Worship is…Transgenerational

Dear Worshippers,

I am going to keep prayer before you, but for now a respite as we resume the series on the Core Values of corporate worship in our church. If you were not at church last week when the brochure containing them was distributed I have attached it for you convenience. Please read it and familiarize yourself with the Scriptures that teach these values which the Elders have embraced and adopted…

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the sixth value, Transgenerational. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

When we are for worship we are a diverse group. We represent different church backgrounds, neighborhoods, ethnic groups, nationalities, cultures, career paths, family make-up, etc. One of the greatest spans we cover is that of generations. Though there are a number of opportunities for the respective generations to gather together within the life of the church, we believe that our corporate worship should be Transgenerational, or across the generations. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

…¹¹kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,

¹² young men and maidens,
old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ He has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the LORD. Psalm 148:11-14

¹⁷'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Acts 2:17-21 [Joel 2:28-32]

¹²I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
¹³I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
¹⁴I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one. I John 2:12-14

In the first two passages the Psalmist is describing corporate worship or instructing in it’s practice. In the Acts passage, which quotes Joel’s prophecy, Peter is declaring the prophecy to have been fulfilled in the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. That same Spirit is at work today. And in the passage from I John, we read the words of a letter that were meant to be read to the church when it was gathered for worship, obviously across the generations.

When we gather for worship, we must appreciate the fact that we are approaching the Lord with members of other generations. I say appreciate because it is important that we are more than simply sensitive to this fact. We must gather with the expectation that the Lord desires to speak to us through those other generations, through aspects of worship that may be more meaningful to them, and sometimes directly through the members of those other generations. The Lord is so gracious to help us understand the timelessness of worship as we gather to worship across the generations each week, but this is only one of the ways we reach beyond ourselves in worship to see more of God.

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…a spiritual discipline.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Changes

Dear Worshippers,

For the last several weeks I have been challenging you to enter into a deeper life of prayer. I have asked you for a commitment to a prayer ministry for the worship life of our church, but really centered around knowing Christ better. I have been discouraged that so few of you have responded, but I took that discouragement to the Lord. I believe He has showed me a number of things.

Prayer is not for a few but for all of us. Jesus’ call to prayer in Matthew 9 was not issued to just the spiritual giants, but to all of us. We all need to be praying, and then going and serving. Prayer must be our first work , or all of our other work will be for naught. Let us pray.

This is not a guilt trip but a conviction course. I am not trying to guilt you into praying more. Jesus taught that the Spirit would come to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment [John 16:8]. If you are feeling guilty for not praying, that is not from God. If you are feeling convicted to pray more, that is. It is not my words that bring conviction, but the work of the Holy Spirit.

Change is not a simple thing. What I am feeling compelled to ask you to do will require some changes in your life. You can not continue to spend your time the same way. You can not continue to practice the same set of spiritual disciplines. You must make some changes. That is no easy task. Jesus’ teaching of self-denial and cross-bearing demonstrate this.

It was this last one that really hit me today, first on a personal level and then broadening to include the ministry we share.

How are your resolutions going? A month into the New Year many people have long forgotten the resolutions they made, which likely would have required some changes in their lives. While mine was not a resolution, I have committed to more systematic prayer as I desire to grow in my relationship with Christ this year. I have failed in one area of this endeavor because I have not made the changes in my living to facilitate it.

I wonder how many of you are not willing to commit to pray because you are afraid you do not have the abitily to make the necessary changes in your life to fulfill the commitment? I want to encourage you to submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to amaze you with His ability. I am praying for a revival in our church. Will you be a part of that? Will you join me in prayer? Become an InterCessor today!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

NOTES

♪ CHOIR – Join us this week as we are continuing work on the Easter musical “I’ve Seen Jesus”. Click here to hear some clips and read a brief description.

♪ ORCHESTRA – Upcoming Schedule We play next this week, 2.10 and then follow the forthcoming schedule. EASTER schedule is attached. Click here to hear some clips and read a brief description of it.

♪ DVD’s – I have them for “There is Peace…” for those of you who would still like one. At the office and with me on weekends.

January 2008

Dear InterCessors,

Thank you for answering the call to prayer. For a long time the leadership of the Alliance has said that prayer must be our first work. This ministry, a broad group of people praying collectively for the worship life of our church, will ensure that we keep the main thing the main thing. I believe we can move mountains. I believe Jesus gave us great authority that we too often fail to exercise. Thank you for being willing to “get in shape”, or rather to assist the worship life of our church to do so, through your prayers.

This is the commitment I would like to ask you to make. I am calling the InterCessors to spend 2008 as follows.

