post four on "false dangers" - from The Dangerous Act of Worship, by mark labberton
4) worship that isn't popular
"Popular worship services...up the stakes of congregational approval by regularly surpassing expectations and becoming the place with 'the buzz'."
wow! i've been there...i am so glad that "buzz" is not what we have to be about...
i mentioned earlier that people often approach me after a worship event and express how "great" worship was...well, another remark that often confuses me is when people approach me after i've taken a weekend off and say something like, "we missed you last sunday...so and so was good, but we miss it when you aren't up there leading us." how do you deal with that nicely? again, i shrug my stupid shoulders and say, "thanks," but what i want to do is shake them and say, "YOU DON"T GET IT! DO YOU?" i know they mean well, but...AAARGH!
hopefully you all know me well enough by now to know that i mention this not boast, but to point out that i know it's NOT ABOUT ME, YOU, or ANYONE ELSE ON THE TEAM...it's about where each individual worshiper's heart is in relation to God...why do people tend to rely on any one person to "provide" them with a worship experience?
how can we, individually and as a team, be excellent in what we do and not draw attention to ourselves?
how can we avoid leading people toward "needing" any one of us in order for them to "worship?"
what is it going to take from us to help people realize they are responsible for the worship they give?
Several favorite quotes in this short section:
"Jesus' ministry drew large crowds, but that never determined what He said or did."
"Justice is not popular. Mercy is not a hot topic...Yet both absorb the heart of God."
i love Labberton's explanation of Jesus' motivation on page 55:
"What he [Jesus] did drew attention to himself, sometimes for dramatic and spectacular reasons. But the expectations that he fulfilled were the Father's."
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yep, i'm guilty of this. God has been working on my for the past 6 months re: this. me being so rapped up in the quality of music, in the past i totally lost the meaning of worship through song. it's quite embarrassing and shameful that i was like this. God has since opened my eyes to the purpose of worship through song. it's NOT about who is leading or what style they are playing or even the melody. it's all about the relationship between the words, God, and me. NOTHING MORE.
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