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“…let there be light”
It’s surprising how much you can see when the lights are on. One quick flip of the literal and figurative light switch this past weekend and I got to experience that first hand.
What I already knew was that every person who walks through the ministry center doors for worship has a pretty distinct idea of what real worship “should look like.” And I also knew that we can never give everyone what they prefer all at the same time. There simply is no such thing as a “one size fits all” worship experience. I’m guessing that even in heaven some people will still be filling out anonymous comment cards…
What I didn’t know was that differing preferences could actually be a good thing. We usually duck when the negative comments and complaints come our way (on those very rare occasions). This past weekend was no exception.
The face off was over lighting and the challenges that our lighting cues presented. Words were exchanged, passionate points of view were expressed, people who love God with all their hearts landed on two opposite sides of the argument with an unusual mix of honor and opposition. I was proud of us. We acted like the body of Christ, thinking with our minds and feeling with our hearts about what worship “should be” on this particular weekend. In the end, we did not agree, but we went home respecting and loving each other, and with a resolution.
For me (and hopefully for all of us) the light went on in more ways than one. Here’s what we learned:
It's never “all or nothing.” Really. Solutions are rarely found in the black and white. There is likely some truth and wisdom in both points of view when people love God. The sooner we figure that out, the sooner we let go of our need to be “right.” The answer might not be your preference or mine - it could be the best of both.
If I say I love God – I need to love His people too. When I’m leading worship, there are more people in the room than just God and me. And their needs, obstacles, challenges and preferences DO matter to God – and they should also matter to me. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians compel us as servant-leaders to "become all things to all men so that by all possible means we might save some."
It’s a race, and I want to be first to put others’ needs first. In fact, some of my most meaningful moments in worship have been when I've handed over my preferences of music, environment, style, lighting, sound, speaker… to God. In one unlikely gesture my me-centered worship can change to a profoundly rich, personal, intimate sacrifice of praise.
Iron sharpens iron. Opposing points of view can actually be GOOD. This weekend the face off was triggered by lighting but turned out to be about ministry philosophy. As a result, a blend of two very “right” ideas turned out to be (in my humble opinion) better than either on their own.
...And that’s the story of how we came to blend the soft light of candles, the rich color of lights, and the sweet sound of voices raised in worship last weekend. It was a great service – more so than any of us imagined.
It’s surprising how much you can see when the lights are on. One quick flip of the literal and figurative light switch this past weekend and I got to experience that first hand.
What I already knew was that every person who walks through the ministry center doors for worship has a pretty distinct idea of what real worship “should look like.” And I also knew that we can never give everyone what they prefer all at the same time. There simply is no such thing as a “one size fits all” worship experience. I’m guessing that even in heaven some people will still be filling out anonymous comment cards…
What I didn’t know was that differing preferences could actually be a good thing. We usually duck when the negative comments and complaints come our way (on those very rare occasions). This past weekend was no exception.
The face off was over lighting and the challenges that our lighting cues presented. Words were exchanged, passionate points of view were expressed, people who love God with all their hearts landed on two opposite sides of the argument with an unusual mix of honor and opposition. I was proud of us. We acted like the body of Christ, thinking with our minds and feeling with our hearts about what worship “should be” on this particular weekend. In the end, we did not agree, but we went home respecting and loving each other, and with a resolution.
For me (and hopefully for all of us) the light went on in more ways than one. Here’s what we learned:
It's never “all or nothing.” Really. Solutions are rarely found in the black and white. There is likely some truth and wisdom in both points of view when people love God. The sooner we figure that out, the sooner we let go of our need to be “right.” The answer might not be your preference or mine - it could be the best of both.
If I say I love God – I need to love His people too. When I’m leading worship, there are more people in the room than just God and me. And their needs, obstacles, challenges and preferences DO matter to God – and they should also matter to me. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians compel us as servant-leaders to "become all things to all men so that by all possible means we might save some."
It’s a race, and I want to be first to put others’ needs first. In fact, some of my most meaningful moments in worship have been when I've handed over my preferences of music, environment, style, lighting, sound, speaker… to God. In one unlikely gesture my me-centered worship can change to a profoundly rich, personal, intimate sacrifice of praise.
Iron sharpens iron. Opposing points of view can actually be GOOD. This weekend the face off was triggered by lighting but turned out to be about ministry philosophy. As a result, a blend of two very “right” ideas turned out to be (in my humble opinion) better than either on their own.
...And that’s the story of how we came to blend the soft light of candles, the rich color of lights, and the sweet sound of voices raised in worship last weekend. It was a great service – more so than any of us imagined.
Labels: philosophy
posted by crosswinds worship arts at 9:57 PM
1 Comments:
Lighting in a service is SO underrated because SO many churches don't do much of anything. I grew up in churches all my life where the lights were either on or off. At Crosswinds lighting is just as much an art as the music itself. I'm so excited to be part of a church that makes an emphasis on lighting not to get in the way of worship, but to add and accentuate the experience of worship. This article is a great discussion into the world of lighting and I think the discussion should continue.
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