1. Praying everyday through a monthly prayer card (3-5 minutes)

2. Waiting on the Lord following this to hear His voice (1-2 minutes)

3. Praying on Sunday morning for the worship experience of the church gathered.

4. Praying the rest of the week for the worship experience of the work dispersed.

Eventually I would like to add a fifth phase, possibly later this Spring once the team is a little larger

5. Praying once a month during the service with other members of the team for God to reveal Himself and His people to respond.

Just reply that you would like to be an InterCessor and I will add you to the list for monthly updates.

Divine Power – Daily Living

Dear Worshippers,

Last week the thrust of my thoughts to you centered on Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” I continue to challenge you to pray today but from a slightly different perspective. I also want to offer a practical suggestion.

Last week I shared some thoughts from Matthew Henry regarding God stirring His people to pray as a sign He is about to bestow some special mercy on them. I think I was thinking of a particular event or season of blessing, and though that may be what God is doing as He stirs us to pray I came across another verse last week that broadened my thinking and brought it in line with the vision God has given us for this ministry we share.

As I was preparing for Small Group last week I came across a few verses in 2 Peter 1:3-4. Allow me to select a portion of those verses for our consideration. “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life…He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.” Escaping the decadence all around us and sharing in His divine nature are the supernatural by-products of using His divine power for daily living, appropriated to us as we know Jesus better.

While I am praying for special mercy to come upon us in a remarkable way as a church, these words gripped me right from the first five…“As we know Jesus better”. How do we get to know Him better? By spending time with Him. Prayer is one of the ways we do that.

Now for the practical. I shared with choir a few weeks ago about hearing someone on Christian radio talking about spending different times in prayer and meditation over the course of the day. The Biblical foundation for this is solid with examples like Daniel and David being a couple. I purposed to alter my life a bit to try to include a short time of prayer in the late morning, afternoon, and evening in addition to my quiet time with God in the morning which includes Bible reading and worship.

Over the last week I have begun to practice this with greater regularity. It has heightened my awareness of the activity of God in my life. It has given me a greater burden for those around me with a proportional ability to through the Spirit to show compassion. It has helped me to live in the presence of God, experience Him more and more, and as I obey Him to know Him better.

2 Peter 1:3-4 has come alive to me. I am not saying to be religious or legalistic about it, but I want to encourage you to find a way to know Jesus, because when you do, you will find divine power for daily living, and that is special mercy if there ever was one.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Our Mission – In Prayer

Dear Worshippers,

I wrote to you last week to challenge and encourage you to be a part of an increased focus on and activity in prayer for and through our Worship Ministries. I shared in choir last Wednesday night [hope to see many of you tomorrow] that God has really stirred my heart through Pastor David’s message THIS IS YOUR MISSION the previous Sunday, January 13. I have been reflecting on his word and God’s word in that passage (Matthew 9:35-38) over the last week, and the stirring has continued.

As I was preparing this Tuning I consulted Matthew Henry’s commentary to see what insight he might have and it confirmed everything the Lord had been speaking to me. Of this passage about our need to pray for the Lord to send out workers he wrote, “Let us pray that many may be raised up and sent forth, who will labour in bringing souls to Christ. It is a sign that God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it. And commissions given to labourers in answer to prayer, are most likely to be successful.” [emphasis mine]

Those words gripped my heart. “God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it.” That is what I am asking you to prayer for: some special mercy. Won’t you agree with me for that?!?

What does that look like? I believe it will look a little different in every circumstance as we “bring souls to Christ”, but it will be marked by one thing. Resurrection power.

In my preparation for Easter, I have again come across the verse in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” That is what will mark us as we ask and God answers by sending us out into the harvest field. Yes, I said us!

Notice the verse in Matthew 9:38 does NOT say, “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out OTHER laborers.” [ESV] It just says laborers, so God may and probably will answer our prayers by sending US. But when we pray, we have to ask with a willingness for the answer to come through us.

How will we respond when He sends us? How will we respond if we don’t' hear? How will we hear if we don’t listen? How can we listen if we are always talking in prayer? Join me in a new season of prayer as we seek to know Christ and the power of His resurrection poured out through us.

I am so excited I can hardly type quickly enough. I am praying for you to be caught up in the fresh, new thing God wants to do in us. This is our mission – in prayer.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Relationships

Dear Worshippers,

I am continuing to learn that life and ministry are all about relationships. Over the last week I have received a number of emails responding to this communication I fondly call my “tunings”. Without fail they reflected to me the relationship I have with each responder, some more intimate than others, while all very warm and honest. Though I may not have replied to all, I do consider every response valuable and appreciate each taking their time to share their thoughts. I am thankful to God for the relationship I have with each of you.

