Lent Devotional Series, Day 32

This post is part of a series of devotional videos put together by New Covenant Community Church. For more information, view my first post of the series here.

Here are my thoughts on Deuteronomy 8:1-16.

Lent Devotional Series, Day 26

This post is part of a series of devotional videos put together by New Covenant Community Church. For more information, view my first post of the series here.

Here are my thoughts on Hebrews 4:1-13.

Lent Devotional Series, Day 20

This post is part of a series of devotional videos put together by New Covenant Community Church. For more information, view my first post of the series here.

Here are my thoughts on Ephesians 1:3-6.

Lent Devotional Series, Day 14

This post is part of a series of devotional videos put together by New Covenant Community Church. For more information, view my first post of the series here.

Here are my thoughts on Psalm 19.

Lent Devotional Series, Day 8

This post is part of a series of devotional videos put together by New Covenant Community Church. For more information, view my first post of the series here.

Here are my thoughts on Romans 3:21-31.

Lent Devotional Series, Day 2

This year New Covenant Community Church put together a reading plan and devotional video series to follow through Lent. We've done something similar in the past, but never a series of videos from our pastoral staff. Our hope was to create a greater sense of community, inviting all of our congregation to read a daily passage, watch the video, respond in some way, and pray.

Readings were picked from the daily readings of the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B. Devotional videos were recorded and edited with my old iPhone and shared on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. We divided the devotional videos between the five members of the pastoral team.

Here are my thoughts on Psalm 25:1-10.

The Gentle Whisper

There's a great encounter between Elijah and God in the book of 1 Kings that has always fascinated me. Elijah is fleeing for his life from King Ahab and Ahab's wife Jezebel. Elijah finds himself in the desert, nearly starved but for the providence of God. After 40 days and nights in the desert, Elijah rests in a cave, and the Bible tells us that the word of the LORD comes to him. God seems to ask Elijah about his purpose: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah responds by describing his zeal for God. God responds with this proposal:

"Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." (1 Kings 19:11)

So Elijah does this. And a great wind comes through. It was powerful enough to tear into the rocks and the mountain! Can you imagine? I picture weather reporters knocked down by hurricanes, but I still don't think that expresses the strength of the wind. It must have been awesome, and terrifying, to behold. Such a picture of God's power.

But, says the passage, "the LORD was not in the wind." (v. 11)

Then an earthquake happens. Do you remember the small earthquake we had about a year ago? The epicenter was in Oklahoma, but it was felt as far north as Sioux City. I remember sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee. One moment everything was normal. The next moment I felt I was falling but I hadn't moved from my chair. The hanging light over the table wobbled. A cabinet door rattled. It was extremely disorienting. As minor as it was, it made me feel small and out of control.

But, says the passage, "the LORD was not in the earthquake." (v. 11)

After the earthquake comes a fire. Growing up as the son of a Game & Parks Wildlife Biologist, I've had a few opportunities to be around for a "controlled burn." One in particular I remember. A fire break was plowed around a small field of dried invasive grasses and weeds. Men positioned themselves in a few places around the field to make sure the fire didn't escape, then a couple of men went around the edges with a small gas torch to light the grass. Slowly at first, the fire consumed a blade of dried grass, then a few, then a larger weed, then another, then it spread faster. Near the end, as the fires set in several places converged to the middle of the field, it formed a small fireball that rose quickly into the air. The heat was immense. I could hardly stand to be near it. Such is the intensity of fire up close, that you want to hide your face from it because you know it could consume you.

But, says the passage, "the LORD was not in the fire." (v. 12)

After the awesome power of the wind, the overwhelming bigness of the earthquake, and the intensity of the fire, Elijah must have been shocked to hear a gentle whisper. On the other hand, what else might coax him out of the cave? Had God shouted to Elijah to come out, Elijah might have fainted of fear. No: it had to be a whisper, a reminder that although God is powerful, and mighty, and holy, God is also love.

I love the songs we sing at New Cov. I love the music we use to join our voices in worship of our God. When we make a joyful noise, with loud voices and clapping and shouting, I am blessed by the reminder that God is miraculous, and bigger than any of us or any problems we might face. And I am blessed to see Him working in our hearts and in our midst, even as we worship.

But other times, I am blessed by the gentle, unassuming sound of voices, acoustic instruments, and moments of silence. I am reminded that God drew near to us in Jesus, so that we could draw near to Him forever. I am reminded that God is near. We can raise our voices loud to shake heaven, but we don't need to, because God is present. He's a God of intimacy. A God who restores. A God who gives second chances. A God who wants you, and me, to have our comeback. And he's in the gentle whisper of each moment of every day. Make time and seek ways to listen for Him.

Amen.

