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How Do You Respond to Jesus?

Then Mary took a jar of costly perfume made from essence of nard, and anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance.

Gospel According to John

If you were to ask a room full of Christians to define worship or to describe what it should look like, you’d likely hear a variety of answers and opinions. People have pretty strong ideas about the subject.  If you’ve been attending church or reading the Bible for any length of time then I suspect you may even have a few favorite passages that portray or describe worship in some way. Miriam and Moses leading the people in song after being delivered from the Egyptians in Exodus 15; Isaiah chapter 6 and the prophet’s cry from God’s throne room, “woe is me! for I am undone!“; Jesus and the theologically astute Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 discussing, among other things, the topic of worship; or John’s vision of heaven in the book of Revelation, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come!”

As a worship pastor I enjoy digging into these types of passages because I’m convinced that there’s always more to learn and glean about the art and practice of worshiping God, and helping others to do the same. I suspect that part of the reason for the array of perspectives and opinions about worship is that even though it’s simple, it’s also interactive, creative, intentionally diverse, deeply moving and can be extremely profound. One of the more intriguing worship-related passages is the account of a woman who anoints Jesus with oil. All four of the gospels have some variation of this story, which kind of makes me think we should sit up and take particular notice. Here we’ll be looking specifically at the version found in chapter 12 of John’s gospel.  

John places this event in Bethany, the village where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived, which is located in what we know today as the West Bank, on the eastern slope of the Mt. of Olives just outside Jerusalem.  According to John the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet is Mary. We see her on three different occasions in the gospels and every time, regardless of the circumstances, she is at the feet of Jesus. First as a disciple, sitting among the other disciples and learning from Jesus (make note of that… she wasn’t daydreaming or swooning here, she was in training as a student alongside the men, which was unheard of in her day and time; and tragically in some circles still disapproved of in ours. Jesus unapologetically affirms women in roles and positions that culture and society frequently forbid them to occupy. Jesus is a liberator and as such treats women as equal to men, restoring God’s original intent and design).  The second occasion of Mary at the feet of Jesus is following the death of her brother Lazarus, in anguish that Jesus didn’t get there in time to save him. She doesn’t quite get it yet. Then the third time is after Lazarus is raised from the dead in the passage we’re looking at here. As we’ll see, after witnessing Jesus raise her brother from the grave, she finally connects the dots – and probably has a better understanding of Jesus’ identity and his purpose than any of the other disciples do at this point. And this realization causes her to actively respond with passionate, extravagant devotion. Before we take a closer look at Mary, let’s zoom out a bit and see who the other characters are and what they’re up to, and place the anointing of Jesus in its context within the narrative. Along the way, I want to challenge you to find yourself in this story. Ask yourself how do I respond to Jesus?

Chapter 11 of John presents to us the account of Lazarus’ death and his subsequent raising from the dead by Jesus.  We won’t delve into that part of the story, but you can read it here if you’d like. Suffice it to say that this episode serves as a pivot-point and catalyst for the remainder of John’s gospel account. Starting in verse 45 of chapter 11 we’re told that there are some Jews and that many of them “believed in him” following this miraculous event. But we’re told that others “went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done”.  So right away we see some typical responses to Jesus…some people believe, and others are, for whatever reason, ambivalent at best, and possibly antagonistic. The text presents the crowd as a nameless, faceless group and no doubt their motives and responses varied. 

If you’re familiar at all with the gospels, then you know that for the most part the Jewish religious leaders were wary of Jesus. And at times they were outright angry with him. Why? Was he threatening their power and clout? Were they concerned he would upset the proverbial applecart politically speaking? Are they worried about the welfare of the people they are tasked with overseeing? A combination of factors is likely and again, dependent on the individual. It helps to remember that the Jews at this point in their history are colonized and under Roman rule and occupation. Their understandable concern, which we read in the text around verse 48, is that if Jesus continues to perform such amazing miracles and more people see him as their king, then the Romans will forcibly act against them. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “For this man certainly does miracles. If we let him alone the whole nation will follow him—and then the Roman army will come and kill us and take over the Jewish government.” This has happened to them before. Exile and occupation are burned into their national consciousness. They lost the original temple, Solomon’s temple, in 586 BCE when it was destroyed by the Babylonians. The temple in Jesus’ day was the second (much smaller and less extravagant) temple, completed around 516 BCE after the Persian king allows them to return home and rebuild (see Ezra-Nehemiah). To their way of thinking it’s where God dwells and it’s where and how they can worship. It’s also part of their national identity. They seem to have lost hope in God’s promises, are attempting to maintain the status quo, want to retain what little power they have left, and are desperate to avoid conflict with the Roman government. Once they learn of the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead, they’ve had enough, and they convene to actively begin to discuss and plot Jesus’ death.  “And one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, “…let this one man die for the people—why should the whole nation perish?”  Jewish tradition held that the office of High Priest included the gift of prophecy, making Caiaphas’ statement, considering his ignorance of what was really happening, even more ironic. Word gets around and chapter 11 closes with the Jews preparing for the coming Passover amid lots of rumor and speculation about whether Jesus will show up in Jerusalem and what will happen next. 