I did not mean to sound like I was about to quit writing, though it must had sounded that way. I was simply trying to evaluate the usefulness of what I had been communicating. The Spirit led me into that as part of a larger process of retooling in a sense. I will continue to write, Lord willing, as I pray that those who read will seek a similar kind of freshness in their service to the King. As I journey along, I am thankful to have each of you as companions in pursuing Christ-likeness.

This next part of the journey for me is going to be marked by prayer, as these tunings will reflect before resuming the Core Values series. Prayer is really about relationship. As I take time and relate to God in conversation, I get to know Him better. I can express to Him my concerns about my walk with Christ, my family, this ministry and our church for starters. He shows me His heart on these things and I come to a place of rest as I enjoy His presence.

I invite you to cultivate that relationship as well in 2008. Over the last couple of years with varied success I have attempted to organize a prayer ministry for our Worship Ministry. By God’s grace and for His glory, I am committed to revitalizing that ministry. It began with seven men a few of years ago, then expanded to include a larger group almost two years ago. The point of it was to have some things to pray about regarding the worship life of our church, with the ultimate goal of having teams praying not only for our services but during. I am making it my goal to see that happen in some form this year.

I have included below the text of my original communication to those who committed to be InterCessors as well as a list of ongoing and immediate requests. This will give you more information to make a prayerful consideration of involvement in this ministry. Do not be afraid or discouraged. God wants us to approach Him in prayer. We are going to do more of that in the days ahead as we pursue a deeper relationship with Christ and each other.

NEXT WEEK: Our Mission-In Prayer

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

[March 2006]

Dear InterCessors,

Thank you for answering the call to prayer. For a long time the leadership of the Alliance has said that prayer must be our first work. This ministry, a broad group of people praying collectively for the worship life of our church, will ensure that we keep the main thing the main thing. I believe we can move mountains. I believe Jesus gave us great authority that we too often fail to exercise. Thank you for being willing to “get in shape”, or rather to assist the worship life of our church to do so, through your prayers.

This is the commitment I would like to ask you to make. I am calling the InterCessors to spend 2006 as follows.

1. Praying everyday through a monthly prayer card (3-5 minutes)
2. Waiting on the Lord following this to hear His voice (1-2 minutes)
3. Praying on Sunday morning for the worship experience of the church gathered.
4. Praying the rest of the week for the worship experience of the work dispersed.

Eventually I would like to add a fifth phase, possibly in the fall once the team is a little larger

5. Praying once a month during the service with other members of the team for God to reveal Himself and His people to respond.

Communication and Evaluation

Dear Worshippers,

For almost three years now I have been writing this regular note. It has been a very profitable exercise for me because it forces me to think about worship and compose those thoughts into a compact form. The thoughts have been about our services in particular and the life of worship in general. But I am entering a New Year and am assessing the value of some of my commitments. In that process I came to this. I wanted to give you an opportunity to let me know if it is something that is beneficial to you, which would require reading it of course. I wondered if anyone has visited the blog where the entries can be found. Are there any suggestions you might have? Maybe the Lord wants to use you to help me reshape this tool.

As I considered requesting your input, I realized that some of you have been grafted in to this local church family or our worship ministries since this all began, so the history and background of why I do this might prove helpful. I have borrowed some of my own words from that first entry in 2005 to shape your thoughts…

TUESDAY TUNINGS

As I considered what to call this ongoing project, I wanted to pattern it after Pastor David’s in as many ways as possible. The day of the week on which it will be generated and a summation of the actual body of work were foundational to this concept. I wanted a different day of the week, and preferred earlier so as to come before rehearsals on Wednesday, and give more time to ponder before Sunday. I am not in my study on Monday, but Tuesday also meets the aforementioned demands while also providing time to reflect on the previous Sunday while it is still a fresh memory. Thus, TUESDAY.

Then in addition to the summation of the work, THOUGHTS for Pastor David, I liked the whole alliteration thing. Actually, I got hung up on it for a time, until my Lord delivered me. I am certain you all can understand what I am talking about as you consider your own personality strengths, which can become weaknesses if not managed well. Anyway, as I was reflecting on the name of this project about a year ago [2004], the Lord brought the text of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” to mind. Particularly the first stanza.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise His name-I’m fixed upon it-Name of God’s redeeming love.

