Give Me All

The journey to the cross evokes awareness of sacrifice; the complete, total sacrifice of Jesus. Followers of Jesus, committed to leading people in new life with Jesus, accept the call to give up life as we presume it should be - life as we think it would most benefit us - for something that is greater, more purposeful, and more in line with who and what God designed us to be.

C. S. Lewis said, it better than I ever could: "The Christian way is different: harder and easier. Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time, so much of your money, so much of your work. I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down...Hand over the whole natural self, all of the desires which you think innocent and all the ones you think wicked - the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.'" (From MERE CHRISTIANITY.)

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

End of the "Worship Wars"!

Sometimes God speaks by the simplest of means. Something we happen to see around us just becomes vivid, clear evidence of the heart of God. I saw such a thing a couple of weeks ago. Through this seemingly innocuous vision, God seemed to be saying to me, "I really don't care about the 'worship wars.'"

For those of you unfamiliar with the "worship wars" that refers to a battle that has been raging in various Protestant congregations throughout North America for the better part the last quarter century. It is the conflict between those who want "traditional" elements of worship and those pushing for "contemporary" styles of worship. Depending on denominational affiliation, "traditional" worshippers want songs/hymns that have been around for many decades and elements of worship (styles of dress, types of prayers, organ and piano accompaniment, orders of worship, creeds, etc.) that have remained in use and unchanged for whole lifetimes. "Contemporary" worshippers push for newer music, usually involving electric and string accompaniment, percussion, use of video technology, etc. Congregations will divide into virtual armed camps around this, and thousands of churches have fought or are fighting this mission-distracting war...this despite the fact that all "traditional" worship was "contemporary" at some point in history, and most of what passes for "contemporary" really isn't! (Ask any worshipper under 25 years old!)

Anyway, a few weeks ago, while worshipping in a service I will not label, I happened to look to my right to a little girl in the same service. She is new to faith and to Christian worship, having come to our congregation on the invitation of a neighbor. She was singing praise with absolute exuberance and gratitude for the chance to do so. She understands little about faith and church at this point, but she gets the fact that Jesus is someone real and someone who seeks her and invites her. I realized looking at her, that she is the goal. It doesn't matter what style of worship is used, as long as that little girl and people like her experience what she was experiencing. (And, no - I'm not going to tell you which style of worship she was in.)

So, best wishes to all my brother and sister Jesus-followers who think the most important thing is to keep fighting the worship wars. I'm out. It's not the main thing. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.