As we transition into chapter 12 the scene narrows to a home in the city of Bethany where a dinner is being given in Jesus’ honor.  The text states that it is six days before the Passover. This meal is taking place the evening before Jesus enters Jerusalem on what we now refer to as Palm Sunday. We don’t know how many people are there, but we are told that Martha is serving, Lazarus is present and reclining at the table and Judas Iscariot is also there. And then of course there’s Mary. Mary the disciple of Jesus. Mary the friend of Jesus. Mary the servant. Mary the student. Mary the worshiper.

 Mary took a jar of costly perfume made from essence of nard, and anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance. 

Read that verse again and linger over it for a moment. This is an intimate, self-less act and extravagant gift of service and worship. Foot-washings weren’t uncommon in their culture, though would have been performed by the lowliest of slaves; but washing with fragrant oil was uncommon. Ok so two questions. What is nard? Why mention that her act of worship was fragrant? For one, it’s reminiscent of the love poem Song of Solomon. The Song references fragrance a lot, and the Hebrew word equivalent to the word translated here as nard is found no where else in the Old Testament except in the Song of Solomon. We know also that the temple contained an altar of incense, and aromatic spices and other fragrant sources were integral to Jewish worship practices. Generally, with the exception of Song of Solomon, fragrance in the Old Testament is associated with death and sacrifice. So with references in our verse to fragrance and the use of nard, we see two things being alluded to here: death/sacrifice and love/intimacy.

The ointment Mary offered was expensive, equivalent to an average worker’s annual income. It was pure. It was genuine. It was not a cheap imitation. And it was of the variety used in burials. Her hair was unbound, again indicating both intimacy and grief. The particular Greek verb used for “wiping” here is used by John in only one other verse – in chapter 13 when he describes Jesus’ act of washing and wiping the disciples’ feet. John seems to be pointing out that Mary is, without being asked or instructed, demonstrating the sort of humble service that Jesus will soon explicitly teach his other disciples in how they are to care for and serve one another. This is just one of several elements in this passage that foreshadow the Last Supper scene in the next chapter. 

Mary doesn’t say anything that we know of, and I think perhaps it’s because she is so thoroughly focused on Jesus. It’s easy to imagine though that she is crying and vocalizing her love and devotion, with no apparent concern for what the others might be thinking or saying about her as they look on. What we do hear is a brief exchange between Jesus and Judas. 

 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples — the one who would betray him — said, "That perfume was worth a fortune. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Not that he cared for the poor, but he was in charge of the disciples’ funds and often dipped into them for his own use!

Judas’ question seems valid. Right? I mean, what’s wrong with caring for the poor? Is Mary being negligent and wasteful?  Let’s be clear, the gospel message is very much about caring for the poor and marginalized, Jesus was all about that. He came to love and serve and free the lost, the poor, the forgotten.  The problem here is that Judas (officially a disciple and leader!) wasn’t concerned about anyone but himself. Side note: this type of behavior continues to plague the Church to this day. Don’t blindly follow someone just because they hold a position as pastor, deacon, elder, teacher, etc. You follow Jesus, not men. Which is precisely what we see Mary doing. And Jesus defends both her character and her actions. Not only that but he reveals a particular purpose behind this specific act of worship, that she is preparing for his burial. What?! Remember when I said that Mary had connected the dots? She loved and trusted Jesus fiercely – and she had been paying attention. Jesus had been telling them what would happen, but they weren’t getting it. The Twelve don’t get it until sometime after the resurrection. But many of the women we read about stayed with Jesus throughout the upcoming ordeal, women were consistently the first to comprehend what was going on throughout his ministry, and women were the first to be commissioned by Jesus to preach the good news. The passage concludes by zooming back out a bit and letting the reader know that a crowd had discovered where Jesus was and had gathered there. And that they were also hoping to see Lazarus, because he had been raised form the dead. This solidifies the chief priests’ intentions and even expands it to include killing Lazarus! …”For on account of him (Lazarus) many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.”

Whew! There is so much to be mined from this text! We started out by identifying it as one that might give us some insights about worship, which it certainly does! But as we saw it reveals so much more. From Mary’s example we learn that in responding to Jesus for who he is and what he does, worship… 

is lavish

is pure

is focused 

is courageous

is undeterred

is devoted

is humble

is sacrificial

is unashamed

submits to God’s will 

is pleasing to God

reflects Christ

is integral to discipleship

is relational

ministers to Jesus

sets an example for others

is beautiful and ‘fragrant’

may be socially unacceptable

may make other people angry or uncomfortable

may irritate self-important religious leaders

This list isn’t exhaustive. Are there any other observations you take away from the text? Earlier I had challenged you to find yourself in this story. Can you identify parts of yourself within the various characters and their actions and reactions?  Take some time to pray and record your thoughts in a journal or on your phone, whichever works best for you. Honest self-reflection can be haaaarrrd. But it’s important and with the Spirit’s help can move us forward and grow us in our relationship with God.

