Authentic Worship

Last week I had the blessed opportunity to be with Great Swamp Baptist Church for their fall revival.  I have been doing revival services for Great Swamp for the past fifteen years and those good folks have become like a home away from home for me.  There is so much about the church that is endearing to me; the pastor, the people, the location, and especially the fact that it reminds me so much of the church I grew up in, Mt. Beulah Baptist Church in Bessemer City, NC.  Pastoring at Old Fort is certainly a great blessing in my life, but I must admit that there are times when I miss the simplicity of the small country church. 

For example, shortly before the service began at Great Swamp one night, the “song leader”, a volunteer, stood by the “piano player”, also a volunteer, and quickly picked out the songs that would be used in that service.  Then, during the service, she called out to her “singers” sitting in the congregation to come forward and join her on the stage.  She managed to get about twelve brave souls to join her and they became the worship choir.  Their books were distributed, the page was found and without one minute of preparation they sang unto the Lord.  It was beautiful.  No CDs, no microphones, no special parts and especially, no anxiety.  It was just freedom in worship without fear or inhibition as the family of faith gathered around the altar and sang praises to the Lord.

As I drove home that night, I noticed that the lights were still on here at OFBC so I stopped for a minute and walked in on our worship team practicing for the Sunday morning service.  What a contrast!  Choir, band, worship team, audio/visual technicians, and a brand new Worship Pastor were all working at a feverish pace in order to get things just right for Sunday.  As I stood in the back and watched, reflecting on what I had just witnessed at Great Swamp I couldn’t help but compare the two distinct approaches and wonder which one I liked the most.

Honestly, I concluded that I love them both, the simple and the sublime.  As I watched the church at Great Swamp gather their “singers” for the special music, I thought about the “widow’s mite” that Jesus praised in Luke 21:2.  She did not have a lot to offer but gave what she had willingly and with a sincere heart.  On the other hand, as I watched our team working hard to present an offering of worship on Sunday, I thought about the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) where Jesus taught that to whom much is given, much is required.  Jesus’ lesson is clear; the key to sincere worship is in the size of the sacrifice, not in the size of the offering.  I truly enjoyed the “singers” who gathered on the platform to sing an old familiar song and caught myself singing along from the front row.   However, my heart was deeply moved on Sunday when I watched many of our people come together and present a carefully orchestrated music set that reminded us of the faithfulness of our God.

I have had the privilege in my lifetime to worship God in many different settings; large churches, small churches, house churches, old established churches, new church plants, churches meeting in hostels in Peru and under trees in Tanzania. This one thing I have learned; if it is sincere, honest, heart-felt, and directed to Jesus Christ, I like it.  Thanks for reading.