This week’s media focused on the languages of Prayer and Scripture.  We looked at their importance to the earliest Christians as a result of their sense of History; A history with the God of Israel. To them, “The “new” and “novel” were not seen as better worship ideas in their worldview. Rather the “old” and “trusted”were ideas that deeply formed their worship traditions.They did not see their history with God as something to be approached in a cavalier or nonchalant manner.” (1)

It almost seems as if that was all, they devoted their time to, all day .It also makes me wonder if our generation has lost the sense of History that the earliest Christians had. Most people in our world today are quick to give the reason of our not praying together often, to the issue of time. When it comes to the studing of srcriptures, the reason is not different. And yet we make time to do all the other things like attend a sports game, watch a favorite TV program, chat on facebook etc.

Who has the time these days to attend prayer meeting four times in a day?. Who has the time to wait for a lengthen reading of the scriptures while their team is about to play?. Nobody does. I think apart from the issue of time, the importance of studing the word of God is being lost, so is the interest.

This week’s media made me re-evaluate a lot of things in my personal life. I was challenged to manage my time properly, and l was moved to pray that God would create in us (his children) the desire to “esteem and treasure the word of his mouth more than our necessary food”. (2)

1. Worship History ebook. p.24

2. Job 23:12 Amp

Of all the media for this week, the one l keep going back to, is the article by Dan Wilt and Jeremy Cook “Worship: Yesterday, Today And Forever”.(1)

In it they discuss the consistency and diversity in worship expression through Church History. They also explain how worship expressions  are shaped  culturally,  environmentally and ethnically.

They also address the issue of prejudice as a result of differing worship forms and styles.

It just saddens my heart to hear and to see the confusion arising out of this issue of attaching OUR preferences to God,OUR  SET way of worshipping God.  As a result of this, faulty assumptions are constantly made about the way others worship God.

I  really appreciate the wisdom and advice Dan and Jeremy are  giving  to Worship Artisans, that is ” It doesn’t really matter how and with what form you worship God, provided that such worship is unceasing in devotion, and flowing from a pure heart.” (2)

Wherever we might  find ourselves as we worship our  unchanginging and unchangeable God, we must bear in mind that ‘ we worship a liv-ing God who is not a mute idol. He is alive, and He does move in the midst of your history and mine. He does new things in fresh ways, and thus we cannot remain still in our worship of Him. Though His nature is unchanging, He does unique things in every generation. There- fore, we must worship God in response to His immanent presence, His present nearness to us, in our day and according to our common languages of expression.”

 With this space right here, l say it is time for God’s children, from the home to the cathedral to the gymnasium, to let His worship resound yesterday, today and forever.

1. Jeremy Cook and Dan Wilt, Worship: Yesterday, Today and Forever
2. ibid

This week, we discussed the worship values of Intimacy and lntergrity.As l reflected on the media , l was reminded of an encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the Well. l love the Message translation of the verses 23-24 of John 4. lt states, “ It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves in adoration.”

The need for intimacy is so important for us even as we walk with the Lord in this loving relationship. The truth is that, we serve an all–knowing God! He knows all our struggles and He doesn’t love us less when we are unfaithful, it is mind blowing that, His mercies are renewed every morning!

All we have to do is to come just as we are, acknowledging Him as our God and surrendering our lives to him, and also trusting Him to change us into the image of his dear son.

There was a charge for us to keep as worship leaders, this week. We are called not only to lead but to develop and mentor others also. After listening to the audio and reading all the articles, l gave a sigh of relief that , there was a reminder for us to continually rely on God.

In 2 Cor 3:5 Paul had to tell the people that, their sufficiency was from God. And so also is our sufficiency. We might be “on the edge” as a result of all that is needed to be done for worship, but we must also  rest and rely on the power of God to enable us do what He has called us to do. We cannot do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Thank God that He is always there to help us.

What a blessed assurance!

Another amazing week, as we  continue to look at the practical roles of the worship leader. l believe the repetition of the worship leader’s roles emphasised this week ,bring a fresh reminder of my duty as a servant of God in the Body of Christ. Overall it has been very insightful and invaluable media.

