Weekend of Worship – March 2 and 3 at The Falls Church

I don’t know how many of the people who read this blog live close enough to Northern Virginia to come to this, but I wanted to share this just in case…

Next weekend at my church we’re going to be having a “weekend of worship”.

First, on Friday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd, in our Main Sanctuary, we will be having two evenings of extended worship and praise while we record a live congregational worship CD. We’ll sing the same songs both nights. We’ll start at 8:00pm and would love to have you. Before God leads us out of our building, we want to capture a sense of corporate, Jesus-exalting worship in that space.
Secondly, on Saturday, March 3rd, from 9:00am – noon, we’ll be offering a FREE worship team/musician workshop for instrumentalists, vocalists, and organists. You’ll get practical demonstration of how to play together as a team, rehearse, arrange, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Special guests include Carl Albrecht (drummer for Paul Baloche and Integrity Music), Russell Crain (professional electric guitarist and worship leader from L.A.) and Luke Moesley (studio pianist from Nashville). I will host this morning workshop with other musicians from The Falls Church family joining us too. We want to demonstrate what to do, what not to do, and how to do it. I’d love for all of you to come to this if you’re able!
I especially want organists to know they’re welcome to come to all of us – but particularly the Saturday morning workshop. Simon Dixon, our worship director and organist, will be demonstrating how he plays organ in a contemporary worship context.
So, if you’re able, please come next Friday and Saturday nights (the 2nd and 3rd) at 8:00pm for two nights of worship. And come on Saturday morning (the 3rd) for a fun, free, brief workshop from some really good musicians on how we can all grow.

What to Sing on Ash Wednesday

Yesterday I received a question from a worship leader about what kinds of songs to sing on Ash Wednesday. My answer to him wasn’t terribly profound or detailed, but since Ash Wednesday is this week, I thought I’d share my response here in case it’s helpful to anyone else:

I’ve always struggled with picking songs for Ash Wednesday myself.

I think that people wrongly think that Ash Wednesday/Lent is about self-determination to grit their teeth and give up chocolate for 40 days to show God how much they love him and impress him. I think Lent works better when it’s seen as a season to cherish Jesus more.

So, I know this sounds simple, but really any song on the glory of Jesus and his finished work. This goes against what some people want on Ash Wednesday. They want to hear/sing things about something THEY’RE going to do. Determination. I try to make a point of avoiding those songs and helping people understand there’s nothing to be gained by focussing on our own efforts.

So, in summary, pick songs about Jesus for Ash Wednesday. And Lent. And Easter. And the rest of the year too, I suppose.

Live Worship CD Recording

I’ve been quiet on here this week and will probably be quiet for the next couple of weeks since we’re planning on recording a live worship CD at my church on Friday March 2nd and Saturday March 3rd. We’re really excited and really busy!

We got word about a month ago that, in all likelihood, we would be losing our building in a very short amount of time. The thought came to some of us shortly after that after years of dreaming about recording a live worship CD at our church, the time to do it in our building was quickly running out.

So in record time we planned it, budgeted it, are raising support for it, scheduled it, are getting people in place, are advertising it, are finalizing a song list, working on arrangements, and trying to figure out how to set all of this up in a ridiculously short amount of time.

I’m excited to capture a sense of corporate worship with the congregation of The Falls Church in our building before we move on from it. That’s the main reason we’re doing it. I think it will bless our congregation and other congregations who are losing their building. I think God will use it beyond our church, though. I don’t really know how, but I think he will, and that’s exciting too.

We’ll be using some of our own musicians, but also bringing in some gifted guys (Carl Albrecht on drums, Russell Crain on electric, etc.) to help us out. Lord willing, we’ll be getting it mixed and mastered in Nashville using many of the same guys who have done Sovereign Grace Music’s recent albums.

We’ll be doing some re-worked hymns, some songs you may have already heard before, and some new songs original to our congregation.

I’ll keep you posted over the next few weeks/months as this project progresses, and let you know how you can pre-order the CD soon. It really will help us if people pre-order the CD as that will allow us the funding necessary to bring the project to a quicker completion. We’re viewing it a bit like a Kickstarter project, but the difference is that we’re guaranteeing it will get done eventually, we’re just not sure when. The more positive a response up-front, the more likely it will be in your hands by early summer.

 

The Main Thing

Not once has anyone ever come up to me and remarked on how much they were affected by the copyright dates on the songs we sang at a service all being after the year 2000.

No one has ever told me how much they were really ministered to by my new guitar.

I’ve never heard someone say that their life was changed by the new chord progression we used on the second verse of “Here I am to Worship”.

I haven’t heard of anyone seeing Jesus as more precious because of the new drum shield/acoustical panels we bought.

No one has ever been impacted more by the Gospel because we played a song almost exactly like the recording.

We got in-ear monitors a few years ago and I don’t think the Holy Spirit came down in tongues of fire that first Sunday. I think I’d remember that.

And it’s not like using in-ear monitors, drum shields, new progressions, new songs, and good arrangements is a bad thing. It’s just that they won’t change anyone’s life. Only Jesus will.

The assurance that “my shepherd will supply my needs: Jehovah is his name…” brought peace to a new widow and now single mother.

The truth of the Gospel that “from life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny…” comforted parents who had lost their infant son.

The good news that “…he must win the battle” assured a congregation after learning they will probably lose their building.

The grace of God that “breaks the power of canceled sin and sets the prisoner free” reminded a man lost in sin that there is always freedom in Christ.

I’m sure the equipment we used, the arrangements we rehearsed, and the time we put into choosing these songs all contributed to helping people sing these words. But the widow, the bereaved parents, the shocked congregation, and the lost man found no comfort, no hope, no peace, and no life in what we had to offer. Jesus is who shined through, and Jesus is who they encountered.

I think way too many worship leaders, worship teams, creative teams, video producers, choirs, and choir directors get lost in a sea of creativity and artistic expression and classic works and new songs and great equipment and fresh arrangements and ten rehearsals and burn themselves out trying to make great music. I love Bob Kauflin’s line that “music is a great tool but it’s a terrible idol”. Indeed.

All this is is a simple reminder that we have a great Savior and he is the one who will change people’s lives forever. Great music for the sake of great music is a waste of time and people’s tithe money. Great music to present our great Savior who is the hope of the world is why we (should) do what we do.