As you read this, look around. Is your office/rehearsal room/console immaculate or inundated? Albert Einstein said, “A cluttered desk is a sign of genius.” Marie Kondo would have disagreed at one point—but now she has three kids (!). Whatever the condition of your workspace, what’s the condition of your soul?
Church workers can live in a state of turmoil. If you’re in any kind of a part-time position, you’re probably balancing rehearsals and service schedules with a secular job that knows little and cares less about the liturgical year. If you’re into church music full-time, chances are you’re juggling a different kind of frantic. I once had ten choirs and an orchestra along with all the organ responsibilities—and no support staff! If you’re a pastor or lay leader, you’re feeling the weight of responsibility for your staff colleagues in music and worship along with all the other expectations of church leadership. Whatever your situation, you can’t lead, encourage, support, and nurture others if you’re drowning yourself. Unfortunately, there are rarely any time-outs.
So, what are you supposed to do when the blog guy is nudging you to simplify, declutter, and prioritize? Stop! – Breathe! – Pray! It sounds simple. It’s not, but it is a pattern that’s simple to remember and it might just help you start the new ministry year with more energy and focus.
STOP – It’ll take you less than three minutes to read this blog. Take another five and do NOTHING. Think about NOTHING. Oh, it’s hard. The minute you start a brain coast, dozens of ideas, deadlines, and to-dos are ready to jump in. See how long you can keep them out. It’ll take several tries, but build into your day short intervals of non-focus to catch your mental and spiritual breath.
BREATHE – The deadlines you’re so concerned about are real. The way you approach them makes all the difference. The more you have cluttering your mind (and your schedule), the more frenetic you’re going to be about getting something done. The further behind you get, the more you are going to make quick and questionable decisions, be impatient with other people (and yourself), and become even more frustrated. So breathe. Give yourself the luxury of a little bit more space to double-check your plan, confirm your motivation, assess the effect your decisions have on other people, and then move ahead.
PRAY – The most important thing all of us in the ministries of the church must do is remember why and for Whom we do what we do. Let the One who has called you to this vocation help you
sort, declutter, and prioritize. This very spiritual-sounding suggestion actually has practical implications for church musicians and worship leaders.
If you’re a church musician who was trained by performers, please realize there are significant differences between performance art and the worship arts. The first difference is how you perceive your role. Performers are trained to hone their craft to a level of perfection. The old saying goes, “Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong.” While you want to always do your best, the job of a church musician is to nurture others to offer their best—ensembles, soloists, and especially the congregation. Part of the clutter in your mind is an overrated expectation of your role and of the expectations of others. If your congregation has been trained to expect a performance, that’s a whole different problem (and hopefully the subject for a later blog!). There is no “performance” in worship—at least not as we understand performance. Nurture your people to move their focus from evaluation to exultation. We’re in this for God.
That gets to motivation. Why we do what we do. Performers thrive on attention and accolades. That mentality can easily creep into music in the church. The more you can help people shift their focus from adulation to adoration and from mastery to ministry, the more peace you will find in your personal role. Just as you can make space in your life to stop, breathe, and pray, make those three spiritual disciplines an anticipated part of your rehearsal time with your ensembles and soloists every time you meet. Then, with the focus on God, make the best music you can!
All this might sound like philosophical blah blah blah if it weren’t for the fact that these principles originated with Jesus himself. Look at what Matthew remembered hearing Jesus say, translated into modern English by Eugene Peterson:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28–30 (The Message)
Biblical teacher N.T. Wright called this passage “the most welcoming and encouraging invitation ever offered.” Jesus is showing us the heart of who God is, of what Jesus himself offers us, and the essence of what we’re offering others through the ministries of the church, especially music and worship. Before you can make this offer to your musicians and your congregation, you have to take these words into your own heart.
So, whatever you’re doing right now, stop—breathe—and pray:
Loving God, you invite us to come to you and learn to rest. Help us to take that offer seriously and personally. Help us declutter and simplify our lives so that we can help the people with whom we minister keep our focus on loving and serving you, and serving others in Jesus’ name. Amen.
