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On Monday I posted my thoughts on why and how worship leaders should regularly and consistently point people to Jesus Christ in such a way that helps remind us that he’s beautiful. One of the ways to do that is to point to his suffering. When we look at the cross, we see a Savior who endured the worst kind of suffering imaginable, beckoning us to run to him in our suffering, and reminding us that one day he will end suffering without ending us.

We behold the beauty of Jesus in his suffering. And we behold his beauty in his sacrifice.

If you’re anything like me, one of the parts of the story of Jesus’ death that has always particularly unsettled me is the part about Barabbas. A convicted murderer, on death row, due to be crucified on Good Friday, Pilate concedes to the demands of the crowd and lets Barabbas go, so that he can crucify Jesus instead.

Barabbas deserved to die. He was guilty. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He was innocent.

And that’s the point.

On the cross, the guilty go free. The Innocent is crucified.

Worship leaders have a responsibility to remind people of the sacrifice of Jesus. The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus in our place.

And the sacrifice of Jesus was not only substitutionary. It was final.

In Mark 15:37, Jesus breathes his last breath. In the very next verse (15:38), our attention is immediately drawn to the ripping of the temple’s curtain (“from top to bottom”). No man could rip this massively thick curtain. Especially not starting at the top. This is a monumentally powerful display of the immediate institution of the new covenant – instantly – and with finality. It was done.

God in Christ did what no man could do for themselves. Now, because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

When worship leaders allow services, and weeks, and even months to go by without drawing their congregations back to behold the beauty of Jesus in his sacrifice, we allow a certain level of arrogance to develop in our worship that we are able to approach God on our own. We’re not. It’s only because of Jesus’ sacrifice – his final, in-our-place, once-and-for-all sacrifice – that we can draw near with confidence.

Jesus is worthy of our praise. Never forget it, worship leader. And never let your congregation forget it either.

Yesterday at my church we sang/said Psalm 104 as a response to the story of creation in the first chapter of Genesis. I wrote a melody to the last half of verse 35, which we used as the refrain before/after different chunks of the Psalm, and we said those chunks of verses over the musical accompaniment.

It worked pretty well, so here’s a rough video of me showing how it goes. (And here’s a PDF of the chord chart, which has the melody of the refrain I wrote.)

Refrain:
^[35b] Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise the LORD!

^[1] Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
^[2] covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
^[3] He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
^[4] he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

^[5] He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
^[6] You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
^[7] At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
^[8] The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you appointed for them.

^[31] May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works,
^[32] who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
^[33] I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
^[34] May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

 

It’s been quiet around here lately.

Due to a number of factors, namely some time off during August, and the normal busyness of ramping up for a new ministry year, I’ve been a bad blogger and haven’t given as much attention to Worthily Magnify as I would have liked. My apologies to all of you who read / subscribe / check-in on a regular basis. I’m still committed to serving worship leaders through this blog, and I wanted to let you know that I’ll begin resuming a predictable schedule (as much as possible) starting today.

My goal will be to post new content every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’ll either be sharing articles, or videos, or resources I think would be helpful to you. As is my usual pattern, sometimes these will range from the serious, or the musical, or the occasional commentary, or the humorous. Sometimes it might just be a link to another article, teaching, or video I’ve found encouraging.

The mission of this blog is still the same as it was when I launched it in July 2009: to help worship leaders lead well. The landscape of worship leading / worship music / evangelical worship leading has changed a lot even in the five years since. My prayer is that I can contribute something helpful and fruitful for worship leaders who are trying to make sense of their biblical, pastoral, and musical role in their unique setting.

So, thanks to all of you who read/comment/share, and for your patience over the last few months while things have been quiet around here. I’m looking forward to revving up the old blogging engine again.

I was talking with a friend recently who had attended a fund-raiser dinner banquet at a local hotel for a Christian non-profit ministry. After dinner was finished, the program began with a local church’s worship team leading some songs. And when I say “some songs” I mean six or seven songs. Half an hour worth of songs. In addition, most of the songs were unfamiliar to anyone who didn’t attend this worship team’s church.

My friend described an awkward scene: a worship leader who kept going on and on, the back half of the room getting tired and sitting down, and the front half of the room unaware of this development and continuing to stand. When the worship leader finished, there was a subtle sigh of relief.

