day six of the fast – Sunday

Day six of the fast – Sunday

Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. (Matthew 9:15)

It is the first Sunday of the 21 day fast and I am looking forward to the day. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.

But today I feel as if something might happen. If it doesn’t I will not be surprised nor disappointed. But I go today expectant.

My stomach is empty and shrinking. The shrinking part surely doesn’t hurt as I am larger than I have ever been. The empty part also doesn’t bother me anymore. I am past the hard days and now into the fast. Now I can quit worrying about eating something and concentrate more on prayer and study.

Today we pray for healthy churches (that the Lord will strengthen our churches with vibrant worship and anointed leadership).

Vibrant worship sets a church apart. It always has. When I would go to a church with good singing, it was fun. when I pastored a church with good singing it was great. It was as if people couldn’t wait to get there and sing.

Some of the churches we would visit would have great praise and I loved going. The first church we went to after we were baptized in the Spirit was a large church in St Joseph, MO, near where we lived at the time. I was pastoring a Disciples of Christ church in NW MO. when I talked to the associate minister, he told me that they had “blow your face of worship.” I told Ella I have got to see.

And I did. And they did. It was amazing what really great worship does to the tone and attitude of a church.

I have been told and have told people that you can have mediocre preaching and great worship and people will come. And, to an extent, that is true. The preaching has to be useful, teaching, inspiring. But the worship really makes a church.

Desultory singing kills a church. It saps them of their life and their spirit. I try very hard to make the worship good with what little resources I have here. I lead with a guitar and a piano, a couple of singers in the praise line. I think we do well with what we have. But I would truly like to do better. I dream of the day when we have a full worship band, strong and vibrant, indie-style rock. I even have a name: LOP. Loud Obnoxious Praise.

The same with leadership. Our council is made up of two people who care greatly for the church. They love this church in addition to loving the Lord. It makes them diligent in leadership. One is a man who would probably not be a council member in a large church, and that would be to that church’s loss. He is a good man, and the other is a good woman. Both are pleasant and easy to work with.

Pastors have the real need for anointing. I hear someone say he was anointed today in talking about the pastor. But a lot of times, it just meant he was animated in the way that the person talking likes. I have heard anointed sermons that were delivered quite mildly, yet they spoke to my heart or a need that I had been struggling with. I have heard strong, well-delivered sermons devoid of anointing.

Father God, that anointing is needed and I ask you for it. I ask that you bless Ralph and Gwen as they lead, that you bless Becky as she sings in the praise line, bless Ella as she leads in her way, bless me as I pastor. Give us strength and knowledge to do what you want, and to grow as you want. Again, give your leaders around the world strength as only you can to do the difficult tasks that are before them. We praise you name. Amen.