A different type of worship
Worship leaders need to have different measures of success than ones based around the lure of celebrity or the adulations of performance. It is easy to measure the size of the gatherings we play in, the fatness of the royalties we earn, the image we are portrayed by on social media, the number of products we sell, the honours we receive from our peers, the control we exert through our ministries, or the fees we can charge for our appearances.
These are the measures of success that the world embodies. But these are not things that Jesus measures success by.
Jesus imagines a different type of world, a different type of success, a different type of worship.
Jesus sent the disciples out and told them to take nothing with them, he retreated from the crowds that gathered when he spoke, he blessed those who stayed in the hidden place and he honoured those who gave out of their poverty.
He spoke out against people who protected their markets, and rejoiced in the greater things of those who went after him. He affirmed those who stopped doing stuff to sit and talk, and he welcomed those who poured out their entire life savings to wash the dust from his feet. He said the greatest would be the least and the first would be the last and that it was better to give than receive.
And he cried just as often as he sang.
Jesus doesn’t give us a stage to perform on but a cross to fall before. He looks for worship formed in the dirt and nurtured amongst the outcasts. He doesn’t need a light show to promote his glory or usher in his presence because He is already the brightest light and the nearest presence. He is not with us as a reward for how loudly we can sing but because of how much he was prepared to suffer.
He doesn’t expect us to be the best at everything but to bring out the best in those around us. He calls us to be obedient not fruitful, humble not proud, broken not perfect.
And only when we are fully hidden in him do we achieve our purpose in the world and realise that we don’t need to be concerned about any image other than the One we were created in.
