I’d like to steal an analogy from a
blogger named Zac Hicks. He talks on his blog about a worship leader being a spiritual
dietician. Worship leaders are directing the health of a church by giving them
a diet on Sunday mornings—and I would argue that this affects how we “eat”
throughout the week. In order for us to grow spiritually we need to think about
it like physical fitness (as Paul does frequently- 1 Cor. 9:24-26; Phil 2:16;
Hebrews 12:1; 2 Tim 4:7). In order to be a good athlete who can undergo long
workouts to endure a marathon, one must have a diet that will sustain and build
muscle rather than something that will be empty calories and sit heavy in the
stomach.—trust me, I feel like I know more about being in a food coma than
eating food that encourages me to be light on my feet.
My conviction as the worship leader
at Westchester is that I know many people come in Sunday morning desiring a
feast of the most delicious foods. It really seems that bread, butter, heavy
cream, and cheese are the components to make a good meal—but that kind of diet
will not sustain you. It will only weigh you down and as though there is some
sort of spiritual MSG you’ll be hungry again in an hour.
What this looks like in worship is
when we become so consumed with our actions. The songs that repeat all of the
things we are going to do for God (songs heavy on “I Will” statements) or all
the things we are giving up for God (songs heavy on “Surrender” type
statements). These things are not bad in themselves; however, if this is 90% of
what we sing on a Sunday we will walk away with our stomachs full but then we
will be paralyzed and unable to do ministry. If we try to sustain living for
God throughout the week with promises of all the things we are going to do or
reminding ourselves to “do better!”, “be better!”, and “do more!”—we will burn
out faster than me trying to run for the first time in a year.
Let us instead rest on the things
Christ has already done! This naturally brings us back to the cross. Let us
feast on remembering his blood shed as our sacrifice, for reconciliation, for
redemption, to absorb God’s wrath, and how he was resurrected and is reigning
as our King! The only issue with this is we have to get used to this diet. As a
worship leader I feel like that mom who won’t let you have dessert until you
finish your broccoli. But as a leader I’m most concerned with what is going to
sustain you and help you grow through your week.
So that this doesn’t become
monotonous or begrudging worship let us always remember that we get to sing of
God’s love and the good works he has prepared for us to do in his name
(Ephesians 2:10). Let us keep those things in context to the overall meal and
not be the children who want to fill their whole plate with dessert and fried
cheese. That means we still get to enjoy those things…but make sure you keep a
balance, and always eat your vegetables!
Austin Hilmer
About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship
About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship
