The Unnoticed Worshipper
By Julia Fowler, Worship Arts Pastor
Based on the book The Unquenchable Worshipper by Matt Redman
"The conductor Leonard Bernstein was once asked, "What is the most difficult instrument to play?" "Second Violin," he replied, "Because everyone wants to be first violinist. Of course the first violin gets to play more interesting parts and commands more attention. But as Bernstein went on to explain, "It's hard to find someone who wants to play second violin and to do so with the same enthusiam But withou the second violin, there is no harmony." -- Redman
In case you didn't know Matt Redman is the author and worship leader who wrote the now famous song "Heart of Worship". In this chapeter he is ultimately saying that your only audience for worship is an audience of one, and if somehow you are singing, playing, acting, working in order to gain approval, favor or blessing from more than 'that one' your efforts are in vain.
"Do we still want to be unnoticed worshippers now that we're on a stage? Or is there a part of us that really wants to be noticed worshippers? Are we still happy to serve, or is there even just a tiny part of us wanting to be served? Are our songs still aimed at an audience of one, or deep down are we starting to want wider acclaim?" (87) There are some really tough questions if you take the time to answer honestly.
Consider the construction of a boat…did you know that what's below the waterline MUST outweight what's above the waterline or the vessel will fail to float. It's not just what is seen but what is unseen inside of you. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7b) He looks past your cloths, your actions, your attitude, your façade, your walls and sees into the core of who you are.
Here are some other questions to consider…
Why are you coming to church right now? Is serving on the worship team your motivation to come every week? What do you give to worship in the corporate setting? What do you do privately to worship the Lord, your audience of one? What type of worshpper are you? Do you sing because you can, or because your heart would just burst if you couldn't?
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