For the Sake of the World: Yesterday and Today

As we were putting together the photo mosaic last week, I came across a lot of great pictures from New Cov's history. It's encouraging to look through images showcasing where our church has been. It reminded me that He has done great things in us and through us. We have served and shared Jesus with people in Lincoln, many states, and in several countries (Ireland, India, China, and the UAE come to mind). And knowing that He has still calls us "for such a time as this," I look forward with faith to where God will lead us next.

One picture I came across showed me with more hair than I now have, strumming my old black Takamine G Series, and looking east into the morning sunlight. Longtime New Covies will remember our involvement at downtown Lincoln's Ribfest. I remember this particular moment well (though I'm not positive the year... 2002?). We were given the opportunity to hold a church service at Ribfest on the Sunday morning of the event. We pulled out all the stops: dance, drama, music. Worship Pastor Bill Sloan had asked me to sing a song called "I Am A Christian," a proclamation of faith. The lyrics were nice, but I remember thinking the tune was a bit melancholy. I offered to write a new melody to some alternate chords. I chose the key of E (which is significant as you'll see in a minute) because I like the open chords and droning strings the key allows. I can still hear much of the melody in my head, but I'm not sure I have it printed anywhere any more.

Yesterday morning we sang together a prayer for God to do a work in us. For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me / Light a flame in my soul for every eye to see / For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me. We must share Jesus with those around us. It is urgent, important work: our world is wrecked every day by the consequences of our sin. But in Jesus we find hope—eternal unchanging hope—for forgiveness of our sins and for the redemption of the world. All of creation groans in expectancy of Jesus' return. In Christ, we have the opportunity to join in the work of redemption. We have chances—every week, every day, even every hour—to share this hope we have with others! We just need to embrace our place and look for the opportunities around us. Someone you know might be desperately searching for hope, or meaning, or truth, or freedom from the bondage of sin, or peace. You and I can bring that to them by the Spirit at work within us.

As I sang "For the Sake of the World," it occurred to me that I was playing many of the same chords, in the key of E, that I had played for "I Am A Christian" some 15 years ago. 

I was struck by two things as we worshiped and sang that prayer to God yesterday.

First, I play a different guitar these days. I have less hair on top and more on my face. My priorities have changed to include kids, new friends, new seasons. Such is the difference between being 24 and being almost 40. But God's call on my life remains the same: to share Jesus, for the sake of the world.

Second, our church might not be part of Ribfest anymore. Where we once sent mission teams to China we now look to Ireland and India. We serve in new and different ways. Our vision changes, and we follow where God points us. But God's call on our church also remains the same: to share Jesus, for the sake of the world.

How will we respond to God's call? Let's spend our time in prayer and thought this week on that question...

For the sake of the world.

Surprised By God

Troy's message on Sunday had me thinking the rest of the day. We are loved by a God who loves to surprise us. Just think about Mary and Martha in John 11. As Troy pointed out, they couldn't even conceive what was about to happen. If you had been here, they told Jesus, you could have healed our brother. In their minds, the chance was lost. Lazarus, their brother, was dead, and that was the end of the story.

But they were wrong.

With Jesus, the end of the story is just the beginning of something new, unexpected, surprising.

I love movies with big plot twists. I like realizing I was watching an entirely different plot unfold, just hidden from view. When the twist suddenly comes to light, I want to watch again, to find the clues scattered through the film. There's a new joy in seeing the movie with new knowledge. Think of the first time you saw M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, or Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. Suddenly all the throw away lines and moments that seemed insignificant are revealed to be telling their own story. I love watching these movies over again to see the new story just beneath the surface.

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 reminds us that God loves to surprise us. When we were helpless in our sin, when we couldn't help ourselves out of our situation, when we thought all hope was lost, that's when God surprised us: it is finished. 

The price is paid. Our sin has been atoned for. And God did it for us. He came and willingly went to the cross on our behalf. That's how much He loves us. If that isn't surprising, I don't know what is. With Jesus, the end of the story is actually the beginning of redemption, sanctification, new life, pointing always to the day when He will return for us. When we realize that plot twist, we see the real story just under the surface. 

(Side note: my daughter and I have been reading through The Jesus Storybook Bible. It's a great way to read the story while also seeing the bigger story of Jesus within all the smaller stories of the Bible. I highly recommend it.)

When was the last time you recognized being surprised by God? It happens all the time, if you look for it. In the light of knowing the plot twist, that God loves you so much that He would do everything to be with you, look at your story again, and see God's story just under the surface...

You are loved.

You are His.

You are part of the greatest, the best, story.

