Michael's Notes - Thoughts On Worship, Leadership & Fitness

Sunday Setlists: Genesis and Christmas

Why participate in Sunday Setlists? This is a way for me to connect with other worship pastors and gather ideas that may work in my local congregation. Another reason to participate is to provide to the people at ClearView some links to songs and other resources that may help them continue in the conversation of worship everyday of the week.

We, ClearView, are pushing through the last few weeks in our Genesis series titled “Origins.” The thought behind this series is: if you do not believe the God of Genesis and the facts presented how can you believe the rest of the bible. The sermon this week was from Genesis chapter 9 and all of the music centered on the story of Christmas.

Songs:
Joy to the World (based on Casting Crowns arrangement) This was easy to sing and gave energy to service.

O Come All Ye Faithful. Here we continued the same feel as Joy To The World. The transition was a ‘vamp’ on a D chord, which was the last chord of previous song.  The opening note D became pick-up to the new key of G.

Welcome:

Baptism: (okay I thought the baptism was suppose to happen in the 9:30 service...it wasn't. Due to me not reading the tech sheet I authored my pastor went to the baptistery area looking while I did the big stretch...waiting for the baptism to happen. After seeing him return to the worship center with a puzzled look on his face I continued with the rest of the service.)

Songs: (this set featured our worship choir and it is a longer feature than most Sunday’s.)
Behold Emmanuel (From the book Once Upon A Holy Night, 2008 LifeWay Worship.)
Once Upon A Holy Night (From the book Once Upon A Holy Night, 2008 LifeWay Worship.)
Offering (We will use this worship song three weeks of December and also at our Christmas Eve services.

Sermon
    Video Intro (produced by John Magyar)
    Sermon Genesis 9:1-17
        Mark Marshall, pastor

Yesterday At ClearView

I have decided to join a group of worship leaders and worshippers who blog about what took place in their worship services each week. The series of blogs or blog carnival is titled "Sunday Setlists" and can be found at FredMcKinnon.com.  You can find other posts here:
ClearView Baptist centers on five core values:
    God’s Word
    Passionate Worship
    Prayer
    Transformed Lives
    Missions
All of these take their place in our worship services, however three see more prominence on a weekly basis: God’s Word, Passionate Worship and Prayer.

This week we continued in our series called “Origins” which is an in-depth look at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. The theme for each week is generated from the verse by verse study.

Yes this is the Christmas season but we chose not to completely make it about the Christmas Season. There were a few hints however. Here is how it went:

Pre-service:
    Started a few minutes early and introduced the first song, singing the chorus once and then asking the congregation to sing it once.

Scripture: Luke 2:8-11
   

Song Set 1
        Offering by Paul Baloche

Prayer

Song (as ending to prayer)
O Come All Ye Faithfull (just the chorus), no instruments

Parent Child Dedication
    It is our tradition to include Parent/Child Dedication in two of our weekend services each year, one in December and Mother’s Day.

Welcome
    Today this works as a transition to move the families off stage who participated in the parent/child dedication.

Song Set 2
    None But You

Scripture: Luke 2: 12-14
    Glory In the Highest (we choose to have the worship choir lead out in one song most weeks, yesterday it was this song)

(same key as last song so there was no intro just vocals beginning, band jumped entered measure four)
    Mighty To Save


Sermon Intro (a video created for each series, this takes 45 seconds which is the time we need to make a technology change in a second venue on our campus.) This video was produced by one of our church members, John Magyar.

Sermon
Genesis 8 ...Forgotten?

• God remembers me
• • When God remembers, He is taking action on His promises
  • Often, when God is silent, He is bringing us into a situation where He makes all things new.
  • Sometimes God must destroy the old before He can remake the new.
• In response to God’s faithfulness, I must remember God
• • Remember God by waiting patiently for His timing
  • Remember God by going when He says ‘go’
  • • Psalm 104:5-9
  • Remember God through repentance and total commitment
  • • Romans 2:4

What Worship Songs are Acceptable for the Congregation to Sing?

All styles are acceptable if:

• The theology is correct
• The message is clear
  
• The music does not distract from the message.
  
• The congregation can sing it.

Agree or disagree?

The Invisible Choir

Back in the day we preached to our choirs of the importance of being worship leaders from the time they walked onto the stage until the sermon was complete. It seemed the hardest part for most of those choirs to understand was the importance of being a worship leader during the sermon…following along…paying attention and not going to sleep.  It seemed that the choir thought that once the sermon started they were invisible to the audience, when exactly the opposite was true.  Every minute of the service someone from the audience was looking directly at them.

