One of the things I’ve challenged myself to do as a worship leader is to write out my worship transitions or what some people would call a “Call to Worship.” Many worship leaders are always great on the fly, saying something meaningful with little to no preparation, I’m not one of those. I lead the music portion of church so often that I need the time of preparation many days before to have clarity of my thoughts and the direction I want to go. Here is some of what I shared this past Sunday morning.
The past few months Rose and I have been watching the show Parenthood (I’ve even blogged out it before). On an episode earlier this season the grandpa and grandma of the family are learning the importance of recognizing the other’s presence and listening. In all the following conversations the grandpa (Zeek) ends each conversation with the phrase, “I see you and I hear you” (you can watch the whole episode on Hulu Plus). It was his way of acknowledging the other person and telling them he was listening. That phrase “I see you and I hear you” immediately made me think of how God is with us.
I’m sure almost all of us entered 2011 with big ambitions for how this year could be so much different than those previous. Yet I have no doubt that there are many who just recently lost their job or were denied a job they were hopeful for. There are others who have a close friend or family member who took a turn for the worse. And still others just simply struggle during this time of year that has many short and dark days. The hopes for 2011 to be a better year have been met with strong opposition even in the past few days and weeks.
In those circumstances God can seem very distant, even in our moments in church our life circumstances can become a barrier between us engaging with Him. God tells us through Jeremiah that he has given us plans for hope and a future. But Psalm 116:1-2 probably says it best:
I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
