Performance

Psalm 33:2-4
2 Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for Him on the ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song of praise to Him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
4 For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything He does.

As of the writing of this article, there has been some chatter about my use of the word performance when referring to the Sundays the Christ Church Choir and Orchestra is scheduled to lead in worship. Why the word performance is considered negative or inappropriate when it comes to a church service has been something that I have never quite understood. Is it because performance is seen as bringing attention to the person rather than to God? Is it because the word performance is seen as a secular word as opposed to a sacred term? Whatever the reason, I want to make sure you know why I use it, and in the manner in which it is meant.
To me, performance means doing my best at something, and the measure of how well I have achieved that goal. I want to be the best I can be, and I want the people around me to do the same. It is my job to equip everyone on the worship team to do just that. When they sing, play an instrument, run a light board, etc., I want everyone to strive to do their best and to get better at what they do. As in the case of the choir and orchestra, those dates when our work for God is being presented to Him, we want to do our best and know that it is to Him that we give our praise. It is indeed a performance for our Creator and should be of the highest level possible.
Now, what everyone needs to know, and I need to be clear here – this type of performance has nothing to do with impressing people in the pews. Worship is not about putting on a show for the people. It never has and never will be. When we perform in the context of a worship service, we do so for an audience of One – The One. Look at the verses above, they say: “Praise the Lord”, “make music for Him”, “Sing a new song of praise to Him”, “play skillfully” – for HIM! That is what we do. I realize there are different meanings of the word performance, but as it pertains to the worship team at Christ Church, performance is defined as giving our all, to the best of our ability, for the One who gave us His all. Our talents are not our own; they are on loan from God to be used for His glory. We will give Him the praise for all that He has done. We will always perform for our God and Savior because He deserves nothing less than the best. I know in my heart it brings pleasure to Him.

Blessings,
Don