Grace in Daily Life

Worship Styles …

Next week, Fred will teach a workshop on “Worship Wars” at the Peacemaker Conference. I would imagine that the title pretty much says it all, but just to be explicitly clear … his workshop will discuss common conflicts related to worship styles/genres in churches.

I was thinking of his workshop and praying for him in particular last night because I was overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness for how SWEET the corporate worship I am experiencing at this women’s conference is … AND how sweet the corporate worship I experienced last weekend in Florida was. Let me take just a moment to contrast them for you:

– This weekend in California, I have the joy of serving a large group of predominantly African-American women. (I think I am one of two Caucasians in the room–but there may be as many as three.) The worship is Christ-centered and wonderful! A pianist who plays with no music led by a woman whose movements and hand signals never detract, but who leads us all so well that we always know what is going on. There are no hymnals, handouts, or overheads. She sings, we sing, she sings some more, we sing some more. Clapping, arms are raised or lowered or raised again. I LOVE IT.

– Last weekend in Florida, I had the joy of serving a large, quiet, conservative Presbyterian church that has existed for FIFTY YEARS. I looked around the room and saw so much white hair that I cried with happiness (we don’t have much white hair in our young congregation in Montana and I miss it!). The worship was Christ-centered and wonderful! We had a pianist, an organist, a choir in robes, and a doctorate of music professor conducting us all. We used our hymnals and sang choruses off of overheads. There were creeds, confessions, readings from the catechism, and I think we always did all five verses of hymns (decently and in good order). I LOVED IT. I did! My heart was turned afresh to God and I loved being there.

It all reminds me of a time that my (spiritual) “Grandma” Doris and “Grandpa” Bernie took me to see my friends from a short-term music missions team I had served on.

I forgot how loud the drums and guitars were! Until I looked down at these two, dear, sweet DUTCH REFORMED FROM IOWA people in their 70’s, quietly sitting next to me as the rest of the room was standing, clapping, moving, etc.

I quickly sat down next to them and said, “Are you OK? Is this too loud? I’m sorry! I didn’t think about how different this is from our little church in Illinois.”

To which Grandma Doris replied with her smile of love that always let me glimpse eternity and the reality of God:
 

“It’s all worship, dear. It’s all worship.”

Thank You, God, for calling your people to worship you.

That we even have this DESIRE is an evidence of Your Spirit at work in our hearts.
Please be glorified in us this day and every day!

Your grateful daughter,
Tara B.