As we begin a new year of worship, what resolutions have you made for your worship life? Personally, I want my worship life to be reflected in my life more. If my worship doesn't change me, then it is not very authentic. In trying to get back to the "heart of worship" because it's all about Him, I've made some resolutions. The "dwelling in His Word" has become more and more important. I have set out on a plan and goal to read the Bible through 3 times this year, and through the Psalms and Proverbs every 31 days besides devotional reading. I am finding that the more I dwell in God's Word the greater the hunger for His Word.
We need to pursue the biggest vision of Christ we can so that our worship is about the one thing. There are more than 101 different names of Christ given in Scripture that reveal all the different aspects of who He is. Our worship response will grow or shrink in direct relationship to our view and understanding of the fullness of Christ. How Christ-centered is our worship?
As a worship planner, I have to ask the question - Do I lead people into the throne room of a generic god, or do we draw them into the presence of the One who is revealed and made accessible to us through Jesus Christ? We need to introduce a waiting world to the Father which can only be done through the Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship leading both by me and the other worship leaders in our church is more than creating awesome God experiences. It is introducing people to the awesome God of the experience - Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. That is truly the one thing.
As we approach worship in this new year, may we realize the following - We are not called to significance but to obedience. Throughout God's Word we see that it is obedience that produces significance. And then, the most significant act in all of history is Jesus and the Cross. It was an act of sheer, humble, enduring obedience. In our worship, whether we are called to be in the pew as a worshipper or a worship leader, worship choir leader, an instrumentalist, or support team member, in front or behind the scenes, obedience is always significant in the eyes of God and should be the result of both our personal and corporate worship. mjm
