We need a bigger story

People need a big story to live within.   

Our lives our so jumbled and often disconnected that we need a bigger narrative in which all the assorted puzzle pieces of our lives make sense.   We long for transcendence, purpose and meaning; and this is the message the Church has to offer the world: that God, through Christ, is redeeming our stories and is giving meaning to our lives within His story.  

So here's my question: what are the places and times that you experience this kind of connection with a "bigger story" than the subplot you're living?  

Spirit and Truth - Part One

²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know;we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”  JOHN 4:21-24 (NIV)

In this section of a wonderful exchange between a Samaritan woman and Jesus, something critically important to everyone shines through.  The fact that God the Father is actively seeking a certain kind of worshiper.  If we were to grasp the import of this concept, what would it mean to the way we approach worship?  It seems explicit in this passage that there is a right way to approach the LORD in worship, and because of this, there is a wrong way to approach the LORD.  This truth is borne out through the Scriptures, and for Christians, the concept of correct-worship is tied directly to the requirement for Spirit and truth in worship.  

Take some time to think about this question: if there is a kind of worshiper whom the LORD is seeking, do you want to be that kind of worshiper?  What's it worth to you to cultivate proper and powerful worship in your life?

National Worship Leaders Conference notes

Hello all,

It's been too long since I last wrote, so I confess my sins of busyness and inattention to the important act of writing.  I am in KC this week at the National Worship Leaders Conference.  I'll have much more to share in the days ahead, but for now, I'll tell you the theme is Spirit and Truth.  I've had some great and challenging insights and I look forward to sharing them in the days ahead.   In the mean time, spend some time reading John 4, and think about the importance of what it means to be a "true worshiper" whom the Father seeks.  

Sean

Are you ready to worship?

Worship Matters

Are you ready to worship?  It’s probably not a question that many of us ever ask ourselves, but it’s a question of critical importance to our worship together every Sunday morning.  The Lord of all creation is awaiting our undivided attention and He seeks to pour out His presence upon us as we sing and pray to Him, and as we engage with His Word; however, we all too often walk through the doors of the Sanctuary rushed, distracted, or unprepared to meet with God in a significant way.  Seeking the presence and power of God with a heart to honor and glorify Him is the purpose of our times of corporate worship, and He longs to meet each of us there in life-changing ways, each week.  The question for each of us is: are we ready to worship?  Do we come expecting to hear a message from God in our times of praise and teaching?  Do we come expecting answered prayers and healing for broken spirits, bodies, and families?  Do we spend time each day before the Lord in preparation for all that He longs to do in us and through us?  

So, here’s a challenge for each of us this month - at least once per week, preferably more, spend time in very specific prayer for the upcoming times of worship.  Pray that God will be honored in our praise and that we will have open hearts to receive the Word of truth that He has for each of us.  Pray that we will passionately pursue God in all that we do, say and sing, and that our worship will be more than something that happens for an hour each week; rather, that our worship will become our “lifestyle” as we submit to the love and leadership of our Lord each day.     

Grace and peace, 

Sean