The performance aspect.

It's the ugly secret of those who prepare and plan the worship service. The thing we all hate to admit, hate to discuss, is the performance aspect of presenting the truth of the Christian message each Sunday.

"Not at MY church!" you say?

You mean your pastor doesn't study and prepare his sermons? He or she doesn't have at least some rudimentary outline or notes to keep the message coherent and on track?  That's a performance aspect --- the desire to make sure that sermon does not detract or distract from the underlying message and purpose.

The musicians practice. They rehearse the keys for each song, endings, transitions… perhaps vocal solos, all because they want to give their best and they don't want to take the focus off of the message of the music.

Last week our Sunday service was, if you'll excuse the use of the term, magical.  By that, I mean that everything fell into perfect order in regards to the performance aspect of the service.  The musicians and vocalists were well-rehearsed, yet allowed the presentation of the music to flow with the Spirit of God.  The musical synergy that happens when things just click is amazing.  Every player performed above their skill level, and the result was "chicken-skin" (the Hawaii term for 'goose-bumps'.)

We showed a video-clip about those who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and then received an offering to send as aid.  Over $700.  The sermon, which I struggled to compose, seemed to flow with anointing.

It was a total "God thing" and as I reflected upon the service (as I often do) to analyze what could have been done to make the day more effective and meaningful, I found it hard to identify very much we could have done differently.

We do perform, in the best sense of that word, and then ask God to anoint and bless with results that honor Him.