Avoid Burnout

This is less a takeaway from Sunday, and more some thoughts that have come up this week. This weekend I was away in Illinois on an annual trip with friends from high school and college. This is the only time each year I see some of them, and it was great to catch up and have some fun. We stayed in a huge vacation rental, saw some sights in the area, played cards and other games, watched the boxing match, and ate some great meals together. One night we realized we needed some more food for dinner, so one friend and I jumped in the van to run into town. On the trip, we talked about matters of faith, and he confessed he hasn't been to church in a long time. I told him he should never feel guilty about that. He also said he wanted to make it more of a priority and find a church. I encouraged him to go with his work partner, or another friend, even if it's weird or unfamiliar at first. I said I think he'd benefit from finding a faith community. He agreed, but he knows it's going to be hard.

We are creatures of habit: good and bad. Generally, we fall into bad habits. When left to ourselves, we slide into habits that don't really help us much. They don't require a lot of effort, they are usually self-centered, and so they are easy to get into. Generally, we also work our way into good habits. They require effort, sometimes encouragement from others, and they benefit ourselves and often those around us.

But there's also a case where we get so focused on a good habit, or make it a much bigger part of our life than it should be, that it becomes bad for us. Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. Take involvement in church, for example. In the latest issue of Relevant Magazine, I read an article by Bonnie Gray called "A Real-Life Guide to Not Burning Out From Church." It had some great insights. Because we are passionate about our faith, or serving others, or outreach, or discipleship, we put a lot of energy and effort into those things. Before long, we can find ourselves overwhelmed or just worn out. Suddenly the joy and fellowship of a church feels like drudgery.

Gray highlights a few ways to prevent you from getting burned out from church. If you are concerned you're heading for burnout, consider these:

Pay attention to your attitude and heart. Sometimes we do need to power through in obedience in ministry, but if that attitude becomes the norm, we need to let others know. Set boundaries in relationships, and communicate your needs if you're worn down.

Consider the time stress of church. We face so many pressures from activities, time with family, work, time with friends. Sometimes it's hard to see the value of an hour with our community of faith. Rather than withdrawing, though, share this with others. Your story, and your struggle, is valid.

What is it you need most in this season? You don't have to love every aspect of church all the time. There will be seasons where worship is what you need most, or discipleship, or serving alongside others, or small group fellowship. Be honest about what you desire, and find people pursuing the same things.

Take inventory. If you're constantly feeling stressed or tired, you might want to take some time to discover the root of your stress. List your activities: are they making you happy? Sometimes we have slowly worked ourselves into a pattern of pursuing more money and more stuff, and it's crowding out the life-giving activities like involvement in a faith community. If this is the case, make some bold moves to realign.

Take a break. You may need to stop doing some good things at church in order to find rest in Jesus. Sometimes the church can add to the treadmill of life. You may need to let go of something.

You may have noticed there's a pattern here: honesty. Be honest with yourself and others before you get to the point of throwing in the towel on church. Jesus came to bring full and abundant life. Church involvement can be a revitalizing and rewarding part of that abundant life. But if we're not honest about why we're involved and what we need, we may find ourselves on the road to burnout. Slow down and speak up before you hit the dead end.

Creativity -- Connecting Ideas -- In Worship

Last week several New Covies attended the Willow Global Leadership Summit. It was truly inspiring, and one of the more powerful Summits I can remember since I started attending them 12 years ago. Every session was either full of ideas and insights, or emotionally stirring and convicting. We heard from a pastor creating an exit strategy to leave his church under good leadership when he leaves... A woman who miraculously survived the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994... A Facebook executive who lost her husband suddenly and talked about how to help others through grief... A lawyer with staggering statistics on incarcerations, and a call for the Church to move toward those who need the gospel desperately...

My favorite "thinking" session was by Fredrik Härén, author of The Idea Book, who presented some great concepts on creativity. "Creativity," he said, "is simply connecting what has already been created. No one has the ability to create, but God." Creativity is unlimited, not because we create, but because we form new combinations. Every person brings a unique perspective and is able to use their knowledge and new information to find new connections, to combine things in new ways.

This rang true in my mind Saturday night, when I was in a funk after watching evil manifest itself in the attacking of others in Charlottesville. My mind started to wonder about Sunday morning's service. I felt the familiar prompting of the Holy Spirit, leading me to consider some changes. I prayed about our plans, and realized we needed to make some adjustments to the service order, and started combining some things in new ways, with Tim's help.

"Awesome Is The Lord" became a lament, because many of us mourned the truth that the entire world doesn't know the peace, love, grace, and acceptance found in Jesus.

We replaced "Great Things (Worth It All)" with a responsive prayer, because many of us needed to affirm that racism and white supremacy is a sin and that we all need Jesus. The prayer was written by Rich Villodas, a pastor in Queens, New York City. As I went over the prayer, and chords that might move underneath it as we prayed, a melody formed for the congregational response, "Oh Lord, only You can make all things new."