How do you respond to Jesus? 

Michelle Haywood Smith is a worship pastor; a student-scholar of Christian theology and the Bible at Portland Seminary; an artist and musician; a writer; a teacher; and a worshiper of Jesus. Feel free to comment and/or connect on social media!

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I AM the Door: Reflections on the Gospel of John

            There are so many things I could comment on about John’s gospel that it’s hard to know where to start! I’ve long been intrigued by the way it opens, not with a narrative account of Jesus’ birth like Matthew and Luke; and not without preamble as in Mark’s gospel. John instead takes the time to introduce his readers to Jesus by directing them back to Genesis chapter 1… “in the beginning…”.  He states that Jesus (the Word) is God, which Jesus Himself also claimed throughout His ministry. These statements, as revealed in the gospels and in John in particular, are often lost on modern-day, non-Jewish readers, but to the readers and hearers in that day the intent and meaning behind Jesus’ claims would have been both crystal clear and shocking. His use of the phrase “I Am” was directly and deliberately correlated to God’s name for Himself as revealed in His conversation with Moses (Exodus 3:14), which the Jews would have immediately recognized. It’s pertinent to note that Jesus didn’t merely make these statements verbally, but He also communicated these truths by His actions. For instance, He stated, “I am the bread of life”, and also miraculously fed thousands of people. He claimed to be “the light of the world”, and healed a blind man, literally illuminating that man’s world!  

            I think one of the things I notice more now than I used to is the depth and character of Jesus’ personality. He’s not the dry, boring, humorless man that is so often depicted in movies and paintings; and even by many Christians I’ve encountered over the years, including myself at times. He overturned the status quo (and continues to do so), in much the same way he overturned tables in the temple. He cared very little about what was culturally and socially acceptable. He spoke to women and children, slaves and foreigners. He didn’t approach His conversations with people in a scripted fashion. Every encounter He had was uniquely tailored to that individual.  He asked lots of questions, not because He needed the information but because the other person needed to be drawn out or challenged in some way, yet always with the other person’s best interest in mind. One of my favorite passages is in chapter 8 where the Pharisees brought a woman to Him caught in the act of adultery (btw…How did they know when and where to find her?… Where was the man who was also committing adultery?… This “testing” of Jesus reeks of calculated, arrogant antagonism toward Jesus and indifference toward the woman.).  Jesus’ handling of the situation is brilliant, in that He upholds the validity of Old Testament law while at the same time demonstrating the New Testament mercy that He alone can provide.

            Another passage that stands out is Jesus’ encounter with Mary following the death of her brother, Lazarus (chapter 11).  I think people often believe that they’re not allowed to express to God when they are angry or upset about something, but here in this account, in verse 32, Mary blurts it out… “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  She’s angry and confused, questioning Him for His apparent failure to arrive on time. She knows who He is and believes in both His goodness and His power, but in that gut-wrenching moment her faith is in conflict with her experience.  He of course responds with compassion. He weeps, I think, partly in loving empathy toward her in that moment in time, and partly for the brokenness of our fallen world that brought death, in all its forms, that we were never intended to experience. I appreciate the reminder that we can and should be genuine in our relationship with Him. That we can cry and doubt and ask Him questions and even express hurt or anger, and He responds with grace and mercy.  He also reminds us, as He did Mary, that “if you believe, you will see the glory of God” (v 40). This doesn’t mean that things will always get better immediately. They often don’t. But it does mean that we can trust Him completely, even in our waiting. Ultimately, Jesus responded by going to the cross on our behalf and offering permanent restoration and resurrection to us all.

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”

John 21:25, NASB

Michelle Haywood Smith is a Jesus follower, image bearer, ezer, worship leader, vocalist, acoustic guitar player, aspiring poet & songwriter, blogger, reader, perpetual learner, chocolate acquisition specialist;)….and also a daughter, sister, wife, mother & friend. 

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So You Want To Be A Worship Leader?

“This is a trustworthy saying: ‘If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.'”  

So you want to be a worship leader. It may not be what you imagine.

Being a worship leader can be pretty awesome. Those of us who have this responsibility recognize how blessed we are that the Lord would allow us to serve Him and His people in this way. That we get to serve Him doing something we enjoy so much is truly remarkable.