The Holy Spirit quickened my mind to the first phrase in particular. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; My prayer through considering this ministry communication tool was indeed that God would use it (Come) and prepare our hearts (Tune) to communicate the fullness of Who He is. In those moments, I believed the Lord clarified this vision, through the words of the hymnist. I am certain a similar thing has happened to many of You. {Thank You, Lord for speaking to us in a variety of ways.} I want God to tune our hearts to sing of His matchless and glorious grace, and I will do whatever it takes for me to help you in that, in obedience to my Lord’s command. Thus, TUNINGS.

As we begin and continue this journey together, may our Lord Jesus, come and tune our hearts to sing loud songs of praise like the angels above to the glory of His grace and His redeeming love…

So share your evaluation with me. Is it helpful? Is it useful? Is it worth the time I spend crafting and sending it? I really want to know. Please speak the truth, in love of course. A simple reply should suffice. What the tuning does for me each week is to help me see a smaller snapshot of what God is doing right now, God’s fingerprints on this ministry. I am expecting Him to bring clarity through this process through you.

For those of you who read expecting an encouragement for your life of worship here is a devotional thought I received last week that I found particularly beneficial. It might help you answer why we sing new songs, in a fresh way. I know it will for me.

Psalm 144:7, 9

Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me... I will sing a new song to you, O God. NAS

Have you ever noticed how many times in the book of Psalms it speaks about singing a new song? What are some of the reasons why we need to sing a new song? I believe there’s one in that passage that I’ve just quoted: Every new deliverance calls forth a new song.

So as we go through life, from time to time we find ourselves in the situation where we have to call out to God for deliverance, but out of that deliverance there comes a new song. We learn something new about God, there’s a new depth in our experience and to give true and adequate expression to that new revelation and that new depth, the Holy Spirit gives us a new song. Sometimes it’s a song in a language we know; sometimes it’s a song in an unknown language.

But remember, a time of need is going to be followed by deliverance, and deliverance is going to call forth a new song. And when that deliverance comes don’t try to go back to some old song but be ready for the Holy Spirit to give you a new song that appropriately expresses the new truth, the new revelation, the new blessing that you’ve received out of that new deliverance.

So bear that in mind as you go through this path of life, a new deliverance calls forth a new song given by the Holy Spirit. - Derek Prince

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Dear Worshippers,

May the peace of our Prince fill your hearts and homes this wonderful Christmas season and all through the New Year, regardless of the circumstances in which you may find yourself. It is a joy and a delight to share this ministry with you for the glory of Jesus Christ, and I pray that you will know the joy of living in His presence in ever-increasing measure in 2008. As John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” [John 3:30, ESV] May that be our corporate prayer today and every day.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

What Can I Give Him?

Dear Worshippers,

On my mind these last few weeks has been this opportunity to bring a gift to Jesus this Sunday night in the service. When Pastor David first shared this idea that Kyle Linscheid first mentioned, immediately the verses from I Corinthians 14:26-40 came to mind. Paul offers instruction there for the orderly exercising of gifts in public worship. He says, “When you meet. One will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord.” Our offering of gifts to Jesus Sunday night I am certain will have that desired effect. I hope you will consider coming and contributing, whether with a song or poem or otherwise.

As I have been reflecting on this theme a poem came to mind by Christina Rossetti, titled “In the Bleak Midwinter”. In my search for the text, I came across a post on YouTube featuring Sarah Brightman singing this text to the traditional Gustav Holst melody. Here is the link to that video to introduce it to some of you, and remind the rest: In the Bleak Midwinter.

We only have the last stanza in our hymnal [The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, Word © 1986] for some reason. While it is beautiful, it is best understood and appreciated with the entire context of the poem. This was very difficult to find, but I believe is the complete original text. What a gift? Our hearts. I leave you with your Spirit-led reflections.

1.      In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan, 

        earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; 

        snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, 

        in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2.      Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain; 

        heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign. 

        In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed 

        the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. 

3.      Enough for Him whom cherubim worship night and day,

A breastful of milk and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him whom angels fall down before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

3.      Angels and archangels may have gathered there, 

        cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; 

        but his mother only, in her maiden bliss, 

        worshiped the beloved with a kiss. 

4.      What can I give him, poor as I am? 

        If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; 

        if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; 

        yet what I can I give him:  give my heart.

Let us be mindful as well of those who are aware how bleak midwinter is. There are many in our lives, even in our church, yes even on our shared area of ministry that look at the season we now enjoy with mixed emotions at best. Whether there is family disharmony or outright conflict, a fractured relationship, or simply reminders of the same, many are dealing with powerful and difficult emotions. Let us incarnate Christ to them and so share the peace that the He alone offers. Give Him your heart, and let Him use to in the life of another.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Thank You, Jesus

Dear Worshippers,

If you participated in the musical this past weekend, please know that I am truly grateful to you. As I said in our prayer time just before we started Sunday night, each of us had a role to play in communicating the message of peace available in Jesus. I thank my God as I remember your part, whatever it was.

