Area-Wide Worship in Lubbock, Texas

The Lubbock Civic Center was packed to the point of standing room only as churches joined together on a beautiful Sunday evening. When the singing began, I was reminded of and transported to similar moments of unity, worship and harmony enjoyed in places like the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion, Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse, Lipscomb's Allen Arena, Oklahoma Christian's Hardeman Auditorium, Gatlinburg's Convention Center and Abilene's Moody Coliseum. Participating in these moments from the vantage point of the "best seat in the house" is an overwhelming experience!

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Lubbock Civic Center - Photo by John Moore III

My favorite times when leading singing in these settings are when I drop the amplification of my hand-held microphone to hear only the combined voices of everyone in pure praise. The sound is indeed spine tingling.

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Lubbock Civic Center - Photo by John Moore III

I only wish that more regions would make the effort to bring churches together on common ground to experience unity and worship. We celebrated our bond in Christ through a "season of prayer," teaching, singing and worship. Dr. Ken Jones presented the message and the Children's Home of Lubbock was highlighted.

Lubbock Civic Center - Photo by John Moore III

Through the years, my life has been richly blessed by Christians from the Lubbock area. What a treat to be invited to lead worship for this unity event tied to the theme, "God Is On Our Side." Here is a video of one of the theme songs, "Had It Not Been The Lord," which I originally learned from the Zoe Group.

One of my dreams is to see large gatherings like this select songs ahead of time, encouraging everyone to learn the arrangements of newer songs ahead of time. This requires extra coordination, but the results can be heavenly. After all, isn't heaven going to be a combined assembly?

Beyond Vicarious Worship

Vicarious adjective:

"Experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person."

Recently a friend shared something very special with me. He has a family member whose singing voice can only be described as discordant, lacking all qualities of what most would call "beautiful." This family member sings out with abandon, however, and by doing so, she is, as my friend sees it, upholding the integrity of worship assembly. Perhaps even more so than the singers with "pretty voices." And this because God has asked His whole family to sing, not just the musically gifted.

It's so easy to misplace our priorities on Sunday morning. We might feel distracted by the guy in the pew behind us as he croaks a monotone jumble out of rhythm. Maybe we even feel offended by the shrieking soprano who seems to be singing another song altogether. Worship is supposed to be beautiful. They're ruining it, right?

Wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The beauty of Christ's victory is that access to God is no longer mediated through other human beings with exclusive talent/privilege. When we withhold our voices or discourage the voice of another, we make singing the prerogative of the musically gifted, and we rob God of His praise in the process.

Temple noun:

"A place where deity dwells."

Priesthood noun:

"Those who serve as mediatory agents between humans and deity. Priests also have the authority or power to administer certain rites."

We have to think: how do these ideas relate to us today?  Do we fully appreciate how richly blessed we are in not having to experience worship vicariously? 

The New Testament ushered in profound changes in the ways that God's people can and should approach Him.  Worship is not limited to a building, or a person. Jesus ushered a new avenue for every seeking heart to foster a direct relationship with God.

Consider the Lord's Supper. Simple and universal elements are employed for an inclusive, unifying purpose. No complicated restrictions. No prescribed personnel. No territorial requirements. God-seekers have been provided unbelievable access to the Almighty through universally available means. It stirs my heart to know that the very first meal of astronauts on the moon was our Lord's communion.  Simple, yet profound. Inclusive and direct.

I consider singing as a simple, profound and a 'more excellent' way.  Instead of requiring the skillful mastery of musical instruments, God invites every member of His family to offer the fruit of their lips from the bottom of their hearts.

There's a myriad of arguments for the institution of a cappella congregational singing. Some claim that God never authorized musical instruments in the Old Testament, while others paint the use of mechanical instruments as totally evil. By focusing so much on what's kosher for our assemblies, however, we miss what's important about them.

James Sanderson of Saginaw, Michigan offers wonderful insight into the importance of 100% participation in this video:

As much as I love to play musical instruments, I'm thankful that the New Testament specifically directs believers to sing.  No believer is left out due to the lack of musical gifts or skills. Everyone's offering is important and is not restricted by others' aesthetic judgment. The symbolic beauty is only enhanced when musical "laymen" offer up their voices.

The Word says, "You are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you . . ."  

 "But you are a chosen people, royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession . . ."

Let's move beyond the world's obsession with vicarious experiences and approach the throne of grace in confidence.  "Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise."

_________________________

John 4:22-24;  1 Corinthians 6:19, 20; 1 Peter 2:9, 10; James 5:13; Ephesians 5:19;  Colossians 3:16

We learned of the moon-communion story through Angel Quake Ministries. Here is a link where you can read more about communion on the moon.

Marble Falls Raises the Bar for Praise and Harmony

Our first Praise & Harmony Workshop for the year was hosted by the Marble Falls, TX Church, who set the bar high for successful workshops.

Photos by Britni Brock

Here is what the Marble Falls Church did well:

1. They taught the assigned arrangements of the songs to the church well before the workshop. This allows us to teach practical principles and not spend the workshop time teaching songs. They mastered the songs ahead of time.
2. We met with a high percentage of their leadership in private consultation (elders, deacons, song leaders, etc.), resulting in some practical improvements to their approach. With a high turn out for this exercise, positive results became obvious in the very first worship assembly after this meeting.
3. The entire church embraced the primary Workshop and participated. When the Praise & Harmony Workshop began, everyone gathered in sections by voice parts (bass, alto, soprano and tenor), filling up the front of the auditorium first.

4. The Marble Falls Church invited local churches of all kinds, drawing visitors who traveled from several hours away.

5. They combined their teen and adult Sunday School classes for a wonderful session and discussion.
6. Everyone embraced the principles of the workshop, making the Sunday morning worship a mountain top experience!
7. Church leaders are serious about sponsoring at least two of their song leaders to attend our advanced, seven-day, intensive Worship Leader Institute training in July.

On top of their preparation and great turn out, Marble Falls is already working on scheduling a follow-up workshop next year. What a great way to start 2014!

To read more about what to expect from a Praise & Harmony Workshop, read this article.

We pray that all congregations will seriously invest in their worship and plan for future generations. To book a Praise & Harmony Workshop, contact Bill@Acappella.com