Guiding Worship
For those who plan and lead worship events.
Passion within compassion
By Wendy J. Miller
Brian and Margie shepherded their three children into a pew near the front. Margie checked to make sure little Jamie had his activity bag, Susan wasn’t chewing gum, and Chris had his Scripture reading in hand. Brian found his regular seat between Jamie and Chris, but he hardly heard the organ prelude. Lay-offs in his business distracted him; he felt anxious about his future, yet guilty to still have a job and sorry for those who would be laid off.
When the prelude ended, and with it the low buzz of conversation across the congregation, the worship leader approached the microphone and after a second or two of silence, said: “Good morning! For many of us this is a good morning. This is the day the Lord has made: we rejoice and are glad. For some of us this may not feel like a good morning, and we may wonder if we have the energy or the desire to praise and thank God. We may come tired, discouraged, anxious, or simply not sure why we are here. No matter how we come, God knows, and welcomes us as we are. Hear God’s invitation to us today:
“Come, you who can sing and make a joyful noise! Come, praise and be thankful!
“Come, you who are tired from carrying heavy loads! Jesus says, ‘Come to me and I will give you rest.’
“Our coming, no matter how we come, is an act of worship. I presence just as you are.”
In the moments of silence that followed Margie allowed herself to be drawn into the larger space of the gathered community at worship. She breathed out a deep breath and realized how tight and busy her morning had been.
Brian stiffened in the silence. He wasn’t ready to let go of what he carried until later in the singing of a hymn when he welcomed the Spirit into his anxiety and worry.
One of the tasks of worship leaders is to pay attention to both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the worship experience, the human and the divine. On a human level, people come to worship tired and driven: they feel harried by pressures to produce, to survive, to accumulate for the sake of security; the accompanying anxiety chokes the gateway to their inner soul.
Rather than bemoaning our state, Jesus invites us to be honest: when he visited synagogues, he recognized that the people were harassed and helpless and in need of shepherding; they needed healing as much as preaching (Matt. 9:36). To the religious leaders who criticized him for welcoming persons they considered unacceptable, Jesus responded by saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (Matt. 9:12,13). This is dimension: how God sees and receives us as we come.
These images in Matthew provide those of us who plan worship with a compassionate lens to see persons in the congregation as they leave the pressures of a consumerist culture and walk into the sanctuary. These images suggest that as worship leaders we serve as usher or spiritual guide to assist persons into God’s presence, and trust the Spirit of God to help persons become aware of God who welcomes, heals, and restores us as we gather.
In the week leading up to worship, it is helpful for worship leaders to focus on these points:
1. What is the Scripture passage for this worship service? Read it aloud and begin to enter into the “story” offered.
2. As you journey with the Scripture passage, keep in mind your own personal needs and response, the persons in the congregation and their needs, as well as the needs of the local community, the nation, and world.
3. Reflect on how God welcomes and receives us as a congregation as we gather. How can we assist persons to feel welcomed with compassion and understanding? In what ways can we usher them into the healing and restorative presence of God? In what ways can we assist persons to be present to each other?
4. How can we assist persons to re-engage with their life and community beyond the church doors with the assurance that God is with them at all times?Wendy J. Miller is campus pastor and teaches spiritual formation at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Virginia.