The other day I stumbled across a quote about worship music.
The music must not turn the church into an audience
enjoying the music, but into a congregation singing the Lord’s
praises in his presence.
What a great way to think about worship. Because our culture is so fixated on entertainment, we easily fall into the trap that when someone starts performing music, we tend to think that our job is to sit back and let it wash over us, to enjoy it, to be entertained by it. Even in worship.
You might be surprised to learn that the author of that quote is none other than John Calvin. Even 500 years ago, the Church struggled with some of the same worship issues the Church struggles with today. It’s no mistake some of the fastest-growing churches are often the most entertaining. Entertainment is for us, we are the center of it, but in worship, we are emptied, we are less, and God is at the center, God is more.
The antidote to entertainment-driven worship (what some even call, “worshiptainment,”) is not to point the fingers at all the people we think are doing it wrong, but to make sure that we are doing it right. And by, “we” I mean each of us, individually. We must make the effort to come to worship prepared. We come seeking to sing praises to Christ our Lord. We come wanting more of him, wanting to see ourselves emptied and him glorified. And so that means that we begin with prayer, long before we even come through the door of the sanctuary.
I have no doubt that the many musicians who are part of our music ministry understand that it is just that – ministry. That we are not the ones to be remembered. The job of every person involved with worship, lay readers, preachers, musicians, greeters, etc., is to serve all who are present and point them to Jesus. If we continue to make Him the main point, we will truly become an authentic alternative to everything else.
He is the one to be remembered.
Our schedule change starts this Sunday June 2, we will be meeting on Sundays according to the schedule below:
- Worship – 9:45AM
- Children’s Sunday School – 11:00AM
- Adult Sunday School – 8:30AM (Yokefellows) & 11:00AM
