If My People

We will be focusing on prayer in our August worship services. Jimmy Owens’ song, If My People Will Pray, came to mind. The song is based on text from 2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. There is a lot of richness in the passage.

But my attention was also caught by the message of the entire chapter that talks about the dedication of the temple that Solomon had built. The dedication began with prayer after which “the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Then everyone worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord. Next came sacrifices; then the music started.

There’s a whole sermon in this passage (maybe for another day) but I was struck by music’s role in the dedication service. Verse 6 says, “The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD's musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, ‘His love endures forever.’ Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.”

When we pray in a manner that we are truly communicating with God (where we not only speak to God but we are also open to hear His response), our souls become overwhelmed. Just as the Israelites were awestruck by the presence of the Lord in the temple, we too can become awestruck as the Holy Spirit is welcomed into the presence of our temple. Sometimes that temple is our church; other times it is the temple of our body. So how do we express this awesomeness that we feel? Many times words are not enough. But music is.

Imagine what happened in the temple that day when those instruments began to play and the trumpets began to blow. The scripture say that ALL the Israelites were standing. And though it does not specifically say it, I imagine that they were also swaying with hands lifted up. How could they not be when in the presence of God?

As church musicians, our responsibility is to provide music that will allow our worshippers to express the awesomeness they feel as they experience God’s presence. This is difficult because everyone feels something different, at different times, in different ways. So we are attempting to bring the church a blend of music that the Holy Spirit can use in his way and in his time. But we can’t forget to circle back to the beginning – to pray and humble ourselves and seek His face so that God will hear us from heaven and heal us and our land.

The New Baptist Hymnal - Review

I was at the local Lifeway store today and bought the new Baptist Hymnal. All I can say is, "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! They got it right this time."

It's a wonderful mix of contemporary Praise & Worship and favorite hymns. And it includes ways to create a bridge between the two. They even brought back some old gospel favorites like His Eye is on the Sparrow and When the Morning Comes. But they still left out my baby boomer favorite, Pass It On. :-( In addition, it does not have the world music that many other denominations (like EVLA) are incorporating in their new hymnals.

Like many Baptist churches, we have been struggling with creating a blend between contemporary and traditional music. This is the perfect hymnal for us. It contains both our favorite Praise & Worship music as well as our favorite standard hymns. And for our church, if it's in the hymnal, it's ok to sing!

Now the problem...we're a small church with a limited budget. We were purchasing copies of the 1991 version as recently as 3 years ago. Our music committee is trying to figure out how we can purchase a few of the new ones at a time and just slide them in...

Suggestions?

Worship - It's all about me!

My original title for this was going to be Worship – it’s NOT all about me. Then as I wrote this, I discovered something different. Please read on…

Are these your thoughts/words during/after a weekly worship service?

• I hate that song / praise music / musical rendering…
• The pastor’s sermon is too long
• The announcements take forever…we can read the bulletin, you know
• Save a tree – reduce the number of the bulletin inserts
• Are they ever going to get through the prayer?
• They’re asking for more money…again!
• Did you see what so&so was wearing?
• Did you hear what so&so did/said
• Somebody took my seat!

I admit that some of these thoughts go through my head as I sit in church. And these thoughts limit and stifle my music ministry because all I can think of is, “How many people am I going to offend today?” I often feel nothing but spitefulness from the church people around me. And that’s probably a reflection of my feelings toward them.

I can’t change the church, but I can change me. So how can I change my attitude?

I believe that if we go into our worship service with the right attitude, then we will leave with the right attitude and be uplifted in ways we did not expect. If we go in EXPECTING to get something from the worship service, then we won’t. And if we only worship God once a week in church, we only feel more exasperated when we leave and our expectations have not been met. (See comments June 20th)

Therefore, we should enter our worship service with an attitude of giving. Here are questions that we should ask ourselves before we enter the door of the church:

• How are I am going to give myself to God today?
• Is my heart and mind open to the Holy Spirit for His purpose?
• What am I going to share with one of my brothers/sisters in Christ?
• How am I going to reach out to the stranger beside me?
• Am I going to make a difference to someone today?

We all know the adage, “it is better to give than to receive”. We have all experienced that wonderful sense of warmth and pleasure when we see someone’s face light up when we give them the perfect present. So let us give our church a present every time we enter the building. If we think of ourselves as a gift to our church then imagine how faces will light up around us in pleasure – not only by what we do, but what God is able to do through us.

Worship is not about the music, the sermon, the music, the pews, the building...instead it IS about me – me and my relationship with God and my willingness to be open to Him. God gave me the gift of His Son; I need to be a gift to God.

My prayer: Lord, help me to be a gift unto you. Let me walk into your church with an attitude of giving. Let me be open to the work of the Holy Spirit. Let me reach out and bear a gift to my brother/sister. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Prayers Needed

I spoke to a co-worker this week who lives in Cedar Rapids, IA. Even though her family was not directly affected by the flooding, she told me of the despair that is prevalent in the area. There are 25,000 of 120,000 people without work. Government assistance is lacking. More volunteers are needed.

Please pray that these people get the help they need and that the Lord will provide them with the courage to move forward. Thank you!

Worship – It’s not just an adult thing

Several weeks ago a young girl of our church sang “This is My Father’s World” during our morning worship service. I was touched not only by her talent but also by the way she presented herself to the Lord. Last Sunday I was visiting another church and was blessed by a duet of “I Love You, Lord” by another young girl and an adult. This was another instance where I saw a youth sharing herself with the Lord, not just with the congregation.

Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14 NIV) I believe that the ability and the knowledge of how to worship God are inbred in each one of us; they are part of our very being that God created. And as adults, it is not our place to teach children “how” to worship; instead, we need to provide the opportunities for children to participate in worship. Then we need to sit back, watch them, and learn from them - learn to worship God as one of His children.

As I get older, I find I bring more and more of my “baggage” with me as I worship God. Many times I focus too much of the “hows” of worship rather than just on the act of worship. That has to do with the fact that as a church musician I have a responsibility for putting together and participating in the actual worship service. But that’s my excuse, what about yours? Because I don’t think I am alone in this problem….

For this week, let’s make a conscious effort to worship God as we did when we were children. To help, I have provided a list of some of the songs that I learned as a small child. If you know these, sing them to yourself throughout the week. Smile, clap you hands, stomp your feet, make the motions, do whatever it was you did when you sang these songs as a small child. Then lift up your hands to God and say, “Thank you, Lord, for making me one of your children. I love you and I lift myself up to you. All praise and honor go to you!”

Now you have worshipped as a child…..

Here are the words to some of my favorite children’s songs, just in case you forget them. Please share one of your own favorites via a comment to this blog.

Father Abraham http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/f033.html
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/h005.html
Jesus Loves the Little Children http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/j007.html
Jesus Loves Me http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/j008.html
Lord I Want to be a Christian http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/l098.html
Rise and Shine http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/r024.html
This Little Light of Mine http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/t030.html

Hallelu Hallelu
Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Praise, Ye the Lord!
Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Praise, Ye the Lord!

Praise, Ye the Lord! Hallelujah!
Praise, Ye the Lord! Hallelujah!
Praise, Ye the Lord! Hallelujah!
Praise, Ye the Lord! Hallelujah!

If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you’re happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet.

If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “AMEN!”
If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “AMEN!”
If you’re happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “AMEN!”

If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap, clap, stomp, stomp, AMEN!)
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap, clap, stomp, stomp, AMEN!)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap, clap, stomp, stomp, AMEN!)

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