I will take some time this week to write thank you notes to at least a few people who contributed to the success of the musical. I will not be able to tell everyone just how appreciative I am of their sacrifices, let alone the sacrifices of family and friends in the midst of this season. It takes a lot of people and a lot of time to do what the Lord did through us Sunday night. Again, I thank our God for the use of each of us.

I am also finding myself thanking Jesus for what He did Sunday night, the days leading up to it, and since. As I think about different things that happened, I am amazed at the goodness of our Lord to me and us. I don't really take the time to convey the many things that I see the Lord doing as we prepare a major work like the musical. Here is a short list:

♪ Excellent stage management assistance in Lisa Giessler, who truly feels as though her job is done best when no one notices, well done
♪ A wonderful combination of folks for the cast, their relationships as seen on stage proved to be a powerful venue for the Lord to communicate to us
♪ The furniture. This may seem like a little thing, but trust me it is not
♪ Caring for details like cookies, we never have too few
♪ The venue at the mall, the TV, and favor with the management. The latter especially was an unexpected blessing.
♪ Our audio/visual crew, including the high-flying Pastor Tony Etris who I learned is afraid of heights, and faithful Fred, and marvelous Meria
♪ Bringing people that we have invited. Only He can do that. Some of them were real surprises, to us at least.
♪ The orchestra players, who came a variety of times from a variety of places through a variety of contacts that only the Lord could make.
♪ The largest choir we have had in that loft since at least Easter. Great job! You are the foundation of this entire endeavor.
♪ And the list goes on.

Thank you Jesus! Thank you for these and any other blessings along the way that came by Your gracious hand. We revel in all that You are, in these days, this season, and forever.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Dear Worshippers,

With the snow falling these last couple of days, I have found myself humming this tune. I even caught Samuel singing it on the way to school this morning as we traveled white-covered roads. The lights are going up all over town, Christmas plans are in full swing, and you can feel it in the air. Christmas is coming. You can see.

As parents of small children, Sarah and I have really wrestled with what Christmas should look like. Presents under the tree can quickly become the focal point of this season that is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of our Savior. How many times are children asked that question during the lead-up to Christmas, “What do you want for Christmas?”

No before you think I am an old Scrooge, you must know that we delight in giving good gifts to our children. What we struggle with is doing so while trying even harder to keep Christ in Christmas. I know this is a universal struggle for every household, so I wanted to write today and encourage you along these lines…

What makes it look like Christmas in your home? For us, it is the nativity at the bottom of a tree decorated with angels. It is the Advent wreath where we try to gather every evening to light the candles and think about Jesus’ coming. It is decorating and going to see Christmas lights which penetrate the darkness and remind us that Jesus did and continues to do just that.

I am certain you have some traditions of your own that make Christmas special. I want to encourage you to enjoy them and the way they point you to the Savior. Maybe there is something new you have wanted to add for sometime and just haven’t. Maybe there is some obligatory thing that you have wanted to stop doing and just haven’t. Purpose to allow your spare moments in this busy holiday season to be filled with Christ. Know that I will be doing the same.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Is there Peace in the World Tonight?

Dear Worshippers,

Following a rest stop in our journey through our core values of worship last week, I sense the Lord leading me to take a detour for this next season. It is my expectation that this detour will lead us back to the path we were traveling together, but for now, let us enjoy this road that lies immediately before us-the Advent and Christmas seasons.

This is a good time to begin a new path since it marks the beginning of the year. Before you think that the stress of the Christmas musical has through my mind off by a month bear in mind that I am referring to the Christian or Church Year, not the calendar. The Church Year, liturgically speaking, begins with Advent. You will remember that advent means appearing. This is the season when we remember that God our King promised to appear, and then kept His promise by sending His Son, Jesus, our Prince of Peace.

The musical we will share next week, makes the statement “There is Peace in the World Tonight” in it’s title and then reinforces that through narration, drama and song. The angels got it right when they said, “Peace on earth”, although the headlines might lead you to believe there proclamation was premature. You see peace is not the absence of conflict, peace is the presence of God.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” [John 14:27] Often this peace seems allusive, just beyond our grasp, but it is found when we rest in Him, not allowing our hearts to be troubled or ourselves be afraid. Sounds easy, right?