Being a worship leader can also be really hard. Preparation is time-consuming. We miss out on time with family. The tools of the trade can be expensive. It’s impossible to please everyone, even though we wish we could. As worship leaders we’re on the spiritual battle front-lines and Satan doesn’t want us to succeed. There is so much more to the job, as critical as it is, than the 30 or so minutes spent on that platform each week. So. Much. More.

Being a worship leader is a calling. It may or may not be your occupation too. If it is that’s great. But the source of your paycheck is irrelevant and has no bearing on whether or not you are called and gifted by the Lord to pastor His people as a worship leader.  Yes, the worship leader role is a pastoral one! And according to the verse noted above from 1 Timothy, desiring to serve and lead His church is a good thing! Not every Christian musician or vocalist is necessarily called to lead worship though. There are a variety of worthwhile ways that a person can use their musical and creative gifts to serve the Lord and other people that don’t involve leading in an organized church setting. And I’m so grateful for that! What a bummer it would be if we didn’t have Christian creatives using their gifts to glorify and honor the Lord across the spectrum of artistic fields!

Music is one of my very favorite aspects to God’s creation! It’s amazing! We see throughout Scripture God’s people utilizing music in praise and worship. But worship isn’t about music. Instead it’s a tool that we use. It is important that we play and sing with skill (Psalm 33:3), but it isn’t for the sake of impressing other people. It’s about honoring the Lord with our best. Because He is worthy of nothing less. Most people don’t realize that for the average congregational worship service, numerous hours are spent in preparation each week. And that’s how it should be! We want to lead well!  And that takes time, skill, practice, commitment, planning and constantly seeking the Lord in prayer.

Everything worship leaders do behind the scenes impacts the congregational gatherings of corporate worship, which is a vital element of church body life. Let’s unpack that a bit.

glenn-carstens-peters-190592-unsplash

We’ve touched on a few of these already.  Effective worship leaders will be mature believers and will possess skills in… pastoring, creativity, vocals and/or playing an instrument, music theory, music technology, theology, teaching, communication, administration, organization, stewardship and mentoring. A good worship leader will be willing and able to train and equip others to lead too. They are detail oriented, frequently called upon to troubleshoot a myriad of issues, and ideally will have at least a basic understanding of music production and live sound engineering. They must be adept at planning and preparation, and just as adept and flexible in responding to those last-minute, unforeseen issues or changes that always seem to come up. They should approach everything they do with humility and a shepherd’s heart, and with the understanding that no matter how much they know, there is always room for continued learning and growth.

So. You want to be a worship leader? Pray about it! Spend time in the Word and in private worship of the Lord. And then pray some more! Find an experienced worship pastor and talk to her or him about it! Ask the Lord to confirm that it’s what He’s calling you to do. And ask Him to place you where He wants! Scripture tells us that His plans for us are far more than we can imagine! So even if leading worship isn’t His plan for you, then whatever else He does have for you will be amazing! Evaluate your heart and motives! Also, take an honest assessment of your skill set then prioritize and make a plan for improvement. Consider the possibility of going to school or seminary to study and equip yourself. If you’re already a worship leader then the same thing applies! Prayer, Bible study, heart-checks, skill evaluation and training should be on-going in the life of the worship leader. You have a unique purpose in His kingdom! Pursue Him and be in the habit of cultivating the gifts and skills He’s given you for the benefit of His church and for His glory.

Ultimately none of us are worthy to serve the Lord. But by His design, grace and relentless love for us, it’s what we get to do.

Let’s do it well.

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Michelle Haywood Smith is a Jesus follower, image bearer, ezer, worship leader, vocalist, acoustic guitar player, aspiring poet and songwriter, blogger, reader, perpetual learner, chocolate acquisition specialist;)….and also a daughter, sister, wife, mother & friend. 

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Tech Talk : How To Run Pads

Hey guys! A few times lately I’ve had other local worship leaders asking me about pads and how to run them! So I thought I’d give an overview on how I do it. It’s easy! And adds so much to your live sound. There are multiple ways it can be done but I’m going to touch on the method I use and am familiar with.

So lets start out with a quick definition.  Pads are a musical element you add to your sound that fills out the empty spaces and contributes a bit of texture and an ambient, spacious feel that undergirds the live instruments. Pads are great as a bridge between songs, and can even stand alone for part of a song. Listen to the opening passage of Hillsong’s live version of What A Beautiful Name.  The only thing you’re hearing there in accompaniment to Brooke’s lovely voice is pad. For each song in your set you pick the sound you want, – some are warm and mellow, others more bright and sparkly, etc – and the key you’ll be in and you’re good to go!

Ok so how to do it? Like I said bIMG_4081efore there are different ways it can be done and different sources for the pad sounds. I’ve got friends who use their laptop and run pads through a program like Ableton or even iTunes. One of my friends has the skills and the tools to create his own. Whatever. haha!  I use Coresound and run the pads on my iPhone or iPad using their app: Pads Live. The app is free but you purchase the pads. You don’t have to use the app. Their pad loops can be run using a variety of programs and devices if you prefer. Here’s a link to their website for all of the deets.

