In our
sermon series on the subject of Work, I am challenged by the notion that what I
do (my work) is a direct reflection of who I do it for. This is particularly
true when viewed from the perspective Paul speaks of in Colossians 3, when he
reminds us:Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…as working for the Lord.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Since God is
not a God of mediocrity (having declared good and very good all He had created
- Genesis 1), I need to pursue excellence in anything to which I put my
effort. Unlike God, however, the pursuit
of perfection for us as fallen
creatures is a fool’s errand. Webster defines excellence as “the quality or
state of being outstanding or superior,” whereas the term perfection implies
“the quality or state of something that is as good or suitable as it can possibly be.”
I have
worked with many an artist whose primary preoccupation was with “getting it
right,” never making mistakes, chasing the elusive, “flawless”
performance. I can identify. As a young organist in my dad’s church
growing up in Dallas, I was routinely evaluated by my mom at lunch each Sunday,
which included her estimate of how many mistakes I had made that morning. (Bad
Mommy! Thankfully, she had many other
fine qualities!) Thank God for therapists!
But the pursuit of excellence in our ministry
is not the same as seeking perfection. I remember years ago reading the
motto of a music ministry at a very large, nationally known church in south
Florida. It was simple but memorable: Excellence
in all things and all things to God’s glory. Be excellent.
Glorify God. On the surface, it
seems fairly non-controversial. But in
my experience with numerous worship ministries throughout the country, I
believe that some “church musicians” seem to believe these two concepts are
mutually exclusive.
Some would
argue that the moment you begin to pursue excellence in your art, you quickly
move to self-gratification or glorification.
After all, the proponents of this viewpoint are quick to point out, the
Bible says to make a joyful noise,
doesn’t it, so all that matters to God is what is in our heart? The psalmist reminds us in Psalm 115 that at
the core of our craft should be this attitude:
“Not to us, O Lord; not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of
Your love and faithfulness.” And the
apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that the pursuit of glorifying God
should touch every phase of our life:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do all to the glory of God.”
On the other
side of the coin, it could be argued that we
were made to exhibit excellence. Again, we were created in the image of God,
the Original Artist, and since He only created that which was good or very
good, should not our creative pursuits be characterized by excellence as
well? The scriptures are pretty clear
that those who are chosen to use their art to lead God’s people in worship should do so with diligence and
excellence, not just a pure heart. Psalm
33:3 reminds us to “sing to the Lord a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
1 Chronicles
25:6 describes a musical family which was assigned responsibilities for worship
leadership, with this interesting emphasis: “they were all under the direction
of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and
lyres for the service of the house of God.
The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to
the Lord, all were skillful, was 288.
And they cast lots of their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil
alike.”
Again, Paul
in the New Testament reminds us that the focus of our lives should not be on
the adequate or the ordinary but rather the highest and best, when he writes
“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)
A final
rationale for Christian artists and worship leaders pursuing excellence is that
we in America are trying to reach a fairly sophisticated listener when it comes
to the music and art available to our members and guests every day of their
lives. If the arts are considered a language
through which we can communicate the gospel, that language must be clear,
precise, and relevant to the culture around it.
So which way
do we go? Do we “worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness”, as the
Psalmist encourages, or do we reinterpret that verse to say “worship the Lord
in the holiness of beauty?” Do
we seek the beauty and glory of God through worship, or worship God through the
achievement of creative and artistic beauty?
My question
is, why must it be an either/or? In every area of this ministry, we can be
moving toward higher ground.
Spiritually, we must agree with Paul that we “have [not] already
attained [spiritual] perfection, but I press on to make it my own because
Christ has made me his own.” (Phil. 3:12)
Artistically, we are entrusted with certain gifts which can always be
improved upon, sharpened, and honed (Parable of the talents—Matthew
25:15ff).
When we view
“excellence in all things and all things to God’s glory” as two sides to the
same coin, we see ministry for what it is: a high calling which is at once a
free gift and that which demands my life, my soul, my all.
tad
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