Here is a reminder for you; It's all about Grace. Everything that we do in our service is about Grace. Yes, we get distracted by the excitement of working with technology to create experiences. We use technology that most people don't know anything about and we use it to learn, create, express, and serve. But at the end of the day, everything that we do is about experiencing, sharing, and introducing people to God's grace. We need it every day and everywhere because we as people are messy, and of our own accord, we are lost.
Some time ago I was the audio tech on a Sunday where our middle school band was closing out services with the last worship song. It had been one of those mornings where I, as a human, was not in a great place. And as much as I would rather tell you that I was overflowing with grace, in reality, this day I was in dire need of it. During the last service of the day, during that last song, I was immediately approached by a parent who was ‘concerned' that their child's electric guitar wasn't up in the PA and that his son needed to be brought forward in the mix. As a parent myself, I understand that during such an event as this. This was truly something to be celebrated. It was a moment when youngsters, who had invested time and energy into their talents, were stepping forward to lead a congregation in worship. But for me, I was running on empty and I was giving the best of what I had. The reality at the time was that the student was indeed in the PA. He, however, had his pickup and tone settings configured so that he was right on top of the bass. The only distinguishing element of his tone was his distortion pedal and I don't think his dad was picking up on the subtleties of the situation. I hesitated to bring out the instrument more than I already had and I had a parent that wasn't satisfied. I was stuck. Within a minute of the first ‘request', the second one came in a less accommodating fashion. My response to this parent, in that moment, was lacking grace sufficiently enough that I was embarrassed and disappointed in myself for the remainder of the day and sometime after.
It was a fleeting moment that lasted no more than 20 seconds. But it was a long 20 seconds. In that moment not only did I not show grace towards this parent, I betrayed the grace that God has shown me so many times over. Truthfully, I did not know who this person was at the time. I didn't know if he was a regular attendee, a visitor, a believer, or an unbeliever. In effect, of all places where someone unknown should come to be welcomed and loved this was it, and in this instance, I showed my fangs.
The good news, however, is that we know that God's grace is good for all, and that it's perfectly acceptable for us to find ourselves in situations where need it as much as those who we are trying to reach. What we do in tech can be tough, thankless, and a focal point for criticism. So many times we serve with an attitude and determination that says we will work through anything while we grin and bear it. The problem with this is that we sometimes deny our own humanity. The reality is that some days we don't cope well. Some days, like mine above, we come apart or lose composure, or just want to walk away from it all. In those moments we need to be willing to accept that we too are messy, accept the grace that has been given us, learn from our experience, brush off the dirt, and continue to share that grace with others.
Scripture says ‘ ..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus' Romans 3:23-24 NIV
It's easy to lose track of the real definition of ‘all' when we serve. While we might tend to think of God's grace as being aimed toward those who we are trying to reach, the reality is that it is aimed at all of us, even when we are in the moments of service. Don't shy away from that reality. God hasn't, and He has told us so.
I was able to catch up with that dad after service and have a positive conversation. It was on me to approach him to request of him the grace that I had just failed to show. It was humbling. However, it was necessary. Grace applies to all of us. Not only do we need to give it, we need to accept it, and more to the point, we need to accept that we need it.
