My name is Ashley and I love being a Worship Pastor.
What an incredible privilege to lead our congregation in a time of musical worship every week! I might be a bit biased, but I absolutely love the time I get in service on Sundays. My prayer is that this time of singing allows our people to experience the presence of God in a fresh and meaningful way. The songs that we sing every week are not chosen lightly. There is prayer and intentionality behind the set lists and my hope is that the lyrics of these songs teach them about who God is and become a prayer for their life.
WHAT. A. PRIVILEGE.
People have been leading worship and singing together in corporate worship from the beginning… In the Old Testament, we see Miriam lead her people in a song of praise, thanking God for splitting the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:19-21). In Psalm 33, David writes, “ Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” Our bands might look a little different now-a-days, but the response remains the same. We sing because of who God is and what He has done.
I think sometimes we get so much into a routine on Sundays that we forget why we worship.
So I want to gently remind you that our time of corporate worship in church is not about us; it’s not about bringing our own agenda or looking for a blessing. Instead, it is about blessing God with our melodies and words and posture.
And let me remind you, you don’t have to be a great singer! It says in Psalm 100,
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5
It’s time for us to go back to the heart of worship, the heart of why we do this “singing thing”. It is simply to be with Jesus and soak in His presence.
One of the songs that has been such a great reminder to me lately is Cody Carnes’ song, Nothing Else. The lyrics are beautiful and simple:
I'm caught up in Your presence
I just want to sit here at Your feet
I'm caught up in this holy moment
I never want to leave
Oh, I'm not here for blessings
Jesus, You don't owe me anything
More than anything that You can do
I just want YouI'm sorry when I've just gone through the motions
I'm sorry when I just sang another song
Take me back to where we started
I open up my heart to You
I'm sorry when I've come with my agenda
I'm sorry when I forgot that You're enough
Take me back to where we started
I open up my heart to YouI just want you, and nothing else
Nothing else, nothing else will do
May we never forget the reason behind our worship.
May we never forget the God who delivered us and will deliver us again. (2 Cor. 1:10)
May we never forget the God who formed us in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)
May we never forget that God gave his only son for us. (John 3:16)
May we never forget all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2)
May we never forget.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
Sunday’s coming and I can’t wait to lift my voice TOGETHER with my church.
WHAT A PRIVILEGE it is to worship our God.