I wasn’t there, I don’t know the worship leader, and I don’t know who asked him to lead songs and how long they asked him to go. I can imagine a scenario in which someone asks a worship leader to “lead a few songs for 20 minutes or so”, not knowing that that can actually feel quite long at a fund-raising dinner and that the words “or so” are hardly ever taken to mean “less”.

And I’ve had my share of worship leading experiences when I look around the room and can tell that there are some people who are just not enjoying themselves at all. Maybe it’s because I’m going too long or doing songs they don’t know, but maybe the problem is with them. Who knows.

But even though there’s a lot I don’t know about this particular situation (i.e. any real details), it still reminds me of an important worship leading principle: sometimes shorter is sweeter.

If given the choice to go too long or too short, I’ll choose too short every time. I’d much rather leave people wanting more, as opposed to leaving them wanting me to be quiet.

Every church, every service, every fund-raising dinner, and every event is different. If and when you’re asked to lead worship for any one of those – it’s your responsibility to find out from whomever is in charge exactly what your parameters are.

But just because you’re given 30 minutes doesn’t mean you should take all of them. Maybe sometimes you should. Maybe sometimes you’ll go longer if that’s what works. But sometimes, even though you’re given 30 minutes, it’s actually better to go 15.

I’ll tend to take up all the minutes I’m allotted on a Sunday morning, or when I’m leading a service or event for a group of people who I know and who know me. But if I’m leading an unfamiliar group, or leading music at a dinner banquet, I’ll usually plan on erring on the side of brevity and familiarity. It’s hard to go wrong with either.

The average song is 3 – 4 minutes long. Add in repeats, transitions, prayers, etc., an average song during a time of corporate worship might take 5 minutes or more. When you’re planning a set of songs, plan on each song taking 5 minutes. This way you’re building in a buffer for yourself.

It’s always awkward when a guest overstays their welcome. It’s not that you don’t enjoy their presence, but it’s time for them to move on so that you can also move on. The same rule applies to worship leaders. Don’t overstay your welcome. Shorter is sweeter.

I’ve not written many worship songs. But of the songs I’ve written, “Come You Sinners” has seemed to resonate the most in the different settings/churches where I’ve led it.

The verses for this song came very quickly one day as I was choosing songs to sing during communion. I wanted a song that I could sing over God’s people as they came forward to receive communion, and I wanted a song that God’s people could sing over each other, to teach and admonish one another in the good news of the gospel.

In two spots I borrowed a beginning line from an old familiar hymn “Come Ye Sinners”, but everything else flowed as an attempt at a fresh way to say some unchangingly amazing and refreshing truths:

Come you sinners, poor and needy
Come behold your Savior’s face
Full of love and rich in mercy
Hands outstretched with endless grace

Nothing you have done has earned it
Full atonement, vast and free
Nothing you can do can change it
Rest on Jesus’ victory

Come you weary, heavy laden
Burdened under shame and sin
There is never condemnation
When your life in Christ is hid

There is no one else to turn to
He will guide you all your days
His perfect love is perfect for you
Trust in Jesus’ saving grace

It needed a chorus, and my first attempt at one was less than stellar. If I recall correctly, the lyrics were “oh, oh, thank You Lord. Oh, oh, forevermore I will sing your praise”. I sent the song (with the first attempt at a chorus) to a few friends and I remember Bob Kauflin saying that the chorus “needs work”…

So one night the words of Augustine came to mind, and so I sat at the piano while the words and melody for the chorus came:

Our hearts are restless ’till we find our rest in You
Our lives are hopeless ’till we find our hope in You
Jesus, You are my life
Jesus, I give my life to You

This chorus seemed to “stick” and the song was done. And since the day I finished it, this is a song that I’ve found has ministered to me on countless occasions. It’s almost as if God gave me the song for me. But as I’ve shared it in a few different contexts, I’ve found that it has ministered to others as well.

I recorded this song with my previous church, and you can buy the mp3 from that album on iTunes here.
Here’s a free lead sheet (instead of the G7/D, just play a Dm).
Here’s a free chord chart.
I have string parts too, and if you email me I might be able to pass them along. 🙂

I hope this song is a blessing to you. Every time I sing the lyrics I’m amazed again that they’re actually true!