When Worship Hurts

Last week I landed my blog post with this statement:

"Worship—our response to a great and glorious God—will be the fuel that propels the church forward, even into evolving cultures, style changes, through difficulties, famines and stock market crashes. Worship is the priority of the church. All activities—evangelism, spiritual formation, ministry, corporate worship, etc.—must lead to the great result: the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:11-14)."

I cannot overemphasize this. As I look at the church in America, it seems we've veered off of the main path. I won't go into the same issues that I wrote about last week, but I do want to offer here today what I think is the most important act of worship from any believer or any church.

Is it singing worship songs or preaching? No. Is it reading our Bibles? No. Is it a consistent early-morning time of devotion? No. Is it being an incredible neighbor? No. Is it going to church, giving tithe, teaching a class? No. I could go on and on, but what I really want to highlight is where many American Christians draw the line: when worship hurts.

What? Worship can hurt?…..Yes! True worship is expressed to the fullest when our sacrifice of praise costs us dearly. It's when we are brought to our knees, when more is required from us than what we see is humanly possible (as if any work of God is "humanly possible")... That's when we come face to face with true worship.

Worship is obedience—to whatever extent God demands.

Scripture has much to say about this:

Jesus, in John 14:15, said: “If you love me, keep my commands" (NIV).

Another time, as Jesus was speaking, "...a woman in the crowd called out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.' [Jesus] replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it'" (Luke 11:27-28, NIV).

There is a big distinction between "hearing" the Word and "doing it." 

James 1:22–25 states: "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it" (NLT).

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:2–3, ESV).

Abraham is one of the greatest archetypes of faith and obedience.

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore" (Hebrews 11:8-12, NIV).

In Genesis 22 we see the obedience of Abraham, who's willingness to offer his own son on an altar was the ultimate and most painful and costly form of devotion to God.

"When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. 'Do not lay a hand on the boy,' he said. 'Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.' Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son" (NIV).

In Genesis 22:18, this terrifying tale of absolute surrender to God was summed up with the declaration: "…and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you [Abraham] have obeyed me” (NIV).

Our troubles may seem to be a curse. When we are passing through the "valley of the shadow of death," it may seem that we've been abandoned by God. But this is where worship is most painful and costly—and possibly where our worship is expressed to the fullest: When we keep on going in obedience, with the Word of God on our hearts and His promises on our tongues, even when our pathway is obscured by darkness and doubt. During challenging times we can be comforted by an entry in Paul's own faith-journal from 2 Corinthians 1:8-11,which recalls one of the many difficult points in his life. We read of it here :

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many" (NIV).

Let's stay the course and, through obedience, allow God to be glorified…even when it hurts.

Promoting a Creative Environment in the Worship Team

A good work environment is a top reason many stay at a certain job for a long time. Churches can expect the same thing, even with their volunteers. The environment in which we serve is crucial. Most of the responsibility—beside the attitudes of the individuals on our teams—depends on leadership.

One of the best books on music I've read in a long time has been Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music, written by the great music producer, Phil Ramone. In it, Ramone defines the role of record producer as roughly equivalent to that of a film director, creating and managing an environment in which to coax the best work out of his performers.

Worship leaders can help or hurt the emotional environment of their teams by either fostering an uplifting, supportive vibe in rehearsal and performance, or one that is critical and uptight. As a music producer, worship leader and music director myself, I try to avoid being critical, too demanding, judgmental or negative. A person with an artistic temperament will fold like a lawn chair when the environment is full of negativity and verbal criticism—especially when they feel degraded in front of others. Musicians and singers are artists, so good leaders must be mindful to foster camaraderie within the team, and a positive, nurturing atmosphere during rehearsals and in the services—if they hope for a sweet spirit of worship to flourish in their church. 

How do we foster a creative environment? "'Joviality,' says Ramone, 'taking your time…Convincing people that they are really good and getting them to play at a new level, that's what I look for. And understanding what the assignment is [in our case it's leading our congregations to the throne of God through worship], because that's forgotten for most of the time. People can perform and play well, but the actual intent in what they're trying to do in the music can be lost. Trying to get everybody on the same page is what being a good producer is about'" (Sound On Sound, April 2005).

Producer John Burk, after Ramone's death in 2013, recalled co-producing Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company with the legendary producer. He said, “It's funny: If you weren't paying attention, it would seem like Phil was this guy hanging out, telling stories and making everyone laugh. From him I learned how to create an environment. He knew how to get the flow right and let the artists work at their own pace. He used to say half the battle is letting them know that you care about them” (Phil Gallo, Billboard Magazine, March 30, 2013).

As worship leaders, we can learn much from Phil Ramone. We must be sensitive to maintain a creative environment for our teams. To push beyond the emotional limits of our team members will only lead to diminishing returns.

Justin Timberlake—Teacher and Guide

I was talking to an old friend today who was a student at my first Worship Foundry school. He's now a grown man with a college degree and a new bride, but fondly remembers those two semesters he spent learning about the guitar in a context of worship. He said he'd love to start a Worship Foundry in his current church, where he says there's interest but no opportunity there for future generations of worship leaders to begin their journey as a worship musician—the kind of opportunity he had more than a decade earlier. I loved being a mentor to those students, many of whom are still playing in worship bands all over the country.

While clicking through the cyber edition of our local paper, The Tennessean, I discovered an article featuring Justin Timberlake and his budding ambition as a teacher and a mentor—at the ripe old age of 32. No one is too young to be a mentor, especially if you're Justin Timberlake and have millions of fans. (After seeing his amazing laser-light-laden performance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, it's not hard for even an old fogey to realize his immense talent).

In the Tennessean article by Cindy Watts, Timberlake said:

“There might be another calling for me out there,” he said. “And it might be being a part of music in this way as a communicator and a teacher and a guide.” 

Might Taylor Swift be a potential student? He questioned what the multi-platinum-selling singer’s career will be “when she crosses over the threshold of adulthood.” 

“She’ll get her day in the sun when she’s ready to move the needle,” he said. “That was something I was very conscious of. I was in a group that was bigger than bubble gum (*NSYNC). Talk about stadiums. We played every stadium in the world, it feels like. It’s almost like, with anything, when you do settle into adulthood is when when people respect you in a different way. But there’s no question in my mind that that’s where she’s going, if she so chooses. For me I am sort of the oracle of the idea, and I’m also the communicator of it.” 

He also wants to break down genre barriers in songwriting. 

“When are we just all going to sit in the same room and go, ‘You know what? The clash of cultures is what it’s about,’ ” he said. “And to be honest, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, about how I’d like to be a part of it. That’s what I’m looking forward to in the next 10 or 15 years, helping these young kids who are songwriters make a career out of it.”

I am still passionate about being a mentor—so much so that I dedicated a chapter about it in my new book, Worship Foundry. I hope you pick up a copy so that you, too, can learn to create a worship school for your own church. I promise that it will be a blessing for your students, the church, the Kingdom, and incredibly fulfilling for you as a teacher and leader.

Merry Christmas!