Thank God for his Holy Spirit! Sometimes He moves in surprising ways, and sometimes He gives courage to help us move in a way we've already purposed. I was surprised and encouraged by Sunday morning, and by the conversations that followed: God's people will not stand on the sidelines while evil advances. I pray He continues to prompt us to action for his glory and his Kingdom.

What I want us to remember from Sunday is that our Creator God has gifted each of us with the ability to creatively connect that which we know from individual experience with that which we learn from others. You are a creative person. You are made in God's image, and while you might not be able to make something from nothing, you can connect ideas in ways never before seen. Creativity is not the mantle of the musician, the painter, the photographer, or the poet: it is part of who we are as image-bearers of God. 

Make a Joyful Noise

Our all-in service this past Sunday was moving. Institutional church often drifts toward tradition and rote: we do things the same way over and over, and before long we do those things with little regard for the meaning therein. Words, actions, postures, symbols... whatever we use to worship can be full of meaning, or it can be devoid of life. It doesn't matter if our worship is "traditional" or "contemporary," "liturgical" or "emergent," or even "contemporvant" (ha ha). Any style of worship can be thriving and engaging, and any worship style can be lifeless and boring. Vitality in worship comes down to two things: God's revelation and our response. God's revelation is found in the resurrected Lord Jesus, our Messiah! You don't get closer to vitality than that. Our response is up to us. The exciting part of Sunday was seeing us respond in so many beautiful ways: from celebrating what God is doing in the hearts and homes of foster kids to hearing Alisanne's thoughts on Deuteronomy 33:12, from the peace of Psalm 3 to the joyful noise of instruments and singing.

Speaking of "joyful noise" (see Psalm 98 and 100 in the King James Version, by the way), I mentioned Sunday that many instruments referenced in the Bible are percussion or stringed. And it's true. Instruments specifically mentioned in the Bible include wind instruments: trumpets (see Exodus 19:16), flutes/pipes (try Matthew 9:23), horns a.k.a. shophars (like in Psalm 81:3); stringed instruments: harps (see Revelation 5:8), lyre (in Psalm 144:9), and general stringed instruments found in the introduction to several Psalms (4, 6, 54, 55, 6, 67, 76); and percussion instruments: tambourines/timbrels (referenced many times, including Judges 11:34), cymbals (check out 1 Chronicles 16:5), and sistrums (found only once in 2 Samuel 6:5). Some passages mention many of these instruments used together in worship, like 1 Chronicles 13:8. Other passages mention the use of choirs (1 Chronicles 15 and Nehemiah 12). In fact, music is mentioned over 1,100 times in the Bible! It was a crucial component of worship, expressed in a variety of ways that were culturally relevant.

Here's a question for us: are the instruments listed prescriptive, or descriptive? If the Bible is prescriptive in this, then we should only be using instruments found to be used in worship in the Bible. But I don't think that's the case. These instruments are found in scripture because they were instruments of the time. Being bound to this list of instruments for true worship to exist is legalistic and confining; Jesus came to set us free. Instead, I think the Bible is descriptive: these instruments describe the form of worship. So what do they describe?

Well, worship was often loud. It was clanging. It involved motion and dance. Timbrels must be hit! Lyres must be strummed! Shophars must resound! When God's people gathered, they made some noise.

Worship was organized and rehearsed by those leading, but it also involved everyone. Some people took up instruments spontaneously (like Miriam in Exodus 15). But other times choirs were formed to lead singing, and skilled musicians were recruited to play. But their task was to prompt. True worship involves everyone. It is the work of (all) the people, not a select few.

Worship was most often celebratory, as we can tell by the context of the passages mentioned above. It celebrated something God was doing or had done. Of course, worship can also be lament, or prayer, or silence. All of these are still responses to God. Most often, though, worship in the Bible celebrates.

Our instruments may have changed a bit in the past 2,000-4,000 years, and we might not be gathering in a temple or tabernacle since Jesus fulfilled the Israelite system of worship, but we can still loudly praise God. We still want everyone to come, no matter age or background. We still want to celebrate what God is doing around us, and what He has done through Jesus, retelling God's story over and over again until He returns. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!

Experience the Story

Worship is our response to God.  The worship service is a retelling of God's story, so that we may experience part of it. 

Did you experience it this week? 

If you've ever been to a movie that has your heart racing, or a wedding ceremony that brought a tear to your eye, or a concert where the songs and visuals form a moving narrative, you know the difference between just hearing a story and experiencing a story. God's whole story is important each week, but in the worship service we tend to focus on a particular scene. Some weeks we need to experience God's grace. Some weeks we need to remember He has forgiven our sins. Some weeks we need to shout for joy and thanksgiving.

I want to invite you to simply meditate on this week's story below. I'll use the language of Zephaniah 3:17, the songs and prayers from Sunday's service at New Cov, and Tim's message. May this meditation help you experience the story and prompt you to live it out this week...