Through the media this week, l have seen how ungrateful l have been to sound technicians. l take them for granted and often times do not even thank them at the close of reheasal or service. A sense of appreciation for their work has been quickened in me therefore l plan to give them an overdose of intentional thanks.

An emphasis on our heart attitude was made by Dan Wilt and Matt Redman.The point being stressed here is that,no preparation for worship will be complete without the worship leader’s heart preparation.

This week has been amazing!  Our focus has been on our roles as Worship Leaders. l apppreciate the simplistic approach  which Dan uses to explain our roles to us.It makes them very understandable and indentifiable.The Priestly , Pastoral, Prophectic  roles among others have been discussed and like he keeps reminding us , we need to grow more in these roles as we continue to serve God in our communities.

On the character of a worship leader, Dan Wilt makes a profound statement that “Our authority to lead people in public life is rooted in our secret life with God.”In other words we should make sure there are no hidden issues affecting our souls that will prevent us from being used by God.

Brian Thiessen shares his life with us on the issue of pride which all humans struggle with, especially those taking visible roles. He boldly gets us on this spiritual battleground and offers some helpful suggestions on how to deal with pride, namely; making a choice to walk in humilty, confessing our motives to trusted individuals, and finally keeping worship leadership in perspective.This is a treasure!

Matt Redman brings us back to what is important; our worship should be all about God and nothing else. This desire and passion can be sustained by persevering in our intimate worship time with God.

The heavenly roll (role) call has begun for us worship leaders and thank God we are all present, ready to serve our Master diligently.

 Dan Wilt has made the objectives of this course very clear. He hopes that we will learn the skills, know the philosophy and have the right heart attitude that will effectively help us to create the space for God’s people to meet with God.

We have looked at some of the qualities of great worship leaders. According to Dan, great worship leaders are consistent; they are able to create spaces of encounter no matter the context. Great worship leaders are equippers making way for others to have their own platform. Moreover qualities such as the person being pastoral, proficient and passionate among others have been discussed.

Reflecting on this standard of excellence, it suffices to say that worship leading is a calling on a person’s life.And worship leaders possess most of these qualities in seed form, to be great however, the worship leader must endeavour to develop these qualities.

Andy Park reminds us of the importance of worship and justice.He points out that regardless of the times of great worship experiences, if we neglect the needy and care for the poor, our worship is incomplete. David Ruis echoes this same reminder.

The pursuit of greatness in worship leading would not be possible without a heart willing to serve people. As Brain Doersken advises, this is a sacred responsibility.He encourages us to be servants in a way that that will bring life to us as well. As the cry from the human heart resounds with longing for an encounter with it’s maker, worship leaders have this priviledge of making God’s presence known tenderly and calmingly for an intimate worship experience.

The call of a worship leader then becomes a high calling of passionate service in God’s kingdom as we create the space for people to meet with God, fueled by an intense love for the master.Andy Park elaborates on this view extensively in his book “To know you More -Cultivating the heart of the Worship Leader”.

 This week we were blessed with a lot of helpful media, in the process of crafting our songs. Dan Wilt stressed the need to listen and receive criticism with grace.

Tim Hughes adviced us to keep our songs real ensuring that they are christ-centered.  l totally agree with him on the need not to compromise.

Micheal Hansen also talked about the beauty of God’s design in the body of Christ. How God has just the right place for each of us according to His design and as songwriters if we understand this, we would nip jealousy and competition in the bud and serve with joy whenever the opportunity comes our way. He warned us of the traps that songwriters fall into.

He further cautioned us “not to be distracted by the allure of worldly success, but rather in humility pursue the road of faithfulness to what God has called us to be and to do.”

The voice of Nigel Hemming spoke for kids, on the importance of using catchy jagons and fun groves in their songs.

Randy McCoy’s article talked about the need to pursue excellence in our walk with God as we pursue excellence in the crafting of songs. For him these two are interconnected.

The balance in this pursuit cannot be overemphasised and with God’s help, this standard of excellence will be maintained.