Now let’s look at the tools and how I set up on stage. It’s pretty simple. In addition to my iPhone I also have: IMG_3899

  • a mic stand mount for my phone. Not necessary but preferable for me. I bought one  on Amazon for like $15.  Literally puts my phone at my fingertips.
  • a direct box to plug into.  In my case I use two direct boxes, one for my acoustic guitar and the other for my phone for running pads.
  • a male-to-male cable with a 1/4in on one end for the direct box and an 1/8in on the other to plug into the headphone jack on your phone.
  • I also generally like to plug my phone in to power, so always keep on hand a lightning cable, adapter and extension cord.

And that’s it! The pad should be mixed in the House in such a way that it accompanies and complements. You don’t want it so loud that it overpowers. As far as setting up and using the app, I found it to be pretty intuitive. You add songs, selecting the pad sound and the key you want for each, then create a playlist (setlist) and add your songs! Then from within the set you press play to start the first song. When you’re ready for the next song all it takes is a single touch.  In settings you can turn on the crossfade feature if you want, so you don’t get dead space between songs.  The Coresound website has FAQ’s and tutorials available if you want to check it out.

I hope that’s helpful! We use pads with full band and I’ve also used them on my own with my guitar, and everything in between. They really are a great tool and easy to incorporate into your sets, and add quite a bit of depth and polish to your overall sound.

~ Lord bless you as you seek to serve Him and His people with excellence! Michelle

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Set Prep : The Lyrics

Hi you guys! I’m suuuper stoked this week as we complete final preparations to lead worship at a women’s conference where I was invited to join my worship pastor and some friends of ours in leading worship for some precious sweet sisters. These godly guys are super talented and I’m so excited to be joining them!

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Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

If you’re a worship leader then you know there is a ton of work that goes into preparing to lead. I’m not talking about all of the considerations that go into song selection. That’s critical and there’s lots to unpack there so I’ll leave it for another conversation. But after the songs are chosen there’s a lot of prep and planning that should take place so that, when the time comes, we can lead effectively and with excellence. For this weekend, as I won’t be on my guitar for this one, I’ve had more time than normal to really focus on the lyrics and vocals, and am reminded once again how important that part of the process is to effective leadership. I also know that it can tend take a back seat to other pieces of the process!  At least I can be guilty of that.  There can be so much to do in regards to: logistics, communicating with and preparing resources for the band and tech teams, rehearsing/learning melody lines, determining tempos and working with the click, deciding on arrangements, then practicing all of that on an instrument, exploring and planning the transitions between songs, rehearsing with the team…..and etc, etc, etc….  All of these things are so important! But what I find is that I can sometimes fail to stop each week and take a fresh look at the lyrics we’ll be singing and leading.  Which is such a bummer! Not to mention a lost opportunity.  Because let’s face it…as amazing and emotive and dynamic as it can be…the music is ultimately the vehicle. It’s the lyrics and the vocals that really communicate the heart of what’s being said.

We can sing the lyrics accurately and nail the melody lines, but if we’re disconnected from the content and heart of what the song is communicating that will generally come across and can diminish our ability to lead well. Here are a few of my thoughts on ways we can approach the lyrics each time as we prepare to lead God’s people in corporate worship.

  1. Consider this a devotional time and invite the Lord to give you a renewed perspective and clarity on each song’s message.
  2. Print out the lyrics, in particular for the songs where you will be the lead voice (or better yet typing or writing them out.. if you have the additional time).  And exclude the chords and other musical notations. We just want the lyrics.
  3. Now read the lyrics. Don’t sing them. Just read them. Out loud even if you’re able. I know this sounds elementary but what can happen with songs we know very well is that over time we become desensitized to their meaning.  So read through them slowly and intentionally, not by rote. This is partly why removing the melody is important. That will force us to view the lyrics entirely on their own, outside of the musical context. Take your time and ponder the words and truths being expressed! And thank the Lord while you’re doing it!
  4. Re-read the lyrics with your Bible handy. For each phrase or section, pause and look for corresponding passages in Scripture, and jot them down next to the lyric lines.  This is admittedly time-consuming, at least initially, but sooo worth it.  This process has left me in tears on more than one occasion as I’ve sat and been ministered to by the Lord as He has reminded me of the truths in a particular song that I’m preparing to lead. And I’m convinced that this impacts our effectiveness. When we have a fresh understanding of what we’re singing and when we engage with the Lord in that moment in genuine worship, those we are leading can sense that and the Lord uses that to draw them into worship as well.  If you do this step regularly, you can keep your notes and refer back to them the next time you lead the same song. (A little side note: There was one time where I knew the lyrics were going to be printed, not projected on a screen, and we included the Scripture references for each song on the printed lyric handouts. I explained this at the start of the service.. and got a lot of great feedback afterward. People appreciated being able to take the lyrics and corresponding Scriptures home with them for their own personal devo time.)
  5.  Prayerfully consider ways you might reinforce the truths you’re singing during the service. This might be by adding a related Scripture reading somewhere in the set, or referencing key lyrics as a way of praying or transitioning between two songs or during the interlude of a song. You might also consider a very brief personal story that relates to the lyrical truths in some way that you could use as you intro the service or a particular song.  Thinking this through ahead of time is especially helpful if you find speaking in front of people more difficult than singing in front of them. You can plan in advance how you might use or reference the lyrics during those brief moments when you’ll be speaking, so that your words contribute to the worship, rather than detract from it.

