We looked at the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. What were some of the factors that made her a godly mother? She put God first in her life when she said yes to being Jesus’ mother, she believed in and encouraged Jesus in a way only mothers can do as seen at the wedding in Cana, and when it came time for Jesus to fulfill His mission on earth, she released Him into the hands of the Father.

In addition to godly mothers, we also took time to remember all the blessings of God in our lives and to celebrate His goodness and greatness.

Here’s what we did together this weekend:

Our Service Flow:

Welcome/Announcements

Call to Worship: Psalm 103:1-5

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Winkworth/Nockels/Neander/Nockels)

We did something a little different with this song. Read below to find out what.

Moment of pondering anew God’s greatness

How Great Is our God (Tomlin/Reeves/Cash)

How Great Thou Art (Wesley/Hine)

Prayer and Confession

Greeting Time

Offering

Your Love O Lord (Powell/Avery/Carr/Lee/Anderson)

Message

Video: Mothers, We Need You from CenterLine New Media

Time of Prayer for Mothers

Encouraged folks to pray alone or with a friend for the mothers they know (self, daughter, friend, neighbor, etc) to be godly moms in this time. Ended by having all moms stand and our senior pastor prayed for them.

Recognition of Mothers

Our children had spent the previous weeks making birdhouses, and they came in and distributed one to each mom present.

Close & Commission: Philippians 1:3-6

Observations:

• We begin a little different this week. The first song following the call to worship was Praise to the Lord, the Almighty. This is one of my most favorite hymns, and both Passion and Travis Cottrell have done great arrangements of it. We did the Passion version from Hymns: Ancient & Modern (Amazon affiliate link) album. Since I wasn’t sure if people would know this one (you just never know), I encouraged them to sit and listen to the words as we sang the first two verses and the chorus. Then, I invited the congregation to join on the last two verses and the chorus while remaining seated. As the song ended, I encouraged them to meditate, or “ponder anew,” the great things the Lord has done. After a moment, I invited them to stand and we moved into the next songs.
• We took another step forward on our “building a worship team” journey this week. I had three vocalists singing at the same time. It went well, and we will continue to grow and develop our skills together. During rehearsal, I handed out a post from David Santistevan about improving vocals from his blog.
• It was a good morning. Personally, I always struggle a bit with the tension of having a service connected with a holiday and the biblical purposes of a communal gathering. However, the time focused on remembering and celebrating the blessings of God and the message on the power and importance of godly mothering, while not directly connected, both worked.
• Still struggling a bit with connecting and engaging the broader congregation in worship as a participative value instead of a spectator event. It will come with time, but it can be discouraging at times when you look out.
• You may have noticed we didn’t do any songs at the end of the service. As we worked through the planning process, there just didn’t seem to be something that would work without it coming across as a token song. We felt a time of prayer was a better step of response.

I hope your morning was full of celebrating, remembering, and honoring God in the midst of your communal gathering. In the midst of it, I hope that God’s truth was proclaimed, His love shared, and His people drawn together.

To see what other communities did this past weekend, be sure to check out Sunday Setlists at TheWorshipCommunity.com.

See you next week!

Today, we come to the final group of 5 nuggets.

11) Take time to learn. While methods change, biblical principles of worship and working with people don’t. Learn from those who have gone before.

12) How well you lead is related to how well you can follow. Can you follow and submit, not only to the Lord, but also to those in authority over you? They love and care for the body of Christ as you should also.

13) Know the people you are leading. Unless you end up as a traveling worship leader, get to know the group you lead regularly. The personal connection will enhance your ability to lead well. I was once challenged that instead of spending the last 10-15 minutes before a service starts sequestered away, be in and among the congregation talking to people building relationship. This goes for the whole team.

14) Worship should result in transformation of our hearts, minds, and lives. The same is true of those we lead. Is worship being carried out into daily life? Is the time we spend together with the Lord changing how we live and interact with others daily? Are our hearts becoming more like God’s because we’ve spent time with God? If you don’t see evidence of that, it might be that we are spending more time with ourselves than connecting with God through the avenue of worship.

15) Tell the story. Don’t just get up and sing a bunch of songs, but constantly tell the story of God, Christ, the cross, and His great love for us. Lead the people into the story and provide opportunity for them to respond wholeheartedly.

There you go. 15 worship leading proverbs for the new (and honestly, not-so-new) worship leader. Not necessarily an exhaustive list or the authoritative source on the matter, but these are ones that seem significant to me. What impacted or challenged you from this list? What was a good reminder? What would you add?