Brothers and sisters... I get it. You are hurting. You feel the heaviness of worry that comes with this life. Like each step is a chore. You have trudged on and on with some burdens. Not only that, you regret some of the steps you've taken in life. The mud and filth of it all stained your feet, and you worry there's no way to be clean again, no way to enter into the comfort and security of God's home for you.

But, look: Jesus has removed the stain. Permanently. He has taken up the burden so you can let it go. So come to the altar. Jesus is calling you home, and the Father's arms are open wide to welcome you. What a Savior we know! Isn't He wonderful? He gives us his Name: we belong to Him. And that Name is a place of shelter, healing, protection, strength, might, salvation. When we dwell in Him, we are brave. Braver than we ever knew was possible, because nothing is impossible with Him! He calls us out of the boat like Jesus did with Peter, out onto the stormy waves. When you think of all Jesus is... it's better to be with Him in the storm than without Him in the boat! No matter what you are facing, Jesus is there with you, calling you to trust him. His promises are true, His hope is eternal, and His help is yours. Ask, and receive. Seek, and find. Pray, and know that He hears.

Isn't this love of God we find in Jesus amazing? He breaks the power of cancelled sin! He has triumphed over the grave! He is life, and health, and peace! All glory, honor, praise and love to Him from saints above and below! May God help us proclaim his glory and honor. Let our anthem of praise be loud enough to resound throughout our world.

Listen to what God tells us through his prophet Zephaniah: "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." Remember his presence, his power. Know that He is proud of you, He praises you with singing. Rest in his peace. Go into the world and bring the Gospel to everyone you encounter! May we go through our week changed: the LORD our God, the Mighty Warrior goes with us!

Amen.

Functions of Congregational Song (1/3)

There's something powerful about a congregation singing together, hands lifted high, eyes closed, hearts open to God's Spirit. What's more, the songs we sing give us a chance to proclaim, pray, praise, encourage, and commit together.

When I started leading worship at New Cov, I led a team once per month. And I considered it my chance to pick my favorite songs. The Pastor of Worship & Creative Arts at the time, Bill, would recommend a song or two sometimes, but for the most part it was up to me. Which I loved! I'd pick a fast song to start, maybe a mid-tempo song or two, and then a slow and prayerful song right before the message. If I could get a couple songs in the same key back-to-back, I'd figure out a way to transition between the two.

When I became the Pastor of Worship & Creative Arts, I often resorted to the same pattern. Or if we wanted to shake things up, I'd plan a fast song, a slow song or two, then another fast song to really get the energy up!

Over time, though, I started to wonder why I focused so much on tempo and flow when selecting songs. Was that the most important thing? Picking my favorite tunes for the congregation? Building energy? Having a seamless transition between two songs? Manufacturing moments of energy and prayerful attention?

There had to be better reasons to sing one song and not another. This line of questions was one of the reasons I began pursuing a Masters, then Doctor of Worship Studies degree. And one of my professors, Dr. Constance Cherry, literally wrote the book on the functions of congregational song. She has found five functions of song, and in the next few weeks I'll outline each of them with an example from Sunday morning. The five functions of congregational songs are: Proclamation, Prayer, Praise, Exhortation and Call-to-action. This week I'd like to talk about Prayer and Exhortation.

Prayer - As Dr. Cherry writes, prayer songs are the easiest to spot because they are sung to God. Where a song like "Jesus Messiah" sings mostly about Jesus, prayer songs address the Father, the Son and/or the Holy Spirit. Prayer songs are often full of emotion. They might lament and ask God to intercede. They can be songs confessing sin and asking forgiveness. They can be full of adoration, telling God how wonderful He is, or giving God glory for his character or saving works. A great example this past Sunday is "No Longer Slaves." Almost the entire song speaks directly to God. You could start the song like you would any prayer: 

"[Father in Heaven...]
You unravel me with a melody.
You surround me with a song of deliverance from my enemies until all my fears are gone.
I'm no longer a slave to fear: I am a child of God."

Prayer songs feel intimate and that's the point: we have an intimate relationship with the God of the universe, which is pretty amazing. These songs give us a voice to express our hearts to the One who formed them within us.

Exhortation - If prayer songs are about the vertical relationship (me and God), exhortation songs are about the horizontal relationship (me and you). These songs let us encourage each other. (We rarely if ever use the word "exhort," but it basically means "strongly encourage".) Some encourage us to a pursue Jesus more deeply or completely. Others, like "New Doxology," let us encourage each other (and all of creation) to give praise to God! Think of the first verse, but add "Let's all..." to each line:

"[Let us] praise God from Whom all blessings flow
[Let us] praise Him, all creatures here below
[Let us] praise Him above, ye heavenly host
[Let us] praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost"

This is a wonderfully mind-expanding and outward-focusing chorus! We remember that we dwell in the midst of all of creation, we remember the angels in heaven, and we exhort them to sing with us, praising God who blesses and sustains us! And in doing so, we are ourselves praising God.

