 The songs we sing on a Sunday morning influence what we believe about God. They communicate God’s Word. They preach. And because of this, we must take them seriously.
 On any given Sunday, I have the joy of leading our church in worship. And I’m reminded this week of the relationship between worship and missions.
 In the 2nd century, a governor named Pliny the Younger wrote about a Christian worship service. The Roman Empire was highly intolerant of Christians. Despite the persecution, followers of Christ gathered in worship. In his letter to Trajan, Pliny the Younger wrote, “… they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god.”
 This week, I want us to look at Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18-19 from a different angle. In these verses, we not only see the importance of Christ-centered, congregational singing. But we also see the central place of the heart in worship.
 I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my five years of leading worship. My voice has cracked. My guitar pick has broken. My pickup battery has died. I’ve started singing in the wrong key. One time, my guitar string snapped and almost hit my sister in the face. I’ve even led with blood running down my fingers. But what happened this past Sunday might be the best mistake I’ve ever made while leading worship.
|