Naomi's Notes - 09/04/05
At Immanuel, our worship is indescribable - that is, there is no one description that characterizes our "style" from week to week. We are a congregation with diverse backgrounds, prior church experiences and talents. Our corporate worship will always be unique because of the makeup of our congregation.
Immanuelites have never been shy about expressing diverse opinions about what should or should not be included in our worship services! Labels like "contemporary" or "traditional" sometimes get tossed about (as if those are the only choices), but everyone defines these terms differently. Our two Sunday morning services are intentionally different from each other, but might best be characterized as "differently blended."
At a music and worship conference I attended years ago, a speaker commented: "Blended worship makes everybody mad because nobody gets enough of what they like in worship, and everybody hates getting so much of what they don't like."
Certainly, choices must be made each week regarding what to include in worship services, and that responsibility usually falls on worship leaders such as myself. While trying to listen to the heartbeat of a diverse congregation, we also remain mindful of William Willimon's admonition:
"…if we think about our worship at all, usually we think in terms of 'What do MY PEOPLE want from our worship?' without daring to be so bold as to ask, 'What does GOD want from our worship?'" (from Worship as Pastoral Care) Worship usually happens when both leaders and individual worshippers work at keeping our focus on GOD, not on personal likes and dislikes.
It is a misconception to think that IBC's worship is always "the way the worship leaders like it." I (among others) sacrifice many of my personal preferences all the time. It's difficult to recall any worship service when every element was tailor-made to my desires. My delight is in trying to create worship services that enable OTHER people to worship. The idea is to have mutual sacrifice.
As a young adult I was inspired by a Joni Eareckson Tada story about what she did whenever she found herself distracted or bored during part of a worship service, unable to focus on God. Her practice was to observe people one-at-a-time in the congregation - especially strangers - and pray for them specifically that God would bless them as they worshipped. I've often done that in churches I've served and when I've visited elsewhere. The heart connection I always feel with each person and with God is wonderful!
Jesus, when responding to a question about what is the greatest commandment, also touched on the two factors which are required for meaningful corporate worship:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' …And the second is like unto it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.'" (Matt. 22: 37, 39)
See you in worship this Sunday -
Naomi