Why It Isn't About Us

I led a service of lessons and carols this evening at church and, as usual, it was a great time of worship. That such a seemingly simple thing as interweaving scripture and carols can be so powerful gives testimony to the fact that we don’t have to produce big technical wonders for worship to take place. We don’t have to use all the latest equipment or the smoothest projection software in order to lead people to Jesus.

The strength of the service is not the music. As Dean Eric Milner-White, who conceived the first modern version of the service back in 1918, said,

Whether the music is provided by choir or congregation, the pattern and strength of the service derive from the lessons and not the music. “The main theme is the development of the loving purposes of God…” seen “through the windows and words of the Bible.”

What Dean Milner-White was saying is that, while a large portion of the service is music, the music serves the Scripture. That’s true of everything we do as worship leaders. End the end, it doesn’t matter how many degrees I have in music, or how many classes I’ve taught in the subject, or how many choirs I’ve participated in because it isn’t the music that counts. It isn’t our desire to “perform” that drives our service. The music is servant to the Word.

My children learned this lesson tonight. After the service, our church held its annual Christmas dinner. Our children’s choir played handbells and the preschool choir sang a few songs after most folks had finished eating. My two oldest children sing in the preschool choir and, to be honest, they behaved in a less than exemplary manner. They tried to make the five minutes they were on the platform more about them than about the message of the songs. And, yes, they got some laughs.

We had a conversation when I arrived home. I shared with them that when they have an opportunity to sing in settings such as tonight, they have responsibilities on at least two levels. The first level of responsibility is to the people in the congregation. As worship leaders, we have a responsibility to model proper worship, worship that is focused on the majesty and glory of God. Worship that is focused on our own skills or on the value of the entertainment isn’t true worship. To conduct ourselves in a manner that detracts from the holiness of God unwittingly demeans His worth in the eyes of the worshipers.

Because God is all-glorious, and the only One worthy of our worship, we must carry out our calling with the highest of integrity. The second–and far more important–level of responsibility is to God Himself. Because God is all-glorious, and the only One worthy of our worship, we must carry out our calling with the highest of integrity. The answer to the first question of the Westminster Catechism is, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”² Everything we do must be for His glory, not our own. In fact, He has assured us that He will not share His glory with anyone or anything.¹

All of this is not to say that we can’t have fun while we lead worship. In fact, I hope it is fun. But that’s not why we do it. We don’t say, “I’m going to sing in church today because it’s so much fun.” And I know what you’re thinking. “Your kids are preschoolers. Take it easy on them.” Yes, they’re preschoolers, and I wasn’t as hard on them in our conversation as I initially wanted to be. I did ensure them, however, that next time would be a very different story, either in the service or in the time following the service.

I want my children–and anyone else I train in worship leadership–to learn as early as possible that while we certainly should enjoy fulfilling our calling, it isn’t about us.

1. Exodus 20:5 [back]
2. Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1 [back]