Feel free to pass these along to others you might know.

What are some resources you have used to gain a greater understanding of what leading worship is all about?

Here are the next five:

6) You can’t judge people’s depth of worship by only outward expressions. Not everyone is the same and not everyone will respond the same.

7) Worship leading isn’t about making yourself look good and showing off your musical chops. It’s about serving the body of Christ and helping the community express praise and adoration to God with all of who they are because of all of who He is. If people aren’t singing/participating, you may need to evaluate what you’re doing.

Keep your eyes open. If you’re not making eye contact with the group you are leading, then it’s hard to know whether or not they are following and participating.

9) Read. Read the Bible, read books about theology and worship. Read. Know God, who He is, and what He has done. This will do more for your ability to lead people in worship than practicing your instrument for hours each day. You can’t lead people somewhere you haven’t gone or to someone you don’t know very well.

10) Worship leading is as much, if not more, a pastoral function as it is a musical function. It doesn’t mean you have to be a “pastor”, but you’re more than a song leader.

There we go. Another five worship leading nuggets. I’ll post the final group tomorrow.

What’s the best advice about worship leading you’ve ever received?

Some people are just great at that kind of thing. Perhaps your grandpa, the old wise guy at church, or a particular author you like to read.

Another place is the book of Proverbs in the Bible is full of wisdom. Often in the form of short, concise sayings that illustrate a point and/or valuable life lesson.

We find these valuable because they provide direction for life.

But what if you’re a worship leader, especially a new worship leader. Where do you turn for those “nuggets” as you begin serving in this type of role?

Being a worship leader/pastor is about more than just doing music well. It’s about more than just being proficient on guitar or having a great voice. It’s even about more than just being available.

Unfortunately, there are those who have found themselves thrust into that position for those reasons. They were available and could play music. And then they are faced with the enormous and awesome privilege of leading a team that leads a congregation in offering acceptable worship before our holy and loving God.

What do you do? What do you need to know?

Early in 2012, I was contacted by a friend who was preparing to do a seminar for high school students interested in being worship leaders. He asked for a couple of thoughts of what I would pass on to new worship leaders.

I started writing, and when I was done, I had a list of 15 worship leading nuggets. Maybe not quite on the level of biblical proverbs, but a summary of things I’ve learned along the way that would have been good to know early on.

Here are the first five:

1) Worship is a choice. A choice for each person present, including the leaders.

2) A worship leader can’t make someone worship. There isn’t a combination of songs, lights, volume, scriptures, or words that will make a person who doesn’t want to worship, worship.

3) Everyone who is on the stage is a leader. Maybe not the main leader, but everyone is setting an example and modeling either worship or not worship.

4) Worship is more than just a Sunday morning thing. If the only time you (as a worship leader) worship is in a corporate gathering, you’ve missed the point of worship. Go back and read Romans 12:1-2 for starters.

5) A worship leader can’t take a person/people into the throne room of God. Only Christ can do that. Our job is to create an environment/opportunity, remind people of who Christ is and the completed work of the cross, and point people to Christ. They then choose to follow or not follow, open their hearts and minds or not.

There are the first five. Come back tomorrow for the next group.

What would you pass on to a new worship leader?

The weekend we had a special evening of worship. I currently serve in a church that is two unique locations with one name and common purpose. One of our goals is to foster better connection between the campuses, and so we have been doing special joint events on the 5^th Sunday evenings when they occur.

This past weekend was one of those times. We held an evening of worship at one of the campuses with the theme of Jesus Is… It was an evening of music, sharing, prayer, connection, and creative expression. I led a combined worship team and we had people participating from both campuses in the service.

Click through to find out about the whole service…

The Service Flow:

Video featuring different people talking about who Jesus is to them

Call to Worship

Different scriptures from the Psalms featuring the phrase “The Lord is…” read by worship team members

O Worship the King (Grant/Gardiner/Tomlin)

Awesome Is the Lord Most High (Tomlin/Pierce/Reeves/Abel)

Forever Reign (Morgan/Ingram)

Personal Prayer

Testimonies

Had two people (one from each campus) answer Who Jesus is to me.

Your Great Name (Nordhoff/Neale)

Your Name (Baloche/Packiam)

Testimonies

Two more people answering the question Who Jesus is to me.

Scriptures where Jesus said, “I am…” read by worship team members

Question: Who is Jesus to you?

The congregation was asked to think about who Jesus is to each of them and then express that creatively. We had boards set up around the worship center and markers available. They were asked to draw or write something on a board expressing who Jesus is to them, and then to share with others about what they expressed. We had some iWorship videos playing in the background during this time.

