Sunday October 7, 2007

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope your week thus far has been filled with examples of God's faithfulness and goodness (even in the trials!). I am so excited to come and worship together with you this Sunday as my first "official" Sunday as Worship Director!

Even as I consider what the title "Director of Worship" connotes, I hope that we will together learn what it means to worship God with the entirety of our lives. Many people have isolated the word "worship" to mean the singing of 5-6 worship songs in church on Sunday. If that were my only responsibility, my title would be much more accurate if it were "Director of Music." However, it is my passion and desire for all of us as part of God's bride to be more than "singers of worship songs," but to truly be "worshipers."

We'll explore much more about what this means in the coming weeks, months, and years (God willing), but I want to continue to emphasize the opportunity of coming together with the community of believers that call Crossroads home (and also with those God would bring to visit). When we gather together to pray, sing, give, sit under teaching from God's Word, and edify each other, we are bringing glory to God!

Hebrews 10:19-25 offers us a glimpse of the joy and responsibility of entering the "holy place" by the blood of Christ:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

So we see that we must come with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, coming with our sins confessed and forgiven by our just and faithful God! And we must hold fast our confession of hope: the gospel, which is exactly the theme that the apostle Paul is writing to Timothy about in his first letter, which Pastor Todd is preaching through right now. We must consider how to "stir up" each other to good deeds, encouraging and exhorting each other to live out our lives as those worthy of the call of Christ. We must not neglect meeting together; be at church, don't miss, the body suffers when one of it's parts is missing. And encourage one another; we are God's chosen people, we have an unfailing God, and a sure hope of salvation from the consequences of our sin!

Just a quick look at the service so you can prepare:
I'll be introducing a new song by worship leader Tommy Walker called "How Good and Pleasant" which comes out of Psalm 133, as a call to worship. We'll have a few announcements, and then sing some songs that direct our thoughts to the Word of God, and specifically to the ideas found in the passage Pastor Todd is preaching from- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (reading the passage=always a great way to prepare) : "Amazing Grace," "Overwhelmed," and "Immortal, Invisible God, Only Wise." Pastor Todd will then bring God's Word to us, and we'll follow that with a time of communion where we will also be able to respond in song with "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross." We'll end the service by singing "Majesty" by Delirious, rejoicing in the hope of our salvation through Christ!

I look forward to seeing all of you at 9:30 am this Sunday as we gather to worship our great God!