My Pet Peeve

My pet peeve is that we’ve got too many folks in our pews watching other folks doing something. Take the “solo” for instance. One person sings while we all sit back and enjoy.  Its like we can’t have church unless someone sings a solo. Solos can be great (I hope so, because I’ve sang quite a few, and am singing again this Sunday). But sometimes I wish we didn’t feel like we had to have a “solo” or a “special” every week.

I have always disliked the term “special music” and will almost never use it. Its not that I don’t like things that are special, its that the term has become synonymous for a vocal solo, or duet or trio. Why is it special because its done by a soloist or ensemble?  Why is that any more “special” than any other act of worship? Why is a solo more special than all of God’s people singing His praise?

Worship is a verb. Read Psalms and tell me its not. We’re commanded to sing, to clap, to shout, to meditate, to bow, to stand, to gather, and many other acts of worship which include being still and silent. Any act of worship is what it is, and is not any more “special” than anything else. Maybe there is no end to the list of things we can do as an act of worship in response to God.

I encourage every Christian to worship to the best of their ability, and then some, when we gather to worship. And when we’re led to do something, as soon as we decide to do or not do, we’re worshiping on our terms, not God’s. What does He deserve? He deserves a whole lot more than we can give.

Worship is a verb. Let’s do it and not just talk about it.

Brad

What are your expectations?

I believe that one of the things that keeps us from knowing God is our expectations.

Let me explain. It seems to be human nature to desire a kind of “status quo.” We want the familiar. We want what we are used to. We want to be comfortable. We want what we like.

There is nothing wrong here. That’s who we are. That’s the way we are wired. Its our personality. Maybe more for some than others, yet that’s how we were made.

Yet I believe we have a conflict when we try to do what God would want us to do and then expect everything in our lives to be comfortable and familiar, that same old routine.

Jesus said you can’t put new wine in old wineskins. (Luke 5:36-38) If God wants to pour new wine into our lives, we’ve got to always be new wineskins. We’ve got to stretch. We’ve got to adapt. We’ve got to grow. Sometimes we settle for what is good and comfortable when God wants to give us more.

So there’s got to be a balance here. We’re going to seek that comfortable routine, those things we like, because that’s who we are. But we can’t let our desire for the familiar keep us from the “new wine” God wants to pour into our lives. We’ve got to get beyond what we want, and begin to desire what God wants. Its not easy. But I believe that’s were we need to go.