WORSHIP THOUGHTS

07/29/06 - Abraham tested 2

continuing on from last week..........

Abraham did not take a guitar or a song sheet up the mountain with him. He did not carry a PA system or an overhead projector (that’s old school isn’t it!), I mean a computer/projector system. He was not able to pre¬¬-plan what might happen, nor was he able to predict the outcome, except that he and his son would return.

Abraham and Isaac only took the necessary ingredients for a sacrifice. And they called it worship! They took, a knife and the fire. That’s all. Perhaps worship in its purest form is all to do with sacrifice. Sacrificing in his presence (on the mountain of the Lord v14) what is most dear to us to the one who is our provider.

I have no idea how much thought you give to preparation for your public gatherings. I believe that we should give it much thought and prayer. However, it is what the preparation entails that is the key element ion all of this. What does your preparation look like? Are you spending an evening a week rehearsing songs that you will sing on a Sunday? Brushing up on difficult chord changes/ or keys; learning words or memorizing melodies? I have done it all and seen it all, and I believe that there is something much better than that! And that is learning to flow together in the presence of the Lord and stepping corporately as a worship team into the river of God.

“That’s great!” you say. But what about us learning the songs? Well, what about it? How many times have you played them prior to this week? How often do songs come around in your congregation? Does each of the team follow a schedule of learning at home, or do they play/sing at all?

Just recently I have come across two examples that may help you. Firstly, I was speaking to one of our keyboard players and he was expressing how he practiced at home in such a way that what ever song is thrown at him, he is prepared. Secondly, I heard a young man at home playing a song that is very complicated in its chord structure. This young man normally plays drums and occasionally guitar, but here he was committing something to memory, so that at any time he could recall it.

Now the congregation you may be in prepares songs in advance of the Sunday service, but do your musicians and singers know them, or do they have to have copies of songs, or a plethora of books strewn all over the floor in order to be able to play. I believe that God wants the bar raised. Set yourself and your team targets to learn songs without music. It is a tall order at first, but stick with it and it will get easier.

Back to Abraham for a moment the real preparation that Abraham did was responding positively to God and being on the Mountain of the Lord )in his presence) and it is there that he will provide! Let us live in God’s presence daily.