As worship leaders, we have accustomed to living in a weekly pattern of planning, practice, rehearsal, and performance, planning, practice, rehearsal, and performance…
When everything becomes mechanical and we have adjusted to this rhythm, it is easy to lose sight of the significance behind all these exercises, i.e., worshipping God, and leading, ministering, and witnessing to the congregation.
We need to disrupt this pattern. We need to insert a time of reflection into this rhythm.
Tonight we will go through a time of silence and reflection together.
Silence can be threatening. Fifteen minute can feel like an hour if you are not accustomed to spending time in silence. Your mind may wander away. You may be bombarded by many images or random thoughts. Tell yourself that it is okay. Rejoin the reflection when you are ready. Remember: silence is your friend not your foe.
We will spend 16 minute on this reflection - divided into four equal sections.
(1) Pay attention to yourself
- What is your body telling you now?
- What is your foot, your arm, your back, your head telling you now?
- Are you tired?
- What is your heart telling you now?
- Are you joyful, sad, angry, burned out?
- Pay attention to these signals coming from your body.
- Acknowledge them.
- Present them to God. Tell Him how you feel right now.
- Listen to His voice.
(2) Pay attention to worship
- Picture yourself going through the rehearsal and set up during the past Sunday. What happened?
- What was the dominant picture and/or feeling during this time?
- Were you focused, nervous, confident, distracted?
- Tell God what happened.
- Listen to His voice.
- Now you walked up the stage. Picked up your instruments. Stood before the microphone. The music began. What happened during the actual presentation?
- What touched you most during those moments?
- Tell God what happened.
- Listen to His voice.
(3) Pay attention to God’s Word
- Reflect on Sunday's sermon.
- What touched you most during those moments?
- How did you encounter God in His Word? What challenge did He give you? What was your prayer?
- Listen to His voice.
- Now you came forward to partake the Holy Communion.
- What went through your mind and body at that time?
- Tell God what happened.
- Listen to His voice.
(4) Pay attention during rehearsal
- Imagine that you have come to this coming Sunday's last song “Let your glory fall.”
Listen to me as I read you the lyrics… - What is your heart telling you right now?
- Where will your heart be when you present this song?
- How will you worship with this song this Sunday?
- Tell God.
- Listen to His voice.
As you attend to God (no matter how imperfectly sometimes), be assured that God is paying attention to you all the time.
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