Transitions are an interesting time, full of expectations –
some met and others grossly unmet, full of hope for unimagined possibilities,
full of change with the hope of stability and a semblance of familiarity.
This time is a particularly strange transition – one
involving more than just a change to the new year. This year, I am
transitioning to a different place in the band, involving more leadership as
far as direction and goals are concerned. With every transition comes to a
chance to re-evaluate goal, purpose, and hopes. One thing I feel really
convicted about in the flow of quote-unquote worship is reflecting the cries of
the community.
With the recent transition, I’ve had an idea. A simple idea
with implications that capture my heart for the church and hopefully, if well-received,
could have a great impact on how we view ourselves, each other, and our place
in the community of faith.
In the past several months, the band had begun doing
scripture readings as a part of worship. Those scriptures have informed the way
we chose songs, how we prayed for the community, and the direction we desired
to walk with the church community. I have enjoyed going through the Psalms as a
church, but my constant struggle has been that the Psalms may or may not capture
the specific needs of our community, our collective soul’s cry.
I am proposing that as we transition to another year, that
as a community we evaluate what we wish to be. I wish for our community to be
more united. I wish for our communal praise to reflect the deepest cries of
those who make up our congregation. I wish for us to be more enabled to walk
into places of deep pain and deep joy with one another. I have seen this happen
in the community through individual relationships. I want to see it reflected
in our praise and our communal time together. I want our praise to encourage us
to build even deeper relationships and to truly walk in solidarity with one
another.
In one of my favorite verses where Paul talks about the flow
of worship. In 1 Corinthians 14:26b, Paul says, "When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up." Everyone has something to bring
to the table. I want what the band does on Sunday to be more inclusive than it
has been. I want it to reflect the offerings of others.
Romans 12:15 talks about rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping
with those who weep. Many of us may know some details of what one another is
going through. The picture I envision is one where those who are hurting are
lifted up. Their tearful prayers and cries are echoed throughout the community
and embodied through our acts of praise and worship in a way that validates
that pain and suffering is real, but also reminds each of us of our identity
through the pain and how to support one another even better. Likewise I desire
that any joy that is so strong in a person that it cannot be contained, to be
reflected, that it escapes and floods the community, spilling into our praise
and our walk as a church.
I have seen this among many relationships at the church. I
want to see it more. I want it to be seen and felt not just through individual
relationships, but even more through the communal acts of praise. I have ideas
growing, but the first is this…
For our scriptural reading each week, I would love for different people in the
community to share passages of scripture to be read. The songs we choose
already relate in some ways to the scripture we are reading. I would love for
our communal praise to capture the essence of what the community and its
members are experiencing. I would love for individual members to share scripture
for our weekly reading. If those people would like to come up and read the
scripture and even share its significance, I would love for them to do so. If
they do not prefer to read it, but would like the scripture shared, I would
love for one of us in the band to read the scripture. If they would even prefer
it to be anonymous, it would still provide scripture and direction for the
songs that would reflect someone’s heart in the community and I would love to
see it happen.
The idea is simply this – for our time of praise to:
1.
Reflect the inherent value of and individual
walks of the members.
2.
Encourage greater understanding of what the
community feels and needs at any given time
3.
Capture our heart as a community.
4.
Unite us closer to one another.
5.
Allow us to express to God through song that
which cannot be expressed well any other way.
6.
Allow our songs to be sung over members in times
of trouble, reminding them of God’s love and who they are in Christ.
7.
To remind us of who we are, individually and
communally, acknowledging the importance of both aspects.
In the next few weeks, look for a shoebox and slips of paper
at the coffee bar. If you would like to, write on a slip of paper a verse or a
passage (it can vary in length from one verse to something about the length of
a Psalm) that means something to you in your walk with God or life or whatever.
Write your name if you would like. If you would be interested in reading it
(which is perhaps a long-term goal – a lack of anonymity in the church), check
the “Yes” box, or check the “No” box if you aren’t. In this way, the band will
allow your walk, your prayers, your chosen scripture, and your heart to
influence how we approach each Sunday.
I hope y’all will stand with me and that this desire I have
is shared among many of you. I hope that we can take this opportunity of
transition, painful as it is, to consider what God may be doing in this season.
If you stand with me in this and share my heart for what I’ve posted here,
please share a scripture in the box in the next few weeks! Share multiples as
you see fit!
I am honored to be a part of this church. I am hopeful for
what is to come.