I hope these thoughts are helpful! In addition to these planning-phase steps, there are also some things that as vocalists we can do (or avoid doing) during the service itself that impact the effectiveness of our ability to communicate, interact with and lead the congregation. But I’ll save that for another post!

Blessings on you all as you plan and prepare to lovingly lead the people God has placed in front of you!

~ Michelle

 

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Crafting Your Team’s Vision

So what makes a team great? Why do some teams function smoothly and some…well.. not so much?  Truth be told there are a LOT of factors that go into the success or failure of a team, and most of those (possibly all of them?) start at the leadership level. But one in particular stands out that strikes me as essential, and yet so often is missing from ministries, and that is the ability on the part of leadership to both craft and communicate a team vision. I understand as Christians that if we’re to be truly successful at ministry then it has to be something the Holy Spirit is involved in, but all too often I’ve seen that used as an excuse to avoid any kind of planning, preparation or training.  A verse that comes to mind is Psalm 127:1a,  “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;…..”.  We see both aspects at play here..  our desperate need for the Lord, and also the need for us to plan and work. Anyone who has ever built anything knows it can’t be done well without careful planning and preparation. All throughout Scripture we see examples of the people of God functioning within a framework of the two…prayer and the moving of the Holy Spirit in combination with vision, planning and hard work. Check out the Old Testament book of Nehemiah to see these and many other leadership principles in action!

Ok. So how do we, as creative ministry leaders, go about crafting a vision for our ministries and teams? What does that mean practically?  pexels-photo-296878.jpegHere are three basic elements to consider as you (and possibly a few key leaders from your team) work to create a set of unified goals.

  1. What’s our purpose? Or, why do we do what we do? This needs to be specific and goes way beyond simply stating that we lead people in worship. Actually that’s a very brief observation about what we do, or should be doing, but our teams need to understand the why and what it is we’re truly trying to accomplish.  You should prayerfully work this out for your team specifically, but here’s what I came up with by way of example: To magnify and delight the LORD; to serve the LORD and His church with creative excellence; to effectively lead in praise & worship through music and the other creative arts, so that everyone in our congregation who wants to join us can do so; to proclaim the truths of Scripture, and to evangelize the lost. 
  2. What will ‘success’ look like? This paints out some details on what kinds of results we expect to see if we’re accomplishing our stated purpose. So maybe something like this: As a church family we will grow in our understanding of what it means to live a life of worship, and to worship the LORD in spirit and truth; there will be an increase in the freedom of expression as we corporately engage with the LORD through prayer, scripture and song. As a creative ministry team we will create art of our own that ministers to and expresses the heart of our congregation, and will be continually improving in all aspects of our skills. We will see non-believers come to saving faith in Jesus Christ as we sing and speak the Truth, engage with the community and live out the Gospel in every facet of our lives. 
  3. How do we get there? How must we act and what should our priorities be to facilitate success? Defining this is important because it provides a framework for us and for our teams to operate and make decisions from, thereby maintaining progress toward collective goals. For example you might include things like: Everything we say and do, whether from stage or behind the scenes, must line up with the truth of scripture, therefore, frequent and regular times of prayer and Bible study will be a priority for the team as a whole and for each member individually. The congregation’s needs come before our own needs and desires; we will always work to lead in such a way that they are able to follow, and will teach and encourage them to do so. We must be well-prepared and well-practiced, yet able to serve on short notice, therefore we will be committed to putting in the necessary time for practice at home and rehearsal with the band, as well as in general striving toward improvement and the learning of new skills. We will pursue creative endeavors and will encourage one another and cheer one another on wholeheartedly.  We will always leave room to welcome new team members as the Lord sees fit to add to our number. We will work alongside, and as needed, defer to requests and priorities from those in authority over us. 

pexels-photo-296881.jpegOnce your team’s vision has been crafted, the next step is to communicate it to them! Teams that have a shared vision that everyone understands and can get on board with are far more likely to be productive and ‘successful’ than teams that are trying to function without any order or understanding of where it is they’re all trying to go.  The best way is in person, at a team meeting where everyone is in attendance. I would suggest that you print out copies of your vision in order to facilitate the discussion and also so they can take it home with them.  Use inclusive language as you explain it to make it about the team, not about yourself. Each member needs to take ownership of the vision so that it becomes everyone’s goal and purpose, not just yours. Be ready to dialogue and answer any questions they might have…  Have fun with it and try to create some energy and excitement surrounding it! Finally, be prepared to continue to prayerfully encourage and coach your team! Maybe even coming up with creative ways to remind each other of the vision and holding one another accountable to it as you serve alongside one another in pursuit of excellence!

