As I think back over these past 8 months, I am encouraged with the outpouring of support and encouragement I feel each Sunday when I stand in front of you, strum my guitar, and lead you in your worship of the King of the Universe. It is safe to say that we have overcome some tumultuous times this year; yet, I believe we are stronger now than we would be otherwise. I feel the chisel of God upon our shoulders, molding us into a more perfect example of His Church, the Bride of Christ. It is easy to wipe the ever-increasing perspiration from our brows and say “Phew, we did it.” But I don’t think we did anything except surrender to God’s will and let Him lead. He accomplishes Church unity in spite of us sometimes.
Recently, upon listening to a book by Chuck Swindoll on the life of Moses, I was reminded that God sometimes calls us to do great things when we are at our lowest point. At the point in Moses’ life when God explicitly and audibly calls to him, Moses is on the run, exiled from his life of riches, nobility, and stature, taking care of a flock of sheep in the most desolate regions of Midian. Imagine falling from a place where hundreds of servants would willingly wash your feet at a moment’s notice to a spot in the desert wilderness where your closest companions were living sweaters without much acumen for deep and meaningful conversation. The loneliness he must have felt. I think the last thing Moses was expecting was for God to say, “Hey Moses, guess what, I want you to lead all of Israel out of bondage into the Promised Land, whataya think?” The scripture records many of Moses’s excuses: “They won’t believe me,” “I am not welcome back there,” “I can’t talk.” I am sure there were more, but they boil down to the same bottom line “Lord, please don’t use me, I don’t want to mess it up.” How relatable that sentiment is.
God has placed me here to lead you in worship and sometimes, I feel like Moses and do not believe that I have all the skills and gifts necessary to fully embody the role of Worship Leader. Yet, Moses didn’t have the necessary skills either; God gave him the skills he needed precisely when he needed them. And that is the point, though sometimes I feel inadequate in my charge, God wakes me up every morning and has provided a praise team, choir, sound crew, and church body that always greets me with smiles and encouragement. I cannot really express how that makes it so much easier to lead. We are a singing church and the joyful noise that we make is amplified in heaven and I believe that God and His angels have taken notice. Yet we are small, we are mighty; though we have endured loss, we have been given the full riches of God (and he does not skimp but gives in abundance).
I pray every day for you all and it is with deepest gratitude and honor that I continue to serve in any way that I can.
In Christ,
Ben
Interim Worship Pastor