WIP [Worship in Progress]

Recently there has been a lot happening in my life and it's really made me step back and take a look at how worship is viewed in today's society. This is really a tough subject for me because I've always been of the opinion that there is no wrong way to worship. Glorifying God is good. Period. I guess it's time for my stance to change.

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to get back to the root of what initially sparked my passion to lead worship, camp! Even though it was only a weekend, I was ecstatic to jump in and get back in touch. This event was Mid-Winter at Central Christian Camp in Guthrie, OK. It was held for Chi-Rho through CYF (aka grades 6th through 12th) which totaled around 150 people including counselors. So I knew worship was going to be big!

Background: I've always yearned to be at camp every waking moment. The worship experiences found there coupled with lifetime friendships and connections cannot be found anywhere else. I have always went, guitar in hand, looking forward to worship, then friends. It was a place to find God.

Now back to Mid-Winter: Friday night worship had me worried. I'm sort of a control freak when it comes to leading worship. I believe that if you're organized and have a plan then it will allow you to seamlessly lead others towards worship without any distraction. So the fact that I had to teach four others the chords an hour before worship was not reassuring. As always, God stepped in and everything went smoothly.

Here’s where I got off track though: During most of the music, the kids wouldn’t shut up! I understand that it was the first night at camp and they were seeing friends they hadn’t seen in a few months. I get that. But what was the purpose of coming to camp in the first place? Friends or God?

Saturday night wasn’t much better in the worship environment with the kids. There was lots of chatter that I could hear over the eight person band. That night though, I stepped back and let another musician, and great friend, lead a song I didn’t know. I found God again that night. It was an experience that I wouldn’t have expected given the circumstances.

So that’s enough rambling about my experience. Now it’s time to get back on track. Worship. What are we teaching kids today about worship? What do they expect when they show up at church?

The church is their weekly outlet to God. It should be their time to draw near to God so they are refreshed throughout the week. Whether through song, prayer, communion, or offering we should be teaching them to worship. I feel old saying that kids have no respect, but it’s true!

Here’s what we teach our kids at church. *Keep in mind that I am generalizing and I understand that not everyone does things the same way. This is what I see as a result of the world controlling our thoughts and actions today.* When we time the sermon and are more concerned about time constraints than worship, we teach our kids that worship is not important. Lunch, Sports, TV, or anything else worldly should come after worship. When we limit the experiences throughout the service to meet time constraints imposed by our own church, we are not prioritizing worship first.

Obviously, I’m not the man with all the answers. I just think I see something that’s broken. Something has to change. It has to start with us. I’m going to start in my house. I refuse to rob my children of the passion that I have felt when worshiping God.

Our God loves us and when we worship and love him back, we receive the greatest love. Who doesn’t want that? How can you limit that? Who cares if you have to wait an extra 30 minutes at the restaurant for a table because you shared in Gods love for an extra 10?

Whether guitar, organ, piano, or a cappella keep worshiping. Don’t let time hold you down. Keep the world out. It is up to us to make change happen and bring God back to the front, ahead of the World.

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. I may not be finished, but it’s something that I’ve needed to put to words for a while.

Keep worshiping!