What is your song today? Are you in a place where you are praying for God to intercede, lamenting to Him, thanking Him? Or is the song in your heart one of encouraging others to look to God? I'll cover a couple more of these song functions next week.

Called to Worship

To start services Sunday, I used a phrase that may have sounded foreign: call to worship. What is the call to worship? More importantly, who is calling and who is being called?

During both services, I welcomed everyone and invited us to stand for a call to worship. For the call to worship, I read from Psalm 46:1-4 (NIV):

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
Then we sang a song called "There Is A River."

We heard God's word to us through the Psalm, and we responded with words straight from the Psalm. This is a perfect example of the revelation-response pattern of worship. God reveals, we respond. A call to worship is an example of the first part of this pattern: note is who is calling, and who is called. It is God who calls us to worship. Sounds obvious, but understanding this can be transformative in how we follow Jesus.

First, God calls. Think about it: we don't go to a party without an invitation. We show up because God has invited us. It's not the song leader, or Tim's email blast, or our Twitter account (@newcovlincoln, by the way) inviting you to worship. We don't come to God, he calls to us. This is affirmed over and over in scripture (1 John 4:19, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:30, John 14:6). If instead worship is something we initiate, then it is man-made. It can easily become an idol, a source of pride, a work meant to earn our own salvation. Man-made worship depends entirely on our own feelings, circumstances, preferences. It's me-centered.

Second, God calls us. The beautiful thing about worship is it's a chance to participate. Jesus has already done everything necessary to give us eternal life, relationship with the Triune God, peace that passes understanding, refuge and strength, ever-present help in trouble! We don't respond to earn/maintain salvation. We respond to join in the celebration and thanksgiving.

So what is a call to worship? It is a way to frame our time together, not as a time when we initiate asking God to hear us, but as a time to celebrate what God has already done and continues to do.

Community and the Word of God

We gather on Sundays to worship God, and to be with the body of Christ, the church. The past few weeks have reminded me powerfully of the importance of this gathering, and how much each part of the body needs the others.

1 Corinthians 12 continues to draw my attention and my heart. You may remember Tim's messages (pt 1, pt 2) on this chapter in January. In it, Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, compares the church to a body, and the church members as parts of the body which are unified for the mission and glory of Christ, but which are also diverse in function and purpose. What's more, we as followers of Christ are interdependent: we need each other. Paul writes, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' ... But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Cor 12:21,24b-26)

We need each other. After a string of memorial services, as well as seeing friends in suffering from illness and hardship, it has never been more clear to me that God has put us together so that we can "have equal concern for each other." When one rejoices, we should rejoice with them. And when one mourns, we should mourn with them. Life is too short and too hard to be lived with detached apathy for those God has placed in your path.

In the past few months, we have said goodbye to Gary, a greeter and servant of God who went out of his way often to get to know you; Debra, who loved on kids in Discoveryland for years; Brook, whose smile, personality, and love of Christ inspired everyone around her; as well as several family members connected to New Cov families. As a body is interconnected, and as each part affects the other, the passing of this brother and these sisters in Christ is painful. We will need to recover and heal over time, and still scars will remain.

With that in mind, there are three reasons why on Sunday I had us pause during the service to read the words of Revelation 21:1-5b.

First, our pain is real. It is relevant to our worship because it is part of our petition and prayer to God. We tend to equate worship with praise, rejoicing, bordering dangerously on a shiny-happy-inauthentic-image-management sort of worship. But worship is also any response to who God is. When we cry out for mercy, deliverance, help, we are acknowledging that our faith is in God and we need Him to rescue us. We can be authentic when we come to God.

Second, God's word is true and powerful, no matter what we are facing. Revelation 21 is relevant to our worship because John's vision points to the promises of God. Though our pain lingers, though we still recognize the darkness that surrounds us, we also know that Jesus will redeem all things. That is the hope we must cling to.

And third, we need to speak God's word to one another. It is a light for our path (Ps 119:105), a tool for discipleship (2 Tim 3:16-17), a hope and comfort in times of suffering (Ps 119:49-50), and a firm foundation (Matt 7:24). God's word is true (Ps 33:4), it endures forever (Isa 40:8, Matt 24:35 , and it gives understanding (Ps 119:130). I've found that the more I read and internalize God's word, the more it comes to mind when I'm with people. And when we bring God's word into our conversations, we invite the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts in a powerful way (Heb 4:12). What a gift we've been given!

I truly believe that worship—all worship—is spiritually formational. We are formed by how we worship, both corporately and individually. Sunday morning, I hope, was a reminder of the importance of God's word, and that we need to speak God's word to each other. May God's word give us comfort, peace and wisdom, especially when we feel battered by the storms of life. 

