Photo by City Church CA on Unsplash
“On the seventh day God has finished his work of creation, so He rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all his work of creation.” – Genesis 2:2-3 (NLT)
Production people help create the experiences that allow others to worship. We help to declare the Sabbath day holy. People come to our churches and experience corporate worship, in some part, through the skills and passions that God has given us and the work to which he has called us. It is our work.
So how does someone whose job is worship, stop working to worship?
“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.” – Exodus 31:15 (NLT)
Now that just seems harsh, and yes, I do realize I am combining worship and Sabbath. I also realize that the observance of the Sabbath was no longer required after Christ's sacrifice, but it sure does seem important to God that we take time to pause and to worship. So again I ask, how does someone whose job is worship, stop working to worship?
In retrospect
Can we be honest? This is difficult. It is difficult to be fully present in worship while we are executing our jobs. And for many, a weekend off (let alone one service off) is a rarity. Of course, production technicians are not alone in this. Pastors and worship leaders are also working while everyone else is worshiping. And I'm not suggesting that working and worshiping are mutually exclusive, but I think we can agree it is more difficult.
And while we are being honest, I have trouble being fully present in worship even when I am not technically working. I am constantly evaluating how things are going, what could be better, and what is going to need to be discussed on Monday. It does not even stop if I attend another church. Then I am also trying to spot things that they do better (or worse) than we do. I am working even when I am not working.
We cannot simply be engineers of worship; we also need to be participants.
But I know that worship is important. It is not only important to God, but it should also be important to me since it affects my relationship with him. He does not need my worship, but he desires it, as it is a reflection of my heart toward him. And I am sure he realizes how much I need it.
Late last year, my dad was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Shortly thereafter, we had a time of worship together as a staff at the church where I serve as video production director. As we sang the song called, “Lord, I Need You,” a particular lyric hit me especially hard: “When I can't stand, I'll fall on you.” I had a vision of my dad not having the strength to stand on his own, and I had the sense that I was going to need to lean heavily on my faith. Little did I know at the time how incredibly accurate that vision and sense were. That very personal moment in worship was provided directly to me. And it happened when I had no production responsibilities and I was fully engaged in worship.
Early this year, my dad lost his battle with cancer. We worshiped with him at his bedside just hours before he passed. A few weeks later, we were singing “10,000 Reasons” in church. The last verse says:
“And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore”
It was what I needed to remember at that time. God knew I needed it, and I would have missed it if I were not fully engaged in that moment.
Jesus told us that he is looking for us to be fully engaged:
“But the time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.” – John 4:23
Time to assess
Are you feeling depleted? Maybe the problem is not that you have been putting too much of yourself into worship. Maybe it is that you have not been putting enough of yourself into genuine, true, focused worship. Perhaps you have not given God the opportunity to replenish you.
I have it easier than some tech directors in that most of my responsibilities happen during the week, and I can normally make it to a worship service without needing to officially work. But I still need to discipline myself to quickly make note of anything I need to address later and then get back to being engaged in worship.
I have a friend who was working as media director at another church in the area. His church only met on Sunday, so he would come to our church on Saturday night in order to have time to worship without distraction.
What works for me may not work for you, but it is important to find something that gives you time to worship. We cannot simply be engineers of worship; we also need to be participants.
Editor's Note: This devotional was originally published in 2015
