Worship in a museum

Last Sunday afternoon, I found myself in the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York City. I was there chaperoning a group of students from Valor Christian High School, the school where I teach. We were there over the school's fall break. After establishing a time and location for meeting back up, I sent the students out in groups of 2 or more, and found myself alone, free to do whatever I wanted to do with the next hour and a half.

Where should I go? What did I want to see? I folded open the map guide to the museum and looked it over. Other than the musical instruments room, nothing particularly caught my fancy.

It was then I had an impulsive idea. Why not try to find all of the pieces of art that depicted Jesus Christ, especially those that depicted Him either on the cross or following His crucifixion? With nothing more than that as my goal, I got my camera out and began to slowly meander my way through the various exhibit halls. If it didn't deal with the subject of Christ's life here on earth, I didn't give it a second glance.

This was a treasure hunt that brought me riches beyond what I could have imagined. I found marble statues, silver-stamped processional pieces, inlaid wooden scenes, stained glass panels and, of course, numerous paintings, both large and small. Each one brought me to a stop, and I found myself quietly meditating on each piece of art. And I worshiped.

I was impressed at the commitment it took for each artist to fashion their art; with the hours (and days, weeks...months!) it took them to complete their masterpieces. I marveled at the skill and giftedness required to present the Savior within the context of their own personal and creative viewpoints and using their choice of artistic mediums. I wondered what they were trying to communicate about their own spiritual journeys and faith. And I worshiped.

I finally entered a hall where I was immediately drawn across the room by a painting. It was by Manet, and it depicted the crucified Jesus, now down from the cross, dead, and with two angels near Him. As I sat down in front of it, I began to notice some of the unique perspective the artist had in painting the scene. Jesus body is laying face on to the viewer - the first time I have ever seen this positioning of His body. It allowed for a complete detailing of his crucifixion wounds, from his nail-pierced feet to his wounded side. And I worshiped.

I then looked at His face. It was unlike any other depiction of Christ I have ever seen. His features were...well, they were not those of a handsome man. He looked ugly. His hair was dishevelled, his beard spotty and unkempt, his cheeks sunken, his bone structure angular and disproportional. And then the verse came to me: "There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him, and people turned away" (Isaiah 53:2). Manet's depiction of my Savior's appearance brought home to me the humility of God in taking on human form to die for me. And I worshiped.

Right there. In the middle of the museum. On a bench. In front of a painting I had never seen before. Painted by someone I do not know. Someone who, as he used his paints, canvas and brushes, had no idea the impact his work would make on a man so many years later. A man who happened upon his painting in a room nearly 150 years later and thousands of miles away from where it was created.

I worshiped my Savior last Sunday. In a museum.

Dancing in the Mine Fields

I can't claim the title I am using for this blog. It is the title of a song by Christian troubador, Andrew Peterson. His music is always thoughtful, well-crafted and creative. It's a song written in tribute to his marriage, and describes the all-out commitment marriage requires in a beautiful and poetic way. Sermons could be preached, seminars led, using nothing more than the text of this song.

Maybe it has invaded my thinking because, in a week's time, I will be giving away the third of my four daughters. At any rate, here are some of the profound takeaways for me from his song:

1. Marriage is not just a beginning, but also an end.
While we frequently focus on the new relationship between the two getting married, celebrating the new union with all of its promise, marriage also represents the end, or death, of their lives as single people. No longer should their focus be on themselves; singlehood breeds narcissism, but marriage necessitates self-sacrifice and selflessness. Along with the vow "I Do," and all that it encompasses, is also a list of "I Don'ts" in terms of how we are to lay our lives down for our life mates.

2. Marriage is a risky venture.
The song title reveals that it is a dangerous thing to entering into a mutual and life-long marriage. There are many pitfalls (mines) that can destroy a marriage. We know this to be true. When one of every two marriages end in divorce, it can safely be assumed that marriage is a fragile thing. There is a reason why so many vows include references to sticking it out regardless of difficult circumstances that may arise: in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, etc. At my niece's recent wedding, I was impressed that they included in their vows this phrase: "I will never divorce you."  

3. Marriage is idealistic.
The love passage, I Corinthians 13, says that love believes all things and is quick to forgive. Never let anyone try to burst the bubble of optimism with which you start marriage as a young person. In the song, Andrew describes that he and his wife were considered too young and nieve when they began their marriage. Even so, he is celebrating 15 years of marriage as he writes his song. The fact that marriage is God's idea, His plan, is reason for great optimism.

4. Marriage is meant to be enjoyed. 
I love the picture of a couple dancing. My wife loves to dance. Her idea of a great date is for the two of us to go out dancing. She could dance for hours. There is something magical about dancing with your wife or husband. It is free and uninhibited. It is a courtship. The rest of the room disappears as you enjoy each other in the dance. Dancing is a picture of all the other ways a couple can enjoy the journey through life with each other. So go on: dance!

So go get the song on itunes. "Dancing in the Mine Fields" by Andrew Peterson. And if you have begun to lower your expectations for marriage, particularly your own, I encourage you to begin believing the best about marriage!