I am facing something today in my personal life that kind of has me reeling. I am troubled. I could allow these circumstances to dictate the state of my soul, or I can allow God to do that. Ultimately, this is a response I must choose based on truth God has revealed.

What are you facing today? Will you allow it to rob you of the peace of God? Or rather will you choose to respond to it with the peace of God? I know the choice that I am determined to make. We sang it in the service Sunday night: “Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy or what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.” AMEN. There is peace in the world tonight.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Evangelistic

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the fifth value. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders are considering as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Last week I mentioned that the last two phrases of our new brand flesh out our mission focus very nicely: Multiplying communities of Christ. Around the World. The thing about multiplying communities of faith, whether here, there or everywhere, is that it requires evangelism. That is, seeing the lost turn to Christ alone for salvation. Our mission to do this around the world implies that we will be doing that right here for starters. If we are to be an evangelistic people, and we are, then our worship must be Evangelistic. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we are recommending for inclusion in the philosophical document:

They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,

so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Psalm 145:11-12

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men…For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again…

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. II Corinthians 5:11a, 14-15, 18-19 (From II Corinthian 5:11-21)

Part of the reason that we worship is so that others may hear of God’s mighty acts as we glorify Him. We often forget about the horizontal dimension of worship. When we gather to worship we are there with others. Though our primary focus is the Lord, we recognize the presence of others with us, believers and unbelievers. You may ask, “Do you really think there are that many unbelievers in church from week to week?” The Scriptures bears out very clearly that there are many who think they know Christ, but have never surrendered their lives to Him, and others who simply have not yielded but are being drawn to Christ. When we worship God, those unbelievers hear of “[His] mighty acts and the glorious splendor of [His] Kingdom and have the opportunity to turn in faith.

The second passage reminds us that we have entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, that is, helping people to realize a that Christ has made a way to be reconciled to God. What a privilege is ours to be Christ’s ambassadors. If this is a part of our life in Christ individually, then certainly it will find expression through us collectively. We need always to be looking out for those opportunities to help people realize they can have peace with God.

While we offer a variety of events that have this as a part of their focus, it may not be more clearly presented than at our Christmas musical. There is an effort made to invite the unchurched, and unevangelized in our lives to come. While here, they hear the Christmas story and have an opportunity to give their lives to Christ. Take advantage of this evangelistic event by inviting others and encouraging them to join us for the musical.

But the musical is not the only evangelistic thing we do all year. Every time we gather there is that awareness that unbelievers are likely in our midst and we must clearly communicate the gospel so that they have the opportunity to come to faith. Keep your eyes open for those opportunities when you are here, and when you are there. Everywhere.

Jesus, may our individual lives of worship be evangelistic, so that when we join together in our corporate worship it will be evangelistic as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Mission Focused

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the fourth value. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders are considering as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Last week I mentioned new brand of The Christian and Missionary Alliance “Living the Call Together” and the way it communicates who we are. It is explained with four concise phrases: Ordinary people. Empowered by an extraordinary God. Multiplying communities of Christ. Around the World. Those last two phrases really capture the Mission focus of this movement. That focus must be reflected in our worship. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, here are the ones we are recommending for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

You may recall that the latter verse was one of the verses that was used for the last value, Spirit empowered. There is a very pointed purpose in that empowering, completing the task that Jesus gave those first disciples and continues to assign today to everyone called by His matchless name. The empowering of the Spirit is not as much for our good as it is for the glory of our God.

The revealing of that glory to the world in this age started with Jesus command to us, which we call The Great Commission. We often think about the word “go” as being the primary operative word, but we need to be careful not to miss “make disciples”. Jesus did not say make converts, but disciples. The process is very different, the latter being a process not a pinpoint moment. Our worship should aid that process in every way, and be a significant part of it.

But there is at least one other aspect that I want to highlight. At the beginning and the end of this passage are two things we must not forget as we focus on mission: power and presence. Jesus says, “All authority…has been given to me…and surely I am with you always”. We must demonstrate to the world the power and presence of Jesus to the world in relationship. We can tell people about Jesus, but living out His mission focus requires that we show them Jesus. He lived out His mission flawlessly, we do not. Still let us give ourselves over to the One who wants to focus our worship on the mission He has given us to accomplish.

