An article by Darlene Zschech, worship leader and writer of "Shout to the Lord," caught my eye in a worship leading magazine. I want to comment and expand upon ideas and principles found in her article.
How could God be looking for conformity or complete union in worship when He is so wondrous and multifaceted; and when all of God's people's designs, backgrounds, and understandings are so diverse? I once heard a preacher say, "You can tie two cats' tails together and throw them over a laundry line and you will have union, but you won't have unity". God is not looking for sameness or union, but unity in the midst of our diversity as we gather to worship Him. God is pleased when we gather and seek to please His heart with our offering of worship, without focusing on personal preferences to the point of missing our purpose in worship. It is easy to put so much focus on style that we miss issues at the very heart of worship. Not only as we gather, but also as we disperse we continue our worship by living out our lives in response to the wonderful love of our God as a 24/7 "Thank You, Lord".
It has been said that there is strength in diversity. Differences are not for the purpose of separating or alienating. We are different so that we might see all the more our need for one another. The beauty of the Body of Christ fully alive and expressing worship in different ways across the earth shows the strength of the Body of Christ through worship.
We must realize that all spiritual preferences that we may lean toward have both upsides and downsides. Wisdom makes us realize this and helps us appreciate growth that can come through diversity. We must always seek to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and with other people. If so, we are able to put substance over style. We must never let our own preferences get in the way of what God wants to do in His church and the world. When it is about Him and not us we are able to be transformed in His presence so that we can take the love of God to a love-starved world. mjm