Whether you’ve recently taken on the responsibility of leading a ministry, or you’ve been in leadership for awhile and are ready to take your crew to the next level, I hope this encourages you and sparks some great conversations for you and your team!  No matter how well our teams are currently functioning, there’s always room for improvement ~ Michelle

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Psalm 33…Shout for Joy!

I recently revisited the familiar passage of Psalm 33 v1-3.  You probably know it.

1. Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
2. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3. Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.  

                                   Psalm 33:1-3 (NASB)

I’ve read these verses countless times before and I don’t recall what drew me to them on this particular occasion, but I love how there’s always something new to glean from even the most familiar of passages.  These days I primarily read from a Strong’s New American Standard version on my favorite Bible app , and I was struck by the use of the word ‘sing’ in each of these three verses, which I guess I had never really noticed before. Now, other translations don’t necessarily use the word ‘sing’ in time, but the NASB does.  Anyway in our language the definition of this word seems pretty straightforward, but I decided to do a quick word study in the original and I’m so glad I did! The first point of interest to me is that each of the three words translated as ‘sing’ in English are actually three different words in the original Hebrew language, with similar meanings yet each one conveying different implications and nuances. Here’s what I was able to unpack.

In Verse 1, “sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright.” ,  the original word is rânan, which means: to creak (or emit a stridulous sound), i.e. to shout — aloud for joy, cry out, be joyful (greatly, make to) rejoice, (cause to) shout (for joy), (cause to) sing (aloud, for joy,), triumph.  For starters, this verse is an exhortation to the entire body of Christ. All of the Church. His bride. His sons and daughters. All of us. Not just the worship leader or the worship team. The first part of the definition interests me. “to creak or emit a stridulous sound“.  I don’t know how many times over the years I’ve had someone approach me and say that they love corporate praise & worship but they themselves can’t carry a tune (they say) so they just listen. I think they’ve meant it in the context of a compliment generally, but it’s so unfortunate that they have felt the need to sing silently instead of, as this verse says, “aloud” and “cry(ing) out”.  I’ve tried to encourage them to sing anyway! To remind them that the Lord is looking at our hearts and our intent, and He doesn’t care about how beautiful our voices may or may not be. We’re all to sing, and shout! And to do so with great joy and triumph!  Also it says right there in the verse that “praise is becoming to the upright”!  So God finds it lovely and beautiful when all of His people praise Him!

For verse 2, “sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings”, the meaning is more or less what you might think taken in the context of the English phrasing. The original word here is zâmar; and means: “to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, i.e. play upon it; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music: — give praise, sing forth praises, psalms”.   So…  making music accompanied by vocals… and to celebrate in song!  This verse paints the picture that along with the myriad of joyous voices are the musicians playing their instruments. The last phrase in verse 3 reiterates this idea of certain people “play(ing) skillfully” and “with a shout of joy.”

The Hebrew word for ‘sing’ in the first half of verse 3, “sing to Him a new song”,  is šiyr; which implies the idea of “strolling minstrelsy”.  That was unexpected! We don’t use the English word minstrel very much these days so I Googled it for a bit more insight and found that it dates back to medieval times and is a reference to a “singer or musician, especially one who sang or recited lyric or heroic poetry to a musical accompaniment for the nobility”.   I also discovered that this same Hebrew word is found in 1 Samuel 18v6, and paints for us a picture of the meaning of the word:..”When David returned from killing the Philistine (Goliath), that the women came out …., singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments.”  I love that! The imagery and realization that we are to collectively sing and play music to exalt and delight our King Jesus! That we are coming out to meet Him, as it were, and shower Him with the praise and adoration He deserves.

Two other things about verse 3 to point out are that we’re to create new songs, and we’re to play skillfully. I’ve heard it said over the years, and have in the past said myself, that we’re not to be performing when we lead worship. But I’m not sure that’s entirely correct. We absolutely need to be continuously monitoring our motivations, and should not be trying to promote or bring glory to ourselves, so in that sense then yes we shouldn’t be ‘performing’.  But these verses seem pretty clear that we should desire and strive to play with as much skill as we can. That we are not only leading the congregation in praise and worship to the Lord but we are also presenting to Him the songs that we’ve prepared and we need to give it everything we have. Jesus is our noble King and He deserves our praise and adoration and that we would play and lead with as much skill as possible. And we’re to write new songs and poems and create beautiful visual arts as well. I think that as believers, the creative process is also a form of the praise and worship that we offer to Jesus.