Jesus, may our individual lives of worship be mission focused, so that when we join together in our corporate worship it will be mission focused as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Spirit-Empowered

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the third value. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders are considering as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Last week I mentioned that one of the early cries of The Christian and Missionary Alliance was, “Jesus Only!” While we continue to be true to that, our new brand “Living the Call Together” communicates that commitment to this generation. It is fleshed out in four concise phrases: Ordinary people. Empowered by an extraordinary God. Multiplying communities of Christ. Around the World. It starts with the call of the Father, delivered by the Son and empowered by the Spirit. Let there be no mistaking, as much as we desire our worship to be Word centered and Christ exalting, we also desire for it to be Spirit-empowered. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, here are the ones we are recommending for inclusive in the philosophical document:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power. I Corinthians 2:4-5

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

As individual believers we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit that we might be witnesses of the glory of Jesus Christ. Far too often, we do not yield to the Spirit’s work in our lives, and so we do not enjoy the benefits He offers. How often even on our witness do we try to use “wise and persuasive words” in the absence of the Spirit’s power.

If our lives are made up of one expression of worship after another, forming a sequence of events that when combined make one great act of worship, then we must trust the Spirit’s power to enable these expressions. Our witness and our worship are intrinsically connected as we see in these verses, so let us surrender to the Spirit everyday, and certainly on the day when we come together.

If you have ever heard me pray before corporate worship, you likely have heard me ask the Spirit to have his way in us, even if that means a radical change in our plans. Even if we have to set our agendas aside entirely to experience the power of the Spirit, would that not be preferable to the alternative, our agenda without Him? I believe so.

May our individual lives of worship be Spirit-empowered, so that when we join together in our corporate worship it will be Spirit-empowered as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Christ Exalting

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the second value. As I said, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders are considering as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

One of the early cries of The Christian and Missionary Alliance was, “Jesus Only!” Our four-fold gospel represented in our logo visualizes this Christ-focus: Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. Let there be no mistaking, as much as we desire our worship to be Word centered, we also desire for it to be Christ exalting. While one might say that Word centered and Christ exalting are very similar since Christ is the Living Word, there is certainly a place in worship to specifically exalt the person of our Lord and His life and ministry. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, here are the ones we are recommending for inclusive in the philosophical document:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4

I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Verses 17b-18 from Revelation 1:10-18

Clearly the Word, which we desire to have the central place in our worship, declares that we are to exalt the person of our Lord in all we do, whether individually or corporately. This heart of exaltation toward Christ is demonstrated in our individual lives and then certainly in our corporate life. Everything we do must exalt, lift up, magnify, laud, acclaim, pay tribute to, and sing the praises of Jesus.

You have heard the saying, “A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.” I think this is evidenced in our corporate worship at times, in that our worship, our Christ exalting Word centered worship is only as strong as our weakest link. So I ask you the question, does your life magnify the Lord Jesus Christ? Again, I am not talking about perfection as much as inclination. Is it your aim to exalt Him in all that you do? As we each seek to exalt Christ is our individual lives, we will experience a greater degree of corporate Christ exalting worship when we gather.

May our individual lives of worship be Christ exalting, so that when we join together in our corporate worship it will be Christ exalting as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Word Centered

Dear Worshippers,

We spent the last two weeks thinking about how worship is not synonymous with music. Now I would like to take a journey through what worship is. As I said, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders are considering as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather deal with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Consistent with the history and heartbeat of our church, the first value that surfaced was that Worship is Word centered. Probably the most defensible of all the values, it sits right at the top of the list because of the centrality of the Scripture in the life of faith in general and certainly in the gatherings of the people of God in particular. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to each of these realities, but the ones we are recommending for inclusive in the philosophical document are these:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. Verse 7 from Psalm 19:7-14

I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love,
and I meditate on your decrees. Verse 48 from Psalm 119

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

Clearly the Word must have a central place in our individual lives and accordingly our corporate gatherings. How do we express that? We read the Word. We preach the Word. We sing the Word. We pray the Word. We honor the Word. [Everything that we do in the service must be in line with the Word.]

As is the case with this, so it is with all the values. The intent of the corporate gathering is that it is a collective demonstration of what we desire to be expressed in each of our lives individually. Living the Call when we are dispersed should certainly be illustrated by Living the Call Together when we gather. And we do that through His power which is ushered in through our knowledge of Him according to His Word.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

May our individual lives of worship be Word centered, so that when we join together in our corporate worship it will be Word centered as well.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship ≠ Music, Part 2

Dear Worshippers,

As we began this path last week I made two basic points: 1. There is much to worship that is not music, and 2. Music, especially singing, is a scripture-mandated element of worship, though much more varied than we often imagine. I asked these questions at the end of last weeks Tuning, “Which music does God like best?” and “What is God’s favorite song?”

One author has put it this way.

