myself wondering about your "countdown to worship" clock?  What exactly is the reason for the use of the countdown?

The entire premise of a countdown is to alert those in the room that something is about to happen, right?  Like at the launch of a rocket, we watch the countdown and get excited for the "10... 9... 8..." to begin.  Same thing with New Year's Eve... we watch that ball drop and count down with the excited crowd for that moment we step into the new year.  I get those types of events.  They are pretty exciting and bring with them a sense of anticipation.

But - for a church worship gathering?  

What are we counting down TO?  "Hey, God, get ready, man, because we are ABOUT to start worshiping You and it's gonna be BIG!"  

The countdown is just another way we make worship about us, and not God.  

The truth is, there IS no "countdown" to worship.  Unless you are counting down to another SHOW of well-perfected songs you will perform for the congregation complete with lights and smoke machines.  We are always worshiping God - it is our response to Him for all He is.  We worship Him during the day - at our jobs - in the car - at the store - in conversations with others - through our monetary gifts and expressions of love for others.  Worship is WHO we are... Worship is not "an event" we conjure up and then count down to.  

Can we stop with the "worship countdown clock" and simply come into His presence with our fellow Christ followers and worship Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?

THE "S"ENNCE

Just something that I was pondering yesterday - as I was contemplating what elements, according to scripture, are necessary when Jesus followers gather together.  This is by no means exhaustive, but I think this covers the basics. There seems to be a blessing or, if you will, benefit, to following a method God has put in place which the early church adopted with Kingdom effectiveness.

This loosely follows Acts 2:42-27...

SPIRIT

Everything - EVERYTHING - starts here.  Before the account in Acts 2, we read about the Holy Spirit falling upon the gathered believers.  This was the direct fulfillment of the promise Jesus made just before He ascended.  He clearly told his followers that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and baptize them and give them power that would aid them in reaching the world with the gospel. The Holy Spirit is not an "add on" (like you get with a software program or new media device.) The Holy Spirit is like the gas in your car - no gas and you ain't goin' nowhere!  You can certainly get out and push the car but after a while your arms will get tired!  You're better offer filling the tank! The Holy Spirit is where it all begins. 

SIGNS

At the risk of making some readers nervous, we read clearly that one of the ways the Holy Spirit works is through signs and wonders.  Healings. Manifestations. Encounters.  Whatever words you want to use - this is a reality of operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't personally believe that there MUST be specific signs (ie: tongues, physical healings, laughing in the spirit, words of knowledge, etc.) but I do completely believe that we must allow for the possibility of these to occur in our gatherings - there must be a freedom within our houses of worship for the Holy Spirit to operate completely apart from whatever plans we have devised for the worship service.  And I will add that I have always felt more aligned with God's presence and power in a gathering where this type of Holy Spirit awareness was present.  Allow the Holy Spirit to operate in the gathering. 

SERMON 

A devotion to the teachings of the primary pastors and elders.  A devotion to their leadership.  A choice to pay attention to their wisdom under the joyful assumption that they have been called and ordained by God to lead the flock.  Yes, all teaching is to be measured against the Bible - so, my charge to you, if you don't like what's being said, is to do exactly that - research the preached topic in God's Word on your own and see how it measures up.  Don't simply choose to ignore the teaching because you disagree with what is being said. Be devoted to the pastors and leadership. 

SERVICE

The early church went out of their way to love and serve one another.  There was no special quarterly campaign for one specific need that a few could support if they felt like it.  The regular, day-to-day, posture of these people was to serve others.  They actually sold their belongings to help those in need. By my reading, this was not limited to only those in the church but outside as well.  There was an underlying attitude of generosity and delight within the body.  One other comment on this point - and this is a little delicate - when we bring our own personal wants and wishes; our agenda for what constitutes a "better" worship service - then we are actually being selfish and, in no way, thinking of others ahead of ourselves.  Can we please stop doing that?  Personally, I think that this attitude of love towards one another was the direct result of the joyful and eager welcoming of the Holy Spirit in their gatherings.  Love and Serve one another above yourself.   

SONGS

I realize that this passage in Acts is not necessarily a sequential, step-by-step process to be followed.  In other words it's not A = B = C... At the same time, it seems clear that the singing these early Christ followers engaged in - and - they DID sing - was more of a response than a "pre-show."  They praise God with singing and with glad and sincere hearts - that's what it says.  And they were loud in this activity - so much so that they could be heard outside the walls of the church!  This was a very loud, joyful, expression of praise and joy and delight BECAUSE of Who God is and what He had done for them!  Off the top of my head, I think they must have recalled some of the great miracles they read about in scripture, as well as the most recent re-birthing in the power of the Holy Spirit.  They rejoiced in their singing!  And this was very, very, VERY infectious!  In no way were they hoping to replicate whatever style of music they imagined David using when he composed his psalms.  They were not trying to emulate whatever was "popular music" in their period.  The songs were not sung to delight the people, in other words.  The songs were song as prayers, and declarations, and victorious announcements, and proclamations to the glory of God - and God alone.  Wow... 

SACRAMENTS

They took seriously certain sacraments taught by the apostles, disciples, teachers, leaders... among those was communion.  They did what Jesus said - they remembered Him - whenever the partook of the bread and wine.  They also extended this beyond the sacrificial table and actually gathered for meals together.  This was a huge part of their life as followers of Jesus - community.  While it doesn't specifically mention an "offering" in this passage, there seems to be ample proof that they were generous for the good of their Kingdom partners.  Perhaps we need to view our offering times in our modern gatherings with a similar attitude.  No, we may not sell our boat to pay someone's mortgage, but we gladly offer part of our wage to the "church vault" and let the leaders distribute the money as needed.  In our time, this means things like maintaining the facility and staff, funding missionary work, funding programs that minister to the lives of children and teens, providing leadership for a worship service that helps those gathered encounter all that was talked about earlier.  God gave us the sacraments for a purpose and they are to be followed.

SOLUTION

Well, this was the best "S" word I could fine... the meaning here is result, or outcome, or benefit, or blessing... "Solution."  And - what is that solution?  We read it in Acts 2:47 - that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  That numerical (and, by inference, financial) growth came about as the direct result of Surrendering to the Spirit and allowing for His moving during the gathering, Devotion to the Leadership, Love, Service and Generosity to one another, Singing Songs of praise in response to God's power and might, gathering together in community and obeying sacramental practices.  No mention of program, strategic planning, guest speakers, high tech, well-performed music, slick media, theater lighting... If you want to see growth, follow the plan.

SIMPLICITY

The final "S" for me - is SIMPLICITY.  As you read Acts 2:42-27 one things that should be obvious is how simple this format was.  It all flowed from one source - the outpouring and power of the Holy Spirit that included miracles and more.  That is what paved the way for devotion to the leaders and to the other followers.  It opened the door to loving and serving one another.  It helped create an attitude of generous giving.  It was the reason those who gathered felt a strong desire to shout and sing songs of praise to God.  They chose to obey sacraments modeled by Jesus and the first apostles and teachers.  None of this was "man-made" or created by man's intellect, wisdom or experience.  People FOLLOWED as the Lord led through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In other words - the burden of "making church happen" was lifted completely off of their shoulders because they trusted that God knew what He was doing and had imparted that to their leadership.  Keep it simple...

As I said at the outset, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of what must be followed all the time in order to ensure an effective ministry.  You will need to examine your own church and see if these various "S's" fit your paradigm.  I do believe that the more a church does follow this format - because it has been mapped out for us in scripture - then you will get closer to fulfilling the call to impact the world (city, community) around you that Christ has given to each of us.