 

For many of us today the role of the worship choir has changed somewhat. Gone are the days when the choir stays on stage for the whole service. Yet their role as worship leaders is just as important. People are watching them from the very moment they walk onto the stage. Some things do stay the same…

 

In these days of fun theatrical lights and front-line singers, the worship choir still has the tendency to think they are invisible. “There’s so much going on that no-one will see me.” As much as is taking place on our stages, everyone is still visible to the congregation and they are looking to all who are on stage for the ‘cues’ to engage in worship.

 

So how do we get the ‘worship choir’ to understand their role as ‘visible’ worship leaders?

• Continue to believe in the importance of a worship choir
• Consistently remind the worship choir of its role.
• Encourage the worship choir to be worshippers
• Remind the worship choir that people are watching
  

Related Posts:

Who Sings in the Choir

Worship Choirs Past and Future

Raising Up Worship Leaders

If no one had seen some potential in me or taken a chance and given me the opportunity to serve I would not be a worship leader today.  The older I get the more I am thankful that God put people in my life that did give me a chance. I am thankful I attended a church that took a chance, putting me on stage to lead a portion of the service.

 

It is the responsibility of the church and its leaders to mentor others in the specific tasks of leading others.

 

Today at the church I serve, ClearView, we are trying to be intentional about raising up worship leaders. We are investing in the musical training of children and we are giving our youth an opportunity to use the talents they are learning to lead their peers. A year ago we made a more intentional commitment to invest in the lives of middle school and high school students, to work with them and mentor them to help them become worship leaders. In just 11 months I have been able to witness youth go from being followers of an adult worship team to leaders of their own team. They have risen to the challenge and expectations presented to them. It took a commitment from the church and the passion of a leader, Alexis Cruz, who was willing to see potential and invest time.

 

Long before I arrived at ClearView they saw the need for mentoring youth and giving them a place to serve. Their investment is making an impact on our worship services and others. This Sunday we will start the services with the song “There Is None Like You" (Sovereign Lord)  co-written by Chad Cates who grew up at ClearView. This song is making an impact in many congregations. Chad has written many songs that are being sung by congregations around the country including “Father, Spirit, Jesus” which was recorded by Casting Crowns. I am glad ClearView invested.

 

The legacy of the church and the effectiveness of the church in the future will be influenced by how well we mentor our youth and young adults. I am thrilled that our youth want to be involved in ministry and I can’t wait to see how they will impact the church and worship of the future.

 

My prayer is: “God give us wisdom on how to mentor our students and young adults to be leaders today and tomorrow.”

Preparing for Worship: God sings so should we?

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” NLT

• God is living among us…that is something to celebrate.
• God is our Mighty savior…that is something to celebrate.
• God delights in us…that is something to celebrate.
• God’s love will calm our fears…that is something to celebrate.
• God rejoices over us with song…that is something to celebrate.

It is hard for me to understand how people go to church on Sunday and just stand there and not participate, not engage in the conversation of worship. God has made it possible for us to gather in groups to celebrate who He is and what He has done for us.  That is something to celebrate.

It is rare that we witness celebrations where people just stand. If it is a true celebration there is usually buy-in with those involved. It should be the same each week in corporate worship.

Because of doctor’s orders I went through a time this year when I was not allowed to sing. When I attended worship events during that time it was tremendously difficult to be engaged. I have a new appreciation for singing and other acts of worship that demand participation. That is why I just don’t get how people come to worship and stand.

A.W. Tozer wrote concerning this subject in a number of his books and sermons. The following paragraph is taken from chapter 10 of his book The Attributes of God Volume 2. He is making reference to Zephaniah 3:17.

That’s why I want our congregations to sing. I don’t require that they sing on pitch – just that they sing with joy and enthusiasm. I don’t mind if the piano is out of tune, or if one fellow is singing a little step behind the next fellow – that doesn’t bother me. But the lack of warmth and enthusiasm makes me question the experiential life of Christians. The Christian Church has God in it and wherever God is, God will joy over His people with singing. The singing Church reflects the great God singing among His people.

Thousands of congregations will gather tomorrow for worship, will it be a celebration with buy-in from those who attend. If we have a relationship with God how can we just stand there and not sing; God is singing over us.

Worship Services, what is the real purpose?

For the last few weeks in our worship leadership planning times we have been discussing the meaning of ‘worship.’ Some of the phrases that were presented were:

         Reflect the glory of God

         Ascribe to God honor and glory

         Engage in a conversation with God that includes times of listening and talking

        

If we were to ask the question ‘what is the purpose of a corporate worship celebration?’ many of our answers would be similar and be something like this: Our worship services exist to make God’s glory known and by our actions ascribe worth to him. Or… ‘the public declaration of God and our response to that declaration, done in a gathering of mostly believers and some non-believers in which the believers gain support for their faith and the non-believers witness an outward expression of conversation between the church and its savior.’