His favorite song of all, is the song of the redeemed.
When lost sinners now made clean lift their voices loud and strong.
When those purchased by His blood lift to Him a song of love.
Nothing more He’d rather hear. None so pleasing to His ear.
That’s His favorite song of all.
“Favorite Song of All”, Words and Music by Dan Dean, © 1992 Dawn Treador Music.
First brought to my attention through the ministry of The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir directed by Carol Cymbala

What do you suppose that song sounds like? Do you suppose it has a particular “style”? Do you imagine that it has a particular orchestration and instrumentation? Do you think it is four-part harmony or simple melody, etc.? You see where I am going with this. The song God most enjoys is the song of love sung by “lost sinners now made clean.”

The song above continues with these words. [I get “glory” bumps just thinking about them.]

It’s not just melodies and harmonies that capture His attention.
It’s not just clever lines and phrases that causes Him to stop and listen,
But when any heart set free, washed and bought by Calvary begins to sing…
That’s His favorite song of all, it’s the song of the redeemed…

I heard a story just last Friday that illustrated this beautifully. A friend was relaying to me how she came to know Jesus, and particularly the role that music played in that. She was attending a special service at her church where a style of music was being used to which she had an aversion. From the opening strains of music she relayed how she dug her heals in determined she would not participate, yet during those same stains of music she began to feel God calling her. There was an opportunity at the end of the service to talk and pray with counselors in a certain room. She went there, looked in, but quickly walked away. The pastor and her friend caught her and asked if she wanted to go to the altar. It was there that she gave her life to Jesus in simple faith, with no musical underscore.

God happened to reveal Himself through music, and a number of other means, but the response was not musical at all, at least not in the way we define music and singing. She did not relay to me that she began spontaneous praise singing _________ [insert favorite or abhorrent song title hear]. But she did tell me that her feelings toward a previously unliked style of music changed. Why? Because God revealed Himself to her when her heart was least expecting it, and that opened her to a whole new world, both spiritually and musically.

All this is simply to say that worship is not music, but music can be worship, when the heart is rightly oriented to God, i.e. redeemed. Thanks again for journeying on with me. I look forward to where the Lord will take us next week.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship ≠ Music, Part 1

Dear Worshippers,

Last week I wrote about allowing revelation and response so as to exalt the role of the Holy Spirit in each of these and diminish our role as worship leaders. I was planning to drive on it to the Core Values that we are discussing as a subcommittee of Elders, but did not feel a release from the Lord on this. As I have prayed over the weekend and was meditating even today on what the Lord would have me share with you as we go on this journey I wanted to lay at least one more stepping stone along the foundation of this path. It is this, worship ≠ music, or worship does not equal music.

So often when people talk about worship, they are thinking music. If you look at these Tunings, listen closely to what I say, and hear what I hope is the consistent instruction I offer, you discern something entirely different. At least I hope you do. So that I am understood as we begin to talk about the Core Values of our corporate worship I wanted to make you certain I am NOT talking about music.

As we get into those Core Values, what you will notice is that they have nothing to do with music, or rather are not exclusive to musical expressions of worship. Though music may be a means of expressing any number of them, it is not the solitary expression of them, and probably is not even commonly connected with some. For you see, though music is a wonderful vehicle for our worship, it is but one of many choices. Depending on the path immediately before us, one might choose music over another vehicle, just as one would choose a different car based on the terrain directly ahead…

The scripture clearly commands praise. Psalms 8:2 says, “From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise.” “Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises” declares the Psalmist in 46:6. The Psalms conclude with “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” [Psalm 150:6] Not only the Psalms, but in a number of other places we are instructed to “sing”, i.e. Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19, to name a just a couple. Singing praise is just one vehicle to use as we worship, but there are even many expressions of it, including a variety of styles, no one of which could fully communicate the vastness of our God.

While we will all agree on that, we will not so quickly agree on which is best. Unfortunately, that is often informed more by our experience than the scripture. As the leader, I have to choose the vehicle, hopefully under the influence of the Holy Spirit. In the size of congregation we have there are differences of opinion. Understandably so. But what we need to remember, among other things, is that worship, and particularly in this example, praise, is for God. Certainly we benefit from it, but let us keep Him first or we are on precarious ground, if not unbiblical.

And besides, which music does God like best? Have you ever really thought of that question? It seems kind of absurd when you really ponder it. Of all the tones and timbres that resonate among the people of the earth, which is His favorite. Over the majestic symphonies of ocean waves and the whistling of the wind through pines on mountain peaks, what does He really like to hear? Over the glorious sonnets of the angels as they sing “Holy, holy is the Lamb”. What does God most enjoy among our trifling attempts at praise in song? I will answer that question next week, as I finish this discourse and make my case that worship does NOT equal music.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott