So You Can Sing?

I'm a sucker for a great singer.  I cannot stop listening to Jordan Smith's Christmas album - I melt.  I  just love a strong vocalist leading worship.  When I'm in the congregation, it engages me like nothing else, invites me to follow without distraction, and encourages the whole church to sing out.  Sometimes, in that atmosphere, I can sing with my heart, and let the leader's strong melodies carry my own voice in a more beautiful way.  But in the end, fortunately, it's not about the voice, or the guitar riffs, or the drum fills...

I'm forever grateful for my modest voice and good-enough guitar skills.  Playing piano is different - it's simply a gift.  It always has been.  Before I could understand music, I was playing piano.

Why am I bringing this up?  As to boast about how great I am?  Not at all, and that's the point.  I can play piano really, really well.  And because of that, I'm much more tempted to make it about me.  More about performance.  And that's the problem.  Without this awareness, we can easily lose focus on worship.  Well, worshiping God, anyway.  The goal is to call attention to God, not to us.

Worship leading is not about how musically-qualified we are.  It's not about how well we can orchestrate, or how relevant we appear to today's worshipers.  It's about our hearts.  It always has been about our hearts.

James 4 and Matthew 5-6  tell us not to seek the accolades of this world, but seek first His Kingdom.  That our hearts live wherever we put our treasure, and what we offer in humility will be magnified.  And moreover, painted throughout scripture is the call to worship God with our hearts alone (Psalm 86:12, Deuteronomy 6:5, Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 22:37, and Matthew 6:5-6). Simply put, God doesn't hear our voices.  He hears our hearts.

Now, back to that stellar voice, or any musicality for that matter.  Worship leaders need to sing and play well, lest our leadership be distracting and lacking.  But, if you're a leader who has this gift, I say to you what I say to myself.  Take care of yourself.  Please don't let that be what you bring to church before you bring your heart.  Please don't allow this to be an invitation to choose songs or keys that fit your sweet spot while excluding the congregation's normal-person range.  Please protect your heart, and let God sing and play even more powerfully through you.

Whatever you do, whatever you sing, whatever you play, do it all in the name and to the honor of Jesus (Colossians 3:16-17).  Make that powerhouse, glorious, big and beautiful voice sing boldly to encourage worshipers to sing out.

And may God forever bless your gift to the advancing of His good and perfect purpose in you and the world.