An American Myth - Worship Leaders need to be young, guitar-toting rockers with cool hair and tight jeans.

I just heard of yet another friend of mine who was asked to leave his position as worship pastor at a church where he had served for many years. That makes four of my contemporaries in the last year or so, all of whom were told the church is "going in a different direction." What do each of them have in common? They all recently turned 50 years old. And now, they are all looking for work, and finding it hard to find. They are all questioning whether they have a place in the church at this stage of their lives or if they are all washed up.

What causes a church to make such a decision? I can tell you what it wasn't. It wasn't moral failure, lack of excellence, character issues or spiritual shallowness on the part of any of these men. Each of them are excellent musicians who love the Lord and His church, and have dedicated their lives to serving Him with their musical gifts.

So what was it that brought their ministries to an end? Each of these churches have bought into a new philosophy of worship that has been sweeping across churches in America. To attract more young people, they have concluded they need to emulate what they see at the trendy, successful mega-churches: they need a young, guitar-toting rocker with cool hair and tight jeans to lead their worship. They believe that, for their churches to really grow, they need a worship make-over. And so it is out with the old, in with the new.

What these churches fail to recognize is that their gain is also their loss. They trade the known for the unknown, thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. They trade a worship veteran for an inexperienced and often ego-driven youngster. They trade someone with a life time commitment for someone looking for the next step up the success ladder. They trade someone with a proven ministry mindset for someone who frequently doesn't understand what being a pastor really means. They trade a mentor for someone who needs to be mentored.

The only other church ministry position where being older means being obsolete is the area of youth ministry. That has been true for quite some time, and almost universally so, although I have seen a growing number of youth pastors who are surviving (and thriving) into their grandparenting years. I applaud this for many reasons, first and foremost because with their increased age, these men have now parented their own children through the teenage and young adult years. That gives them real-life experience no twenty year old can bring to the spiritual care of teenagers.

Running after the latest trend in worship reveals the heart of a church's worship philosophy. Remaking worship in order to target the younger generation seems like a good idea on the surface. After all, what church wants to fall behind in terms of staying relevant? And if younger people aren't coming, or are visiting but not returning, and then blame the worship, doesn't that warrant the change? 

I don't think so. To focus on one generation is to neglect the others, and that just doesn't describe how the Bible views the Body of Christ. Our love and care for one another is what will draw people to the Kingdom. We are described as having many parts yet all are valuable and useful. Which is why I believe so strongly that the best model for worship is an inclusive, multi-generational approach. One where grandparents and grandchildren are both able to worship together in the same room, learning and growing as they see how the other's worship language and needs are being met.

I believe a multi-generational worship approach can be achieved by a worship leader of any age as long as he understands that worship needs to include a variety of generational preferences, is willing to stay current with a part of the worship  being offered, and is willing to share his worship leadership with others of different (usually younger) generations. It also requires the complete support of church leadership, including the senior pastor. Another must is regular, consistent, and intentional teaching about worship so that the church's worshipers don't fall into a consumerism, me-centered mentality.

The damage caused by tossing out an older worship pastor and pursuing a younger one just to follow a trend is something I believe God will hold church leadership responsible for. The Church is not the business world, where change for change sake is often quite acceptable, and where phasing out older workers for younger ones helps save money on salaries. This is the Body of Christ, where every member is of value. Including fifty-year-old worship leaders.   

Do you dare to ask God to speak to you?

My wife and I have been on an interesting journey this past year. After leaving the church ministry last May where I had been serving as Worship Pastor and Musical Director for eight years, I found myself in an unfamiliar place: being without a church home, and beginning a journey to find a new church.

This was unprecedented for me, because I had always been on staff as Music Director at every church I attended - employed by the church I attended. After all, you kind of have to attend the church that is paying you to be there to lead their musical program!

We have not been in any hurry. There was some burnout, more than I realized, after having been in church work for over twenty years. In fact, now that I am teaching, this past Christmas season was eye-opening to me. Our family was together for the holiday, free of the pressures of church programs and services, and actually all at home on Christmas Eve together. Weekends have been restorative as well, without the weekly pressures of preparing and presenting multiple services full of music.

Nevertheless, the desire to worship with other Christ-followers, to be taught God's Word, and to be in community with other believers, has remained, and even grown over time.

Finding a church to call home is hard! As my wife and I have visited various churches, we have discovered that our list of things we desire in a church has come into sharper focus. Having come from a large church situation, you might be surprised at what we are looking for; then again, you might not be surprised at all.

1. Authentic, deep, caring, real-world relationships and community
2. Small scale programming and building facilities
3. A focus on reaching out to the community in real-life acts of service
4. A flexible approach to church that allows for the Spirit to intervene with what has been planned and prepared with His agenda and purposes
5. A dependency on God that is revealed by the leadership being humble and teachable
6. Worship that is emotionally moving, overwhelmingly about God and definitely not about the "performance"
7. Teaching that is Biblical yet consistently applied to life

It has taken us nearly an entire year to find a church that we believe fulfills these requirements. It is a church plant, barely a year old, that meets in a hotel ballroom each week. It is a young church demographically; we are among the old ones there. They don't have everything figured out, but their authentic desire to follow Jesus and share Him with their world shows in everything they do.

