She's the worship leader......

"She's the worship leader......."

 I remember one of my friends introducing me to a friend one day while walking through Lismore. “How do you know her?” I asked my friend, “Oh, she’s the Worship Leader at our church.” “What’s that mean?” I asked. “You know, she’s in charge of the music, the bands and that.” “Oh”, I replied. “When you say she leads the worship you mean she leads the music”.

We hear that term a lot: ‘worship’. In a lot of church contexts it conjures up images of singing, hand waving and great music: a special time when we ‘worship’ God. Unfortunately we’re taking a word from the Bible and using it the wrong way, compartmentalising something that’s meant to be the whole of our lives. whole of our lives. whole of our lives.

The Bible says in Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship this is your spiritual act of worship. this is your spiritual act of worship Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The Bible makes it clear that worship is not just about music. It‘s about offering your entire life in response to God’s mercy entire life in response to God’s mercy so that you’ll be transformed transformed to be more like Christ. By using the word worship in place of music, we’re missing the point.

Worship is doing everything, from cleaning the toilet to driving your car to playing music... as long as it’s all offered to God for his glory. Of course, our singing can be part of this all-of-life worship, but only a part.

 Before we offer somebody the title ‘Worship Leader’ we should think hard about what we’re saying in relation to that person. In fact, as far as ‘Worship Leaders’ go it’s hard to think of any one who deserves the title other than the one who has already offered himself holy and pleasing to God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.