What’s In A Name

Okay, so you’re probably wondering why I didn’t use the generic title of “Worship Matters” or “Thoughts on Worship” or “Worship Reflections” – or any other general title you can think of that would communicate the idea of general thoughts and reflections on worship and worship leading.  I chose the title I Respond to Jesus because it best communicates how I define worship.  This is something I will write about more in future posts, and it’s also a topic I’ve written about in previous posts (just click on the tag “Worship” and you’ll find multiple posts on this topic).

So let me just throw out my working definition of worship: Worship is how we respond to God as he’s revealed himself through is word.  Or, if you want it to be even shorter and simpler, Worship is how we respond to God.

This definition communicates two key truths: first, worship is God-initiated (hence, our response), and it is also God-focused (vs. me-focused or others-focused).  The question we need to ask about worship is not “What do I like?” but “What does God desire?”

Which leads us back to my blog title: I Respond to Jesus.  It reinforces the definition by continually reminding us that worship is both God-initiated and God-focused.

Introduction (Grace Notes Issue 1.1)

Originally Written 8/24/08

Cross Posted on Grace Notes

Welcome to the first edition of Grace Notes, a newsletter I hope to compile weekly for choir rehearsals.  You’ll see that it begins with a short note from me, which will often focus on feedback from the previous few weeks or information about upcoming stuff, and then it will also list on the first page our rehearsal order, tentative schedule for upcoming weeks, and some vocal tips.  One the back is this area for a short devotional as well as contact information and prayer requests.

This week I want to take a few minutes to talk about our mission statement.  It’s very important for every organization, group, and even families and individuals  to have mission statements.  At the beginning of tonight’s newsletter is a tentative mission that applies to the LBC choir.  I’m not sure it’s what we’ll keep going forward, but it’s a starting point.

Simply put, we are here to usher people into worship on Sunday mornings.  Everything we do should be measured through those lens – we are not here to provide mere entertainment or fill space in the service.  We are here to usher other attendees into the presence of God through worship.

I believe very strongly that a significant part of our role in the church is to teach people how to worship.  Worship is more than something we attend on Sunday and Wednesday, it’s even more than something we do.  I believe that worship should describe our state of being – it is who we are.

And we train the congregation how to worship by modeling worship for them.  My job as a choir director is to teach you – to teach you and prepare you to be worshipers who will then go out and train others to do the same thing.  Who are those others?  They are the people at church every week.  You’re job is to help usher them into that Holy Place where they can experience the Risen Christ.

In the next couple of weeks we’ll talk about how that’s done, we’ll examine some of the theology of worship, and also look briefly at what it all means for us as choir members.

But this week I want you to just meditate on the idea that you are a worship leader in the congregation.  What does that mean to you – and how does it affect the way you view worship at LBC in general and, specifically, how does it affect the way you view worship every Sunday morning?