Lead Worship

Welcome to the Table

Posted on November 16th, 2007 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Blogs.

The world is ever changing. What did we ever do before cell phones, text messaging, iPods, and the internet? I can’t imagine going back before all these things existed. I view the 80’s like others view the Stone Age.

Technology is changing. Education is changing. Jobs are changing. Families are changing. Societies, national governments, currency are all changing. With every decade, life as we know it has a new definition.

As the whole world changes, there are two places that every generation wants to feel safe — home and the church. For most, the church has become a close nit family. We like showing up at church with some clue of what is going to happen, seeing people we know and love, and singing praises to God with songs that we know.

Although this seems to be the recipe for a perfect church, therein lies a dilemma. As times are changing, what one generation wants is not what the other likes. Teenagers feel ignored and irrelevant in decision making. The senior adults feel like they are being pushed out. Baby boomers love to take control and fix the situation. Generation X doesn’t like what is going on so we leave, but no one even notices because so many of us don’t tithe, attend Sunday School, or volunteer.

Although music may appear to be the problem, it is only the battlefield of choice. Some churches create a blended worship service to please everyone, but no one actually is. Welcome to the 21^st century. This is what most churches have become.

Let me introduce to you a new paradigm. What if we all came to church with a surrendered heart? “Lord, what is pleasing to You?” And we lay aside our own personal desires. What if we could invite members from every generation to sit down at the table together? What if our worship service wasn’t about the young verses the old but instead was about unifying, edifying, and encouraging each other? What if seniors could share their wisdom, youth could share their energy, and everyone in between shared their heart with their hands? Welcome to the first century church. Welcome to the family table. – Brian

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