Last Sunday was not unusual, even though it was Easter Sunday. There were technical difficulties, and parking problems, and church did not start on time. But as I walked into the building, I asked God to speak to me through the worship and the message, and did He ever!

I found tears streaming down my face as I worshiped God. The words of the modern praise music ministered to me, revealing who God is to me, and causing my soul to respond with unhindered thanksgiving and praise. The message was genuine, and clearly the result of time spent with God and His Word. I was challenged to go deeper, to meditate on the truths shared, as I wrote down key points in my I-phone notes app.

As we left, I had an opportunity to thank the pastor for His message. His response was to thank me for being there, and to share that He could probably learn a lot from me and from my years of church experience. A humble leader.

On the walk to the car, I told my wife that God had impressed on me that morning that this was where we should attend church. Her response? I thought God was telling me the very same thing today! A wonderfully confirming moment, seeing God tell us both the same thing independently of each other.

I do firmly believe that God will speak to someone if they ask Him to do so. An open mind, an open heart, and open hands, all give Him the opportunity to lead us in the right direction as we seek to follow Him. It's a great place to be!   

Family Tragedy

On Sunday night, February 6, at around midnight, my 22 year old nephew, Titus, committed suicide. I am still trying to comprehend his decision. Still trying to process how his decision has affected me and my family.

Titus had every reason to live. He had just bought his first home last year. He had a growing landscaping business. His relationship with his family was close and loving. His faith in God was strong, his believe in his Savior Jesus Christ unwavering. Titus was a big, athletic, positive, friendly, likable young man.

He left a video, taped just minutes before he took his life. In it, he describes very matter-of-factedly what he is going to do, but never gives a reason why. He apologizes to his family for the hurt and pain his action will cause them. He describes how good his life is. He says he knows if he had called any of his family, they would have talked with him, prayed with him, and talked him out of his plan to end his life.

So what happened? We may never know. He had a bumpy relationship with his girlfriend, having broken up with her more than once. They had been talking and texting for the couple of hours before he ended his life. It seems certain to me that she knows something, but she isn't saying anything. But even so, this was his own decision, his own action. Nobody else held the gun to his head that night; he did.

His death rocked our family. They came from all over the country for his funeral, at great expense in many cases. Why? Because we needed to grieve together. To process what he did as best we could, while looking into each other's eyes. While holding onto each other.

I know that Titus is in heaven. His faith and trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior was certain. I also know that God numbers all of our days, and that His number for Titus was unchanged by his suicide. From my human perspective, his shortened life seems like such a waste, such a tragedy, but I can't see all that God sees. "All things work together for good for those who love God" is still in the Bible. I may never know more than a fraction of the good that will come from Titus's death, but I know it will come. I'm already getting glimpses.

There were 500 people at Titus's funeral. The officiating pastor gave a clear presentation of the gospel, and gave people the opportunity to receive Christ, or take home further reading materials, or contact area churches. I know of one person who received Christ in the service, and nearly all of the materials made available were gone by the end of the day. "All things work together for good."

My youngest daughter has begun to make her relationship with God a much higher priority. She has resumed a Bible study with her sister, has recommitted to attending church and a Young Life group on her college campus, and has a new and strong burden for her unsaved boyfriend to come to Christ. "All things work together for good."

I look forward to seeing more fruit produced out of this tragedy. I have no doubt that more good will come from this "bad." God is just that kind of a God. He has proven it to be true over and over again in my life.

Oh - and I look forward to being reunited with Titus in heaven some day. That's where this story really ends!   

Reading Through The Bible

I am reading through the Bible this year, 2011. It's not because I made a new year's resolution. In fact, I started several days after the start of the new year. I guess I'm not really sure why I started to do this again this year.

You see, I have done this before. It has always been a tough but important assignment. But this year I am trying a new reading system that involves two readings in the Old Testament and two readings in the New Testament. It began with Genesis 1, Ezra 1, Matthew 1 and Acts 1.

It has been a refreshing and rewarding approach.

As I have read about the beginnings of the world and of the church, and as I have witnessed the birth of the Savior and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, I have been surprised at the broad and common themes seen in all four divergent texts. All have pointed to God's holiness and anger towards sin mixed with and so often overcome by His gracious mercy shown to a fallen people. I have seen the importance of obedience to God's will for people who lived thousands of years apart. I have marveled at the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, as He has purposefully reached into our world in so many significant ways.

It has helped me grasp the reality of our timeless God with greater clarity than ever before. And produced a heart full of overwhelmed gratitude that He has touched my life with His presence and mercy as well.

Thank you, God, for who You are and for what You have done. For Abraham, for Nehemiah, for Peter, for Paul.....and for me!

I'm looking forward to seeing more of God's Word revealed to me by His Spirit as this year continues.