Music Matters

December 2007
Excellence in Worship

I have an incredible work of visual art in my home. It hangs on my refrigerator. The artist used colored pens and construction paper to custom-design it for my husband and me. It's an abstract form, very open to interpretation, but the careful thought and effort the artist invested in the creative process is obvious.

At the bottom and right side, the dedication: "Grandmom Jan and Grandad to." The J in "Jan" is backward--an added measure of charm. At the time she created it, my granddaughter, Ashley, was four. I will treasure it always.

My view of Ashley's artwork, however, would be completely different if she were fourteen, twenty-four, or forty-four. Instead of seeing it as adorable, I might think it was a cast-off or maybe even an insult. It would not represent the best effort of a teenager, young adult, or peer.

Sometimes I wonder what God thinks about our use of God-given talents in worship. As we grow in our faith and our abilities, scripture tells us to give our firstfruits back to God. But so often in worship, we offer God only leftovers. We habitually spend more time investing in excuses than excellence: "I'm only a volunteer." "It takes too much time to prepare." "I can fake it OK." And worst of all, "It's good enough for church." How insulting to our God and our fellow worshipers!

I'm not saying that everything done in worship has to be perfect--just that our contributions should be our very best. I once witnessed a scripture reading done by a five-year-old. He said, "My name is Abraham, and I'm going to tell you my story." He then sat next to his grandmother and read aloud the story of Abraham and Sarah from a children's Bible. Grandma pointed to the text as Abraham read, and when he stumbled over difficult words, she was ready to whisper the correct pronunciation in his ear. It wasn't the perfect scripture reading. But it was one of the most effective worship ministries I have ever seen, as Abraham told "his" story the very best way he knew how. We were all blessed by his firstfruits giving, and God was honored in the gift.

On the other hand, too often in worship those with much further-developed talents stumble and fall because of inadequate preparation: last-fruits offerings. God is not honored, and worshipers are distracted from a life-changing encounter with the Divine. Firstfruits giving often involves sacrifice. It can also be a source of incredible joy when the talents God placed in each of us are used when, where, and how God intended!

I strongly believe there is a place in worship for spontaneity, flexibility, and the movement of the Spirit. But prayerful, care-full preparation for worship can also bless as an additional opportunity to commune with God. I also know through personal experience that if we come with our firstfruits, God can bless others through our gifts. This can happen despite our human failings, when nerves, technical glitches, or other influences beyond our control cause our contributions to be less than we planned. I believe that excellence in worship has been achieved if we each can honestly say, "I brought my very best offering to God this day."

Advent is a season of preparation to celebrate again God's awesome gift to the world: Jesus Christ. May we strive for firstfruits excellence in everything we offer to our most excellent God!

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of the divine purpose God gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of God's creatures.--James 1:17-18

—Jan Kraybill

If you have suggestions or ideas for future columns, please contact:
Jan Kraybill
Principal Organist and Director of Music
Community of Christ Headquarters
Independence, MO, USA

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