 

In February 2007, Starbuck Chairman Howard Schultz sent a memo to his CEO, that somehow found its way onto the Internet. In the memo, Schultz expresses concern that his company has veered from its original charter. He cited a series of internal decisions that eventually led to a dilution of what customers had come to expect from a visit to Starbucks.

 

Have we lost sight of that goal of our corporate worship experiences when we add ‘things’ of culture to make our services ‘relevant’?  W.A. Tozer wrote: The Christian church was never intended to function as a current events forum.

 

There are many things we have added to our corporate gatherings that by themselves have tremendous value, but often take away from the conversation of worship.

 

Do we really need

announcements for up-coming events to take time from the conversation?

 

a movie clip that we think is cute?

 

a special occasion song just because it brings warm memories to our minds?

 

a skit that might have some small link to the theme of the day?

 

recognitions of birthdays or anniversaries?

 

None of the items in this list are bad, but I believe we need to evaluate what we allow to take up time in our services that are not really worship.  What we do need to reserve time for are:

 

         Prayer

         Ascribing to God Worth

         Praise

         God’s spoken Word

         God’s word explained

         Opportunities for response

         Time for reflection

A Comparison God and You

There is a great glimpse of worship found in the book of Isaiah Chapter 6 verses 1 – 8.  The passage is an example of a conversation of worship where God is seen and then the worshipper responds. 

 

In worship services today we use songs and scriptures to see a picture of God. When we look close at His attributes and then look to ourselves for comparison there really is none. Or the comparison is so far at opposite ends of the spectrum that it is hard to compare.  That is exactly the response of the writer of Isaiah 6; he sees a vision of the Lord, Majestic and holy, and then cries out ‘woe is me.’

 

In the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis I found the following statement:

 

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that – and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison – you do not know God at all. 

 

It is hard to imagine that God who is immeasurable invites us to be a part of His family.

 

It is hard to imagine that God, who is holy, invites us to stand in His presence and worship.

 

He made it so by a gift of love…His Son.

Preparing for Worship: getting beyond the logistics

Every worship leader is faced with a reoccurring blank piece of paper because Sundays come once a week. It is waiting to be filled with an outline of a worship service that will include various items depending on the personality of the local congregation.

I write this post on a Saturday morning meaning the blank piece of paper with tomorrow’s date at the top has been filled between its margins with an outline, and the items that fill the page have been detailed, arranged and rehearsed. We have done all that we can do. The question is: ‘what will the people recognize when they enter the designated place of worship tomorrow?’

In a statement from a sermon in the late 1950’s A.W. Tozer implied he had been asking the same question when he wrote the following:

“Visit some churches, and when you sit down, you are conscious of a Presence. You go into other churches, and when you sit down, you are conscious of the beauty of the music or the stained glass windows, the sonorous tones of the minister, and all the rest, but you are not conscious of the Presence of God necessarily.”

Where we meet you will not find stained glass, but basketball goals; and not beautiful architecture but cement block walls. However the caution for us who plan is that anything we put on stage or plan to use in a service is put there only to help us recognize the very presence of God.

So how do we guard against the items (elements) placed on the blank piece of paper becoming the focus and not God?

•    Ask the question just printed often.
•    Pray that God will take our planning and execution to bring Glory to Him
•    Pray for wisdom and insight to remove anything that could be a distraction
•    Pray: God help me forget about trying to make everything ‘right,’ and forget about being the producer. Instead give me the freedom of mind to worship

Related Posts

Preparing for Worship: A Saturday night to-do list

Preparing for Worship: Am I Too Comfortable

Worship, does it matter what other people think?

Advice for a Young Worship Leader: smile

I can remember as if it were yesterday, when it was actually over thirty years ago. As a high school student my local church asked me to lead worship for the services. I can’t remember if I was given this chance because they recognized some talent or I was their only choice. (It was a very small church.)

 

We were having dinner with some family friends and without fanfare or introduction the lady made a comment about my leading: ‘you need to smile when you lead. Worshiping the Lord is something to smile about.’

 

Today, thirty years later, I am a worship leader at a local church and almost every week I am reminded by that memory the importance of communicating not just through words and melody but with our body language.

 

I know there are songs that don’t call for a smile, but your face and body expression still need to communicate.

 

I am amazed at how many people can make great music and communicate effectively through the words and melody and yet stand motionless without a smile while they sing. Honestly, this is the wrong person to have on stage leading. Being a worship leader means communicating and great communication must include pleasant body language that states I believe what I am singing about and I believe in the God I am singing about.

 

Smiling while singing did not come easy for me, it is something I had to practice. Yes I practiced this. I wanted to make sure that how I presented myself on stage did not hinder someone else from worshipping.

 

Is it time we look at the people who lead or help us lead worship each week? Don’t we need to see how they are communicating? It is more, much more than making beautiful music.