"You are about to embark on a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months..." So began General Dwight Eisenhower's message to the Allied Expeditionary Forces, hours before the launch of the D-Day invasion of Europe in June of 1944.
To a degree, it is fitting for SSBC as well. We indeed are about to embark on an undertaking unlike any of us have truly experienced: "Moving" our church to a new location. We have debated and discussed the land, the building, the purpose, and the vision for this move. Now, we are stepping off the ramp into the battle.
As we undertake this landmark move, we continue to seek God's will and leadership. And, we continue to more clearly define the role of worship in this process. Undoubtedly, worship will be a vital part of who we are as a church body. But it is essential that we understand what worship is. Worship, as author Jamie Harvill says in his blog "Church: What Are We Missing?" is "Our response to a great and glorious God." Worship, by that definition, does not change. It does not "move." It is not dependent upon our location. But, as Harvill goes on to say, it will be "the fuel that propels the church forward, even into evolving cultures, style changes, through difficulties, famines and stock market crashes."
What we must remember is that worship is our aim. It is why we are here. It is, in the words of Harvill, "the priority of the church."
What is most important is not how we worship, but that we do worship. We must get to the place where worship is not a style of music; it is not the number of verses we sing from any given hymn. It is not whether we stand or sit, raise our hands or close our eyes; it is not in the number of times a phrase or chorus is repeated. Music is merely one of the "tools" we use to publicly and corporately express response to the greatness of God. It is about what is on our hearts, what we understand and believe, and to Whom we sing.
Another portion of General Eisenhower's speech can also serve us. "Your task will not be an easy one." Eisenhower warns the AEF. "Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle hardened. He will fight savagely." The same can be said for our enemy. The Enemy. Therefore, we must be well trained, well equipped and ready for battle. I hope and pray we are.
We must strive to avoid the argument of style over substance. Let us focus on true worship.
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." Psalm 99:6-7 (NIV)
I invite you to read more on worship and today's church in Jamie Harvill's blog, "Church: What Are We Missing?"