A New Hallelujah (Smith/Baloche)

Video: Jesus Is from Eleven72

Prayer Groups

We invited people to form small groups for prayer and to pray for someone in their sphere of influence who doesn’t know who Jesus is yet. Or they could pray that God would bring someone into their life. We also asked them to write the name on a piece of paper that had been distributed earlier.

Beautiful One (Hughes)

Mighty to Save (Morgan/Fielding)

Close: Philippians 2:5-11

You Are the Light (Fee)

As people left for a time of dessert and connecting.

Observations:

• It was a great night of worship and focusing on who Jesus is. We had a good mix of people from the two campuses, and across a wide age demographic. People engaged, connected, and celebrated.
• We didn’t end up using either of the “Jesus is” videos, which is kind of disappointing since they were part of what developed the theme of the night. The first was due to technical difficulties (got it out of the way early) and the other was because I totally flew right past it in the service order. Oh well…
• Working with a blended team is always an interesting experience because you’re bringing together different people with different levels of comfort and sometimes different ways of doing songs. Thankful that we were able to work well together and that direction was received and given without problem. Everyone ended up learning a couple of new songs along the way. They worked very hard.
• Of course, picking songs for a combined event can be challenging. While we have some similar songs, each campus also has some unique songs and we both have a different expression right now. Again, thankful that we were able to select songs that drew us together in a communal expression of worship.

This was our third joint event since I arrived last October. We’ve had one other Evening of Worship and then a Good Friday service. Each one has been a special time together and a great time of connecting and worshiping together. Thankful for the opportunity to be a part of these events.

Here are some downloads related to this event. Feel free to use and adapt as necessary.

Service Order from Planning Center Online: 

“The Lord Is…” scriptures: 

Jesus “I Am…” scriptures: 

Scriptures read during interlude of A New Hallelujah: 

Have you done a special worship event lately at your church? What did you do?

There are two ways we can focus our life because there are two aspects of our being. There is the physical element and the spiritual element. Both are important and define who we are, but only one can have dominance. Focusing on, as John says the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), will have different results that focusing on the things and will of God.

The results are seen in how we approach life, live in truth, and in whether or not we can confess Christ as Lord. There are lots of things that seek to draw our attention away from Christ, even good things not held in the proper place. So, to keep our glass clean, we must “continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).

Here’s what we did together this morning…

Our Service Flow:

Welcome/Announcements

Call to Worship

An opportunity to turn our eyes toward God and to allow Christ to fill our vision because of who He is in Colossians 1:15-20.

Jesus Messiah (Tomlin/Carson/Cash/Reeves)

Greeting Time

Prayer

Message (1 John 2:15-29)

Video: The Crowd or the Cross from Igniter Media

Great video contrasting the difference between living according to Christ and living according to the world/the crowd.

Be Thou My Vision (trad. Irish hymn arr. Chapman)

Open the Eyes of My Heart (Baloche)

Prayer Transition/Confession

Praise the Father, Praise the Son (Cash/Tomlin)

Communion

Offering

In Christ Alone (Getty/Townend)

Close: 1 John 2:28

Observations:

• We did the majority of our singing following the message this morning. There were a number of factors that went into play for that decision. A number of the songs were definitely chosen for their responsive nature to the message (Be Thou My Vision and Open the Eyes of My Heart – recapturing the idea of turning our eyes and filling our vision with Christ) and to help in the transition to communion since the ending of the message wasn’t designed to go right into communion.
• It was a good morning. Probably one of the better mornings we’ve had in a while. (Yes, that’s an entirely subjective statement). It seemed to work well to put more of the worship singing at the later part of the service. I’m noticing that our congregation seems to engage better post message as opposed to pre-message. Considering what impact that may have on future service planning,,,
• Doing communion today was a great opportunity to allow us to remember and express Christ as Lord in a tangible and physical way.
• Doing the offering immediately after communion was different for us, but seemed to work okay. It was done that way to help with scheduling and flow/time.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that your opportunity for worship was glorifying to God and transformative for you as you gathered with other believers this weekend.

To see what other churches did together this past weekend, feel free to check out other Sunday Setlists over at TheWorshipCommunity.com.

But it is exactly what God extends to us through Jesus Christ. Not as a license to do anything and everything, but as an assurance of our acceptance. Yet so many live as “Christians” without living in the understanding and acceptance of these things. And that greatly impacts how we live in Christ – whether with the hope of glory or in the defeat of this world.