Songs of the People

As I mentioned Sunday, if we are not abiding in God (John 15:5), even in the songs we sing, our worship misses the mark. But we can also miss the mark when the songs don't sing the heart of our congregation.

Songwriting is an interesting pursuit. I have a friend in Nashville who described the process of writing a song like this: 1. This is hard. 2. This is awesome. 3. This is terrible. 4. I am terrible. 5. This is okay. 6. This is awesome. As with other art, the best songs are real, honest, and personal. They touch the hearts of others because they come from the heart of the songwriter. Often they are inspired, an expression of a response to something. For a follower of Christ, songwriting is often a response to God, whether it be a prayer, a lament, a praise, a petition, or simply a meditation or story of the world God has created. Songs are also an exercise in vulnerability. Art is subjective: it can be interpreted differently be different audiences, and you might have as many critics as fans of the song.

Writing worship songs (which for our purposes here we can define as songs meant to be sung corporately) adds another element into the songwriting process: the heart of a church. Worship songs aren't songs we simply like to sing: they serve a purpose. We gather to pray, lament, praise, petition, meditate, confess, worship. We select songs specifically for Sunday morning, and place them in the service specifically. Most importantly, we choose songs that we think our congregation needs to sing. There are many great worship songs out there, from yesterday and today. But our congregation, located in Lincoln, NE, made up of the people that call New Cov home right now, don't need to sing a majority of the songs available. We try select songs that fit our expression best, based on interactions we (the pastoral staff and worship ministry volunteers) have with our congregation, our own heart and prayers, and how God is speaking to us.

One of the songs we are introducing right now is called "In The River." I chose to introduce this song to the congregation because it speaks of finding life from the wellspring of the Holy Spirit living within us. It has themes of joy, goodness, and overcoming fear. What I learned yesterday is that, just as we try to pick songs that express our congregation's heart, one of the songwriters (Chris Quilala) polled many pastors to find out what songs their congregations needed to sing. The pastors responded that they needed songs of joy. You can watch Kim Walker-Smith, another singer-songwriter behind "In The River," talk about the origin of the song here.

What are the songs our congregation need to sing? What is God speaking to you, and what is your heart longing to sing to God?

Defining the Relationship

A friend emailed me a question Monday morning, and it got me thinking about Sunday morning. His question: what word would you use to name the relationship between us and God?

My friend, Jerry, a former classmate at the Institute for Worship Studies, was musing on an idea. We are fond of saying following Jesus is not about religion, it's about relationship. Relationships have names: brotherhood, marriage, family. If that's the case, then wouldn't we call that relationship worship? I thought about it for a bit, and I think that yes, worship might be an apt description of our relationship with God.

Just like other relationships, worship is something we work at: it requires sacrifice, growth, investment, and time. Relationships built on mutual selflessness flourish over time. In Jesus we have the ultimate picture of selflessness, and we respond by learning to love him, learning to yield our will to his more and more each day. It's not something we're immediately good at, either. We have to constantly check ourselves: am I investing in this relationship? It may be hard to see the relationship deepening some days, but over time we see how far we have moved closer to Jesus.

Worship is the revelation-response pattern of Sunday morning: God reveals Himself, we respond. Sometimes we respond with frustration. Circumstances are given words of hurt, helplessness, even anger. There are words of joy and love spoken, but if we're not bringing our whole selves to God, we might find ourselves living a lie that hurts us. Guilt or hidden sin brings us back to the Garden, where Adam and Eve took cover when God came near. I guarantee you this: any shame we feel, any unworthiness is not the voice of God. He always loves, always forgives, always welcomes us with the open arms of a loving Father. We know this as we listen for God's voice and read God's word. Confession can be humbling, but can also restore.

And just as you become like the company you keep, or spouses become more alike over time, the more we spend time with Jesus, the more we become like him. The way Tim opened his message on Sunday is so important and so true: if you want to hear from God, you have to spend time in His word. If you want to be more like Jesus, you have to get to know Jesus. If you want to find the living water within, you have to go to the Savior by the well. When we draw near to Him, we become like Him, and He transforms us from the inside out, extending to relationships with others.

This past Sunday was a mix of emotions for me, which is also a common occurrence I've found in close relationships with others. As we sang I felt joy, peace, hope. Through the pictures of people serving and coming together on screen during the offering, I rejoiced and thanked God for all He is doing in and through New Cov. After services I prayed with others, cried with others, shared my story and listened to theirs. At the Ministry Leaders' Meeting in the afternoon I celebrated with others all that God will do this semester.

Worship is definitely relationship. So how is your worship these days? What would it look like for you to invest a bit more in seeking Jesus... on Sundays... at work... in your family... with your friends... in your neighborhood? And how will God reveal himself as you respond to him today?

