We arrived at 7:00 am to run through songs for the services, and the students had diligently practiced in the week prior to have their parts down; for some, it was their first time playing with the youth group and their excitement was palpable. We prayed together, felt confident about the songs we had prepared and headed to the stage to begin worship. The first song was off to a great start, and students were beginning to enter into a worshipful time. As we headed into the second verse of the song, I noticed everyone's heads turned and all eyes were on something above me. Before I knew it, Pastor Sam and Pastor Jeff were flagging me down to stop the music. Our well-prepared song came to a screeching halt as I realized that the light/sound truss above our stage had caught fire and sparks were flying (too many Holy Fire jokes could be rattled off here, so I'll resist).
What now? How do we direct hundreds of students to maintain a spirit of worship when things clearly did not go according to the service plan? How do we keep worshiping when the room with cool lights and good sound was no longer an option? Well, that's the raw beauty of it. We gathered all the students in a room upstairs (some might call it an Upper Room but I'll resist yet another lame joke opportunity), sat on the floor, grabbed a couple acoustic guitars and a cajon and continued to worship. Our high school student worship leaders had a blast doing an acoustic worship set on the fly — one playing the cajon for the very first time ever — and all of their peers joined in singing together. It was a really sweet time, and there was a strange excitement in the room amidst the chaos and change.
Things don't always go according to plan. Sometimes, there are issues with sound and technology. Sometimes there are issues with people. Sometimes there are issues with learning songs. And sometimes, your overhead stage truss catches on fire. But the most valuable thing we were all reminded of today, students and leaders alike, is that we don't worship a service order or how well our logistics come together. We don't worship a cool atmosphere or well-rehearsed music. We don't worship the pastor or the worship leader. What and who we do worship is the one and only true God. The God who brings us all together through his salvation, bringing peace and light to chaos and darkness.
We were all encouraged to live out Colossians 3:15-17 in the midst of our semi-chaotic morning:
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.As we worship God through our gatherings, singing, and teachings, we must "do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus" — not in the name of our own agendas or our cool programs. It was a powerful experience for all of us to continue worshiping when things went awry. We could have easily said "well, let's scratch the worship set today," but we knew that God wasn't finished yet! His spirit continued to stir within us, speak to us, and build relationships among us out of that strange excitement that filled the chaotic Upper Room (I've resisted enough).
Sometimes, God can work best when we put our schedules down and allow our hearts to feel that raw, uncomfortable feeling that things didn't go as we had planned. If it took an actual stage fire to ignite a new fire and understanding that God is greater than anything we have lined up, then the chaos was worth it!
Thanks for reading,
Jamie
jrobison@b4church.org
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