Worship Leader Probs

The church world is very interesting. The highs are extremely high. The lows….well, they are equally as low. It makes me think a lot about what we might be capable of if we were to ever get on the same page. I mean all of us, on the same page, working toward the same goals on behalf of The Kingdom. Can you imagine that? No arguments over worship style, music volume or choir robes. No time wasted on complaining or gossiping. No debates over doctrine. Just purely driven to build The Kingdom. Wow. Powerful.

What would that take besides a series of earth shattering miracles? A good place to start would have to be all of us taking our eyes off of ourselves and focusing on our mission. I’m saying that to myself as well. What is our mission? What are we to be about? How much time do we spend on non-essentials? 

I once heard a Sunday School teacher say, “Folks, when in doubt, trust the red letters.” This is, of course, referring to the passages in the Bible that are direct quotes of Jesus Christ. So, let’s go to the red letters to answer this question of mission. One day a religious teacher stood by listening to Jesus teach. He asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Mark 12:28 NLT). This is what Jesus said:

The most important commandment is this: Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important…Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.  
(Mark 12: 29-31 NLT)

I love how straight forward that answer is. Jesus didn’t mess around being politically correct. He told us exactly what HIS priority list of ministry was. Trust the red letters.

A friend of mine brought me a Starbucks cup a few weeks ago. Ever since it has been sitting on my desk. On the cup is a poem by the Canadian author Desi Di Nardo. I know nothing about her and my experience is limited to this lone, thought provoking poem. I read it every day. It has caused me to think about this subject a lot and to even write this blog. I hope that you will take a few seconds to read it and think about it, especially in the context of mission. It charges us to set our preferences aside. I leave you today with, “The Way I See It,” by Desi Di Nardo:

The way I see it
isn’t necessarily
the way you see it
or the way it is
or ought to be
What’s more important
is that we’re all
looking for it
and a way to see it