- Letters from Batsirai
- Posts
- It's Who NOT How.
In football, there's a saying: "It's not about the X's and O's but about the Jimmys and Joes."
Simply put, it's not just about strategy and tactics, but more importantly, it's about the players involved. The right players can make or break your strategy.
We often rely on our tactics and strategies because they feel familiar, controllable, and predictable.
We like to lean on things we can depend on.
The things that can be learned, practiced, and improved upon.
It's Who not How.
So it is when you start dating... you are so excited to be with the person that it doesn't matter how or where you meet to eat - it could be at a 5-star restaurant, or at a food truck before going on a walk. What gives you butterflies is the person you are with, the prospect of an encounter... not the menu at the restaurant.
It's Who not How.
So it is with worship, we must primarily consider the "who."
In worship, there are a few key "whos":
The Trinity
The congregation
The worship leader & worship team
Serve them.
Involve them.
View everything you do from the perspective of how it impacts these "whos".
Let's take the worship leader.
Imagine three different worship leaders had the same team and set of songs, I believe each set should feel unique due to the leader's personality, their history with God, and their musical expression.
Let's take musical expression off the table - everyone uses the same exact track, key, and arrangement.
The unique relationship of the worship leader & team with the Lord should be sensed by the room, even if to our material senses everything is the same…
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
Focusing solely on arrangements that mimic what we see on YouTube or the recording may result in great-sounding worship sets. But remember, the Ark of His Presence was meant to rest on the shoulders of priests, not on carts (technology & systems).
The congregation—and the Lord—don't 'come' because they want to hear your beautiful voice and musical excellence. They came to encounter one another other. Bridegroom & Bride.
To have an encounter with God in worship, we must seek encounters with God in worship. (duh) We must intentionally create, facilitate, and seek out moments where face-to-Face, heart-to-Heart, eye-to-Eye, deep calling unto Deep encounters with the promised presence of the Lord.
It's WHO not How.
It's...
Who you are
Who you came to serve
Who you came to lead
Who you know so well
Who you choose to encounter as you sing
that matters.
Get those things right, and we won't care much for the how...
How we looked
How we sounded
How we executed our plans
After all, the Magi from the East didn't walk away from their encounter with the baby Jesus talking about the meager surroundings of a lowly manager... for they had just encountered the KING OF CREATION
and that's all that mattered...
Mary & Martha... Martha is working hard on HOW to serve the Lord (preparing the food... or like us preparing the music, getting our harmonies right, etc)... Mary is sitting at His feet - and Jesus says she has chosen the better thing. She chose WHO.
The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”
I know practically it's not “either/or”, it's “both/and”, BUT with a HEAVY imbalance towards sitting at His feet, gazing at His face, listening to His whisper, lingering in His presence... there is only one thing to choose… don’t choose the kitchen.
We all think we are like Mary, but at rehearsals, we can easily spend 2 minutes praying and 2 hours practicing song arrangements and harmonies...
Like Bob Sorge says… “It’s not business, it’s personal.”
I don't have all the answers but I do know this...
It's WHO not how.
Till next week…
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