One last thought is for those of us who lead worship to evaluate our leadership of the people God has asked us to serve. Do I lovingly lead in such a way that they are free to be expressive and joyful in the ways these few verses describe? Am I setting that example? Actually not just me but the entire team? Is everyone on stage singing and leading with instruments doing so with joyous faces and with heartfelt singing? Or.. not? And if not then how can we address it and make improvements? How can we encourage and/or what do we need to teach? I think for the most part our congregations won’t be more expressive in worship than we are. So asking ourselves these types of questions and dialoguing with our teams on a regular basis is vital.

Blessings to you as you continue to purse excellence in the art of worship leading!  ~ Michelle

 

Photo from Pexels.

 

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Servant (Worship) Leadership

What does servant worship leadership look like? I’ve been pondering that a lot this week. Actually I’ve long been interested in the conversation about what genuine leadership is and how to do it well, and I’m blessed to be part of a ministry team that values intentional learning and growth in this area. But this week for some reason my mind keeps going back to this question specifically.  What does servant worship leadership look like? In what ways can I, as a worship leader, serve my teams and my congregation as I lead them? I think in particular from stage? On the surface that doesn’t seem like a lowly servant role, and yet I believe that serving others is precisely what Jesus has called us to do.

Jesus taught the phenomenal paradox of servant leadership throughout His ministry, both in word and in deed.  Multiple times He told His disciples (and us), that if you want to be great you have to be the least. And if you want to be first, you have to be last. He demonstrated that true leadership encompasses  service to others and did so in striking ways, one of the more notable being when He removed his cloak, wrapped Himself in a towel and began to wash the disciples’ feet. They were stunned. They were uncomfortable. Peter was offended.  As I re-read the account in chapter 13 of John’s gospel, I am struck by a few observations that I think have application to us as worship leaders.

  1. Be willing to take on menial tasks……  It takes both humility and strength of character to willingly take on a thankless and lowly task like that of washing the disciples’ feet. They didn’t even appreciate it!  At least not initially.  But it needed to be done. And Jesus was willing to do it for them. Are we as worship leaders willing to do the same? Are we willing to take on the mundane, thankless, yet necessary tasks? Or do we consider ourselves above that? Are we serving tirelessly in the background, when we’re not on stage, to bless and serve those whom God has place on our teams with us?
  2. Be willing to let someone else serve you…. It also takes humility and strength of character to allow someone else do the serving. I’ve realized of late that this is an area in which I struggle. But in v14 Jesus says to the group that they “also ought to wash one another’s feet”. So the example wasn’t for one person only or for the worship leader or worship pastor only, it was for the entire team. If you’re the one in charge of your ministry team then you can and should set the example, and then also allow others to do the same for each other and for you.
  3. Look for teachable moments….. Jesus certainly could have called for a slave to wash their feet and no one would have thought anything of it, and it wouldn’t have been wrong for Him to do that. But as their leader He saw an opportunity to teach and lead by example and He loved them enough to do it. Think for a moment the completely different impact it would have been if, while a slave was washing their feet, Jesus merely told them what He wanted them to know.  They would have been much more comfortable with that… but Jesus was more concerned with their growth than with their comfort.
  4. Wash them with the water of the word….  The typically impetuous Peter swings from “no way!” to… “not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” (v8-9) in about 3 seconds flat. Can anybody besides me relate to Peter? Jesus goes on to correct him though and explains in v10 that he doesn’t need his entire body washed. He’s already clean (born again).  But he does need his feet washed. As believers we don’t read the Bible to get saved again each day, we read it (among other things) for fresh cleansing and renewal before we head back out into the world. This brought to mind for me the passage in Ephesians 5 where it speaks of ‘washing with the water of the word’. Same idea. There are so many different applications for us as worship leaders. Not only the ways in which we can pour into our teams behind the scenes, but also the awesome responsibility we have of stepping on a stage and leading and serving the people God has placed in front of us.  So in light of Jesus’ example and comments in this passage, I think one of the most important ways we can serve our congregations is by being intentional in that what we say from stage, and the lyrics of the songs we choose, are Scripture infused.  I’ve long asked myself each time I prepare to lead others in worship,  that if for some reason someone hears the worship portion of the service but doesn’t hear the teaching that day, have I by my song selection and by the words I’ve spoken given them the gospel message, and washed them with the Word? When we do that, then I think that we are following Jesus’ example.

Well I’m sure my observations on this barely scratch the surface! If you have any additional thoughts or comments please let me know! May we as worship leaders continue to grow in our skills and in our ability to effectively lead and minister to others. ~ Michelle