SEE YOU AT THE TOP

I am a worship pastor. I am not a "lead worshipper," as has become a popular way of describing those who conduct a musical worship service. First of all, I understand the sentiment behind the term, "lead worshipper." It is meant to emphasize the humility necessary to lead others in praising God. It was popularized (to the best of my knowledge) by Matt Redman, whom I must say is a hero of mine, and one of the greatest worship songwriters of this or any generation. He apparently feels that is the best way to describe what we do, and certainly, he has been doing this a long time and has undoubtedly thought this through. However, there are two main reasons why I refer to myself as a "worship pastor" instead of a "lead worshipper." First, for me, it is more than a descriptive term or even a calling. It is an office of the church. I was called by God and ordained under the authority of a local church to minister to the body of Christ and to lead, evangelize, disciple and serve. This is all done within the framework of the local church. That's a biblical concept. I think today, through casual Christian group studies and cultural events, there has become a haze of non-commitment. This degrades the meaning of the church, and as a result, the office and God-defined role of pastor. I stand before a group of believers who have identified with each other and with Christ by joining a local church. That provides the framework of unity that is designed to make worship (in this context, singing) natural. It is the office of pastor that holds me to a higher standard of holiness before I walk into the privilege of leading God';s people into His presence.
Second, I don't call myself a lead worshipper because I seldom actually worship during a song service. Many of you reading this just sat up straight in indignation. Let me clarify. Worship is not something I relegate to 20-45 minutes each Sunday morning. It is a lifestyle. It is ongoing. Having the attitude that true worship is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (by how you live your life, how you devote your gifts, time, etc.) keeps me from narrowly defining worship as music. If I only worship God when I sing, then He doesn't get nearly enough from me. So, I have worshipped all week long by Sunday. Now is the time to lead others into that vocal expression which is the culmination of their own walk with God. I am showing them how to express it. If I'm not worshipping on the platform, what am I doing? I am being aware of the environment. I am being sensitive to the Holy Spirit as to where to take this service. I am sensing the needs of the moment. I am concentrating on playing the right chords, or not messing up the words or doing whatever it takes to ensure that i am not distracting others from Christ.
Here's a great analogy on this topic, and I can't claim it as my own. I read it in a worship magazine a few years ago. There are a group of people in the Himalays called Sherpas. They are extremely surefooted and skilled at climbing mountains, being raised in the shadow of Mt. Everest. All of the brave climbers who scaled Everest early on did so with the help of Sherpas. The names of those who have conquered the world's tallest mountain are printed in many books, emblazoned across newspaper headlines, and immortalized on the bases of statues. However, nobody knows a singles Sherpa's name. Why? Because it's their job to lead people up the mountain, not to climb it first and experience the glory. They accept their role as guides to the heights. A worship pastor may sacrifice his urge to fall into an intimate state of communing with God during the service, so that he doesn't leave the congragation at the base of the mountain. Too many times have I seen worship leaders off on their own world, while listeners stand awkwardly and watch.
I accept my role. that doesn't mean I never worship on Sunday morning. It just means I'm there to help others ascend the mountain to the throne of God. You can't always climb Everest with your eyes shut.

THE BIGGER THEY ARE...

Last night, my bride and I went on a date and saw the film, "Facing the Giants." I have to admit that I approach most Christian films with skepticism- not because of content or message, obviously, but because most lack the level of professionalism and artistic quality reqired to engage an audience. This movie has broken that trend. I was thoroughly moved as I watched. Granted, Hollywood has pumped out a few well-made films in recent years with Christian themes, but disclaimers follow. There was "The Passion of the Christ", a labor of love from Mel Gibson; effective, though dogged by unfounded accusations of anti-semitism (unfortunately given new legs by Mel's recent drunken remarks); "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia", a couple of phenomenonally symbolic presentations, but whose directors did not necessarily approach the subject matter with a Christian understanding; and the smaller film, "End of the Spear", which could have been better with a bolder message and with a less controversial choice for the lead role (actor and gay activist Chad Allen).

What sets "Facing the Giants" apart is the unashamed presentation of the Gospel. It is not danced around, symbolized or marginalized. It is plain. It is central to the story. The movie understands that Jesus didn't just come to give eternal life, but also abundant life. Dramatic elements aren't sacrificed in order to present the Gospel; rather the story is enhanced by it.
Another inspiration here is that this film is church-driven. Made entirely with talent from Albany, Georgia's Sherwood Baptist Church, it is a model of God's people using God-given resources to accomplish a God-ordained task. Church members wrote, directed, filmed, produced, and starred in the movie. My understanding is that one camera was used during the process. They must have faced some giants of their own in seeing this project through to completion.

I hope this begins a new trend of churches taking artistic expression to the next level in order to further the Kingdom. Why wait for Hollywood? They take too long, and they hardly ever get it right. God is ready for His close-up. Let's give it to Him.

FIRST CONTACT

I am smashing the proverbial champagne bottle across the bow of this blog, as this is the maiden voyage entry. What is the purpose for this endeavor? I am sure it will be occasionally self-serving (I've often thought bloggers held their own opinions in too high of regard; I will fight the urge too take my musings too seriously), but I also desire for it to be a representation of my Christian worldview. There is a legend that Martin Luther underwent such severe spiritual warfare that he actually could see the devil oppressing him. As the story goes, one night the struggle became so real that he hurled a bottle of ink at Satan himself, striking the wall of his study. Some believe the ink stain is still seen today. I don't know how true the tale is, but I do believe that Christians who have an outlet (and most do) have a responsibility to thwart the devil in a vocal way. Christian writers can figuratively "hurl ink" at the devil (or in this age of cyberspace, hurl text). So, I will use this as one means of doing just that. However I may include some inane stories and dumb jokes along the way that only I deem interesting. It is, after all, MY blog. See ya 'round.