Amazing Love!
It's Friday the 13th and I just got back from the first session of a worship seminar that I'm attending at Grant Memorial Baptist Church this weekend.
It has been a bit of a discouraging week for various reasons, not because Wes was feeling bad, it just seemed as though life was piling up on both of us and though I had been excited earlier to attend this seminar earlier I wasn't sure anymore why I would bother. But, the arrangements had been made and we were going to spend the night with our oldest son Nicolas so that was now my only reason for wanting to go.
I left Nicolas and Wes busy barbecuing steaks on the patio and made the 10 minute drive to the church. I walked in alone, but for anyone who really knows me, I'm not one to shy away from alone time. I registered and began wandering around, after all, I had three quarters of an hour before the first session would begin. After I had found all of the rooms that I would be going to for the various sessions on Saturday I made my way back to the auditorium. I have always had this recurring fear that I will get lost in a new place so I like to make sure I know where all the classes are, washrooms, etc. I entered the auditorium and positioned myself so that I could see the stage and the sound booth easily, after all those were my two main interests. Just before the session was going to start a young couple sat down beside me, but not close enough for conversation and I was still OK with my alone time.
The house band came out and a young man took centre stage with a violin and they began to play. And could that boy play! Wow, it had a Celtic rhythm to it and there was no way you could just sit there politely and listen. There are no words to describe how the music grabbed a hold of me and it didn't take long before everyone was expressing their joy in the music, clapping, hands raised, expressions of pure worship. And yes, I clapped and raised my hands right with them! Not your typical Mennonite response is it...ah, I think we have moved beyond our stiff-lipped responses to some of the livelier music...at least I hope we have. The music team then led us in 4 or 5 songs that just reminded us over and over again of why we were there...to worship.
The speaker came out, casual and easy going. He is a teacher at Briercrest Bible School and the speaker for all three main sessions. Well, the first thing he did was tell us to gather up our things and move 4 benches to the front. I moved and landed up sitting beside two young men, Tyson and Josh who were in their early twenties and a woman on the other side of me whose name was Shauna.
Ken, the speaker, was blunt and straight forward in his approach of why we have church and what it means to worship in church. It's not the music, the dramas or the message that creates our time of worship...it's our hearts. God is not impressed by our talents on stage or off, after all He created the universe...how much more impressive is that? But, He is looking for people who have a heart for Him.
He closed off the speaking portion of the evening and the house band came up again and we sang... WOW, a little taste of Heaven! Shauna who had come to sit beside me showed just how she could belt out those songs! Unbelievable! Then the intro for 'Amazing Love' came and there was a point when I just couldn't sing any more. The tears were coming and my voice just wouldn't work but I listened as Shauna's clear, strong voice carried on this time of worship for me. Even when the team was simply playing their instruments she sang on. I was able to once again join in the singing and then they began the intro to 'Jesus Messiah' and the volume of voices that rose with that song was unbelievable!
I looked around the auditorium at all those around me, a few hundred people, young and old and everyone was singing. The band was loud, I mean they were really loud, but the voices suddenly rose above the instruments and there was no stopping the crowd.
We worshiped the Son of God only gaining of glimpse of what Heaven will be like when we worship Him there!
I'm so glad that even though my heart was not in the mood for worship before I entered the building that God brought me into His Presence anyway. He reminded me so clearly of His amazing love. No matter what happens in our lives here on earth there should never be anything that stops us from worshiping and though there are times when we are drained and feeling as though there is nothing inside of us that feels compelled to worship. If we listen carefully enough we might hear a 'Shauna' singing her heart out somewhere beside us and trust me, you won't have a choice but to join your voice to the choir!
"...and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" 1 Corinthians 14:25
It has been a bit of a discouraging week for various reasons, not because Wes was feeling bad, it just seemed as though life was piling up on both of us and though I had been excited earlier to attend this seminar earlier I wasn't sure anymore why I would bother. But, the arrangements had been made and we were going to spend the night with our oldest son Nicolas so that was now my only reason for wanting to go.
I left Nicolas and Wes busy barbecuing steaks on the patio and made the 10 minute drive to the church. I walked in alone, but for anyone who really knows me, I'm not one to shy away from alone time. I registered and began wandering around, after all, I had three quarters of an hour before the first session would begin. After I had found all of the rooms that I would be going to for the various sessions on Saturday I made my way back to the auditorium. I have always had this recurring fear that I will get lost in a new place so I like to make sure I know where all the classes are, washrooms, etc. I entered the auditorium and positioned myself so that I could see the stage and the sound booth easily, after all those were my two main interests. Just before the session was going to start a young couple sat down beside me, but not close enough for conversation and I was still OK with my alone time.
The house band came out and a young man took centre stage with a violin and they began to play. And could that boy play! Wow, it had a Celtic rhythm to it and there was no way you could just sit there politely and listen. There are no words to describe how the music grabbed a hold of me and it didn't take long before everyone was expressing their joy in the music, clapping, hands raised, expressions of pure worship. And yes, I clapped and raised my hands right with them! Not your typical Mennonite response is it...ah, I think we have moved beyond our stiff-lipped responses to some of the livelier music...at least I hope we have. The music team then led us in 4 or 5 songs that just reminded us over and over again of why we were there...to worship.
The speaker came out, casual and easy going. He is a teacher at Briercrest Bible School and the speaker for all three main sessions. Well, the first thing he did was tell us to gather up our things and move 4 benches to the front. I moved and landed up sitting beside two young men, Tyson and Josh who were in their early twenties and a woman on the other side of me whose name was Shauna.
Ken, the speaker, was blunt and straight forward in his approach of why we have church and what it means to worship in church. It's not the music, the dramas or the message that creates our time of worship...it's our hearts. God is not impressed by our talents on stage or off, after all He created the universe...how much more impressive is that? But, He is looking for people who have a heart for Him.
He closed off the speaking portion of the evening and the house band came up again and we sang... WOW, a little taste of Heaven! Shauna who had come to sit beside me showed just how she could belt out those songs! Unbelievable! Then the intro for 'Amazing Love' came and there was a point when I just couldn't sing any more. The tears were coming and my voice just wouldn't work but I listened as Shauna's clear, strong voice carried on this time of worship for me. Even when the team was simply playing their instruments she sang on. I was able to once again join in the singing and then they began the intro to 'Jesus Messiah' and the volume of voices that rose with that song was unbelievable!
I looked around the auditorium at all those around me, a few hundred people, young and old and everyone was singing. The band was loud, I mean they were really loud, but the voices suddenly rose above the instruments and there was no stopping the crowd.
We worshiped the Son of God only gaining of glimpse of what Heaven will be like when we worship Him there!
I'm so glad that even though my heart was not in the mood for worship before I entered the building that God brought me into His Presence anyway. He reminded me so clearly of His amazing love. No matter what happens in our lives here on earth there should never be anything that stops us from worshiping and though there are times when we are drained and feeling as though there is nothing inside of us that feels compelled to worship. If we listen carefully enough we might hear a 'Shauna' singing her heart out somewhere beside us and trust me, you won't have a choice but to join your voice to the choir!
"...and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" 1 Corinthians 14:25
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