Go Tell It On the Mountain: Song Story

Sunday we sang "Go, Tell It On the Mountain." I chose the song mostly to expand our Christmas carol offerings, but I also knew this song was originally a Negro spiritual. Its history is worth recounting.

Last year I focused some time each Sunday morning on telling the story of one of the carols we sang that morning. I enjoyed learning about the history of these songs that are attached to this season and embedded deeply in our hearts. I thought I'd take an opportunity to reprise our song history exploration here...

"Go, Tell It On the Mountain" once saved a university from financial collapse. In 1871, Fisk University of Nashville, TN was debt-ridden and about to close its doors. A ten-member touring ensemble called the Fisk Jubilee Singers was formed to raise funds for the university. They took the entire treasury with them for travel expenses, and departed on an 18-month tour which ultimately saved the college from closing. In the course of the tour, the African-American singers began using more and more spirituals in their shows, at the encouragement of George White, the Fisk University treasurer at the time. Their use of spirituals earned them an international reputation, and preserved the legacy of the Negro spiritual in the process.*

Among the spirituals the Fisk Jubilee Singers presented was "Go, Tell It On the Mountain." The earliest version of the hymn was published by John Wesley Work, Jr. in 1909, under the title "Christmas Plantation Song." John's father was a teacher at Fisk, and he loved "Go, Tell It On the Mountain," which was sung by students on Christmas Day each year as they walked the buildings of the university.

As with many popular hymns, there have been a variety of stanzas attached to the song over the year. The original stanzas featured slave dialect:

When I was a seeker


I sought both night and day.


I ask de Lord to help me,


An' He show me de way.

He made me a watchman


Upon the city wall,


An' if I am a Christian


I am the least of all.

Chorus:

Go tell it on de mountain,


Over de hills and everywhere.


Go tell it on de mountain,


Dat Jesus Christ is born.

This year, more than previous years, I've found myself in conversations about how to deal with loss in the Christmas season. One friend lost his dad in 2015. Another friend will lose her cousin-in-law to illness before Christmas Day. Another friend recently had a miscarriage, and another is watching his hospice-bound wife slowly give in to cancer as I write this. So it was interesting for me to learn that the students involved with the Fisk Jubilee Singers were reluctant to sing spirituals to audiences across the country. One said, "The slave songs were never used by us then in public. They were associated with slavery and the dark past and represented the things to be forgotten." But at the encouragement of George White, they began to sing these songs in public.

I think this is a great example of God bringing something good out of something bad (Rom 8:28), and I think God used community to bring it about. The Negro spirituals represented oppression, slavery, a dark chapter for African Americans. But because they were brought into public spaces, they saved a university, they preserved an art form, and they give us words to proclaim the hope we have in Christ today. You may be in the midst of loss, or struggle, or pain. I don't minimize that: dark chapters of our story are real as we walk through them. What I will say is this: God is there. He walks through the darkest valley. But he soon leads us out of it, to quiet waters where he restores our soul. May we place our hope there.

* Much credit for this blog goes to C. Michael Hawn, Distinguished Professor of Music at SMU Perkins. Read more on "Go, Tell It On the Mountain" here: http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-go-tell-it-on-the-mountain

Worship as Evangelism

A couple weeks ago I was reading through Ezra, and I came to a passage that caught my attention. If you’re unfamiliar with Ezra, he was a priest in the 5th century BC who gives an account of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple, following the Babylonian exile of the Israelites. In one particularly dramatic chapter, the builders lay the foundation to rebuild the temple, resulting in a time of worship and praise. Here’s how Ezra describes the moment:

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: 

“He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.”

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (3:11-13. Read the passage in context here.)

Two things amaze me in this passage. First, you have lament and praise happening simultaneously. Those in the older generation remembered the glory of the former temple. They wept for what had been. Those in the younger generation were thrilled at the prospect of the new temple. They rejoiced for what was coming. Both responses were raw and heartfelt, and both were important expressions. And they were indistinguishable from each other.

Second, the lament-praise was heard far away. Imagine the sound heard by those living in the nearby wilderness. When I’m home in southeast Lincoln on a Saturday in the fall, I can sometimes hear the roar of Memorial Stadium. I can’t tell if it’s a sound of joy or of frustration, but I know it represents a real moment of response.

Worship unites generations. It provides a moment where lament and joyful exuberance can coexist and be indistinguishable from one another because both are authentic responses to God. When we respond to God in a way that is real and heartfelt, worship also bears witness to the reality of God’s presence in our midst. Those attending for the first time might have their eyes opened to a God Who loves them enough to rescue them from sin and death. In this way worship is evangelistic: it shares the truth of the gospel with those around us.

Is your worship authentic on Sunday mornings? Does your corporate expression of worship allow for you to be authentic before God? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts.