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| Who's Really The Worship Leader |
Date Posted:
3/3/2002
Author:
Matt Redman
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There are some pretty big implications for us when we explore this view of the Holy Spirit as the Worship Leader. Here are a few of them:
1) It takes pressure off us a bit. In other words, when we see the Holy Spirit as the true Worship Leader, we realize more than ever that we cannot make worship happen. We can't hype it or conjure it up out of nowhere. Worship is birthed by the Holy Spirit.
2) Yet it keeps us dependent. Though the emphasis shift takes some of the pressure off in one sense, it also ushers in a new sense of responsibility. We need to make sure we're putting ourselves in the best possible place to hear those whisperings of the Holy Spirit. We're totally dependent on Him for the next step. Oswald Chambers once said, "Weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power."
As Lead Worshippers, no matter how many years of experience we have, we're just as dependent as the first time we ever led. We might be better singers now, or know a few more chords, and that stuff is helpful. But the most vital factor hasn't changed at all - we need the Holy Spirit to help us lead just as much as we ever did.
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I heard recently some discussion of whether the term "Lead worshipper" would actually be a more helpful one than "Worship leader" when it comes to the role we play in worship. At first I thought this was just some clever word-play, and that there wasn't really much of a distinction between the two anyway. But the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized it may actually turn out to be a really helpful insight. For me, the biggest implication is this: ultimately it is not you and me who are the true worship leaders, but the Holy Spirit. Perhaps instead we're Lead Worshippers, setting an example for others to follow in worship. But ultimately the Holy Spirit is the agent and orchestrator of our worship. So our role doesn't totally change, but just shifts emphasis a bit. What we're really trying to do is make sure we're giving space to listen and follow the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
This all makes a lot of sense biblically. Philippians 3:3 reminds us that we, "worship by the Spirit of God." And also in line with this thinking is that Jesus makes clear in John 16:14 that one of the main roles of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Him.
On one hand, the Holy Spirit has a pastoral role as "Counselor"; on the other, He has a prophetic role, stretching us and sometimes seeming too adventurous for the heart of man. We're called to have the mixture of these two roles when we're involved in leading worship. The job is to find the balance - enough familiar stuff to help people feel at home, but also new and fresh ways of leading that will stretch us to move on as a people. This is a very tough balance to find in most congregations, and the key once again is to try to get hold of the Holy Spirit's wisdom and follow that.
I know for me, some of the most powerful times have come when I've followed those little spontaneous promptings and suddenly it seems like we're right in the middle of what is on the Father's heart for that particular moment. The key is not just to do what the Father is doing, but to do it when He's doing it.
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