That’s what we explored this weekend as we continued through our Stained Glass Living series in 1 John 2:1-14.

Here’s what we did together:

Our service flow:

You Are the Light (Fee)

Welcome/Announcements

Receive New Members

Call to Worship: Psalm 34:1-3

Reminded the congregation that our worship is a response to God in all circumstances because He is worthy.

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Van Dyke/Beethoven arr. Chapman)

God of Wonders (Byrd/Hindalong)

Went right into the chorus of this song from the last verse of the previous song.

Prayer Focus: Psalm 34:15-20

Reminded the congregation that the God who is holy and created the universe is also the God who hears our thanks, confessions, and requests willingly.

Responsive Declaration

That I got from Terry Timm’s blog here.

Greeting Time

Offering

Before the Throne of God Above (Bancroft)

Message

Video: You Are a New Creation from Hyper Pixels Media

Jesus, Lord of Heaven (Wickham)

You Are My All in All (Jerrigan)

Close: Hebrews 13:20-21

Observations:

• The service elements flowed well together in this service. We are still teaching You are the Light, and it seems to be going well. The song really captures some of the themes we’re trying to draw out. Before the Throne of God Above we did during the offering as a special and really captured the specific theme of the day.
• We ended up reprising the chorus of God of Wonders at the end of the prayer focus time. Just one of those things that seemed right to do.
• The beginning of our services still seem to be a bit of struggle to gain traction. But the ending today was a great response of worship and thanksgiving to the Lord for His love, acceptance, and forgiveness that we certainly don’t deserve.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that the worship gathering you were a part of today was an opportunity to remember and celebrate all of who God is with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

To see what other communities did together this weekend, check out other Sunday Setlists at TheWorshipCommunity.com.

Yoda tells him to do it anyway, and Luke responds by saying he’ll try.

Yoda responds by saying, Do, or do not. There is no try.

Jump to a planet a whole lot closer to us (ours), but still a long time ago.

Simon Peter has been fishing all night long with his companions. In the morning, Jesus is standing beside the lake, and the people are crowding around Him. He gets into Simon Peter’s boat, puts out a little way, and proceeds to teach the people about the kingdom of God.

After Jesus finished speaking, He told Simon Peter to let down his nets for a catch.

Simon’s response is “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5)

As I was reading that recently, the statement immediately struck me. Jesus wasn’t a fisherman by trade; He was a carpenter. Simon had been fishing all of his life, and certainly knew more about fishing than Jesus did. He knew the signs, and if he had been fishing all night, certainly was aware of the lack of fish.

Yet, he does what Jesus says to do. He had every reason to ignore, argue, or complain. He doesn’t say that he’ll try or that it’s a silly idea. He simply does it.

What happens?

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. (Luke 5:6-7)

What was it about Jesus’ presence that compelled them to do what Jesus said to do? This was early in Jesus’ ministry. Simon Peter may have heard some stories, but didn’t know much about who Jesus was or what He could do. And it wasn’t till after this event that Jesus calls Peter, James, and John to follow Him.

Yet, they did what Jesus said. Without question, argument, or complaining. Maybe there was a little doubt in their minds, but that didn’t stop them from throwing out the nets.

I wonder how I would have responded if I had been Peter. What would you have done?

Would we have acted more like Luke toward Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, or more like Simon Peter in Luke 5?

I find it’s very easy to lean more toward acting like Luke. Especially if I have experienced a certain situation before. I think I know what’s going to happen. Or when God is speaking to me in a circumstance where the logical and practical side of my mind says something different should go down than what God is saying.

When you stop to think about it, that’s somewhat prideful. How can I possibly know what’s going to happen? I do not know the future. I do not know the ways of God. I do not know how God is working behind the scenes or in people’s hearts that will affect how a situation plays out.

But, I do know God. I know that He is wise, powerful, faithful, righteous, merciful, and loving. I know that He is a Father who gives good to His children but will also allow challenges to refine us. I know that He can do more than I can imagine. I know that He desires for His glory to obvious in my life and the life of people around me.

I’m learning that when God says something, it’s best to go with it. As we get established in this ministry season, I can either do what God wants or I can choose not to do it. But there is not to be any trying. I don’t know better than God about the ministry He wants done. I am simply to be faithful; He will bring results.

And for that, I’m thankful.

Do you find yourself responding to God’s directions more like Luke in Star Wars or as Simon Peter from Luke 5? What has God been teaching you about this? Will you leave a comment?