George Bernard Shaw described life in startling terms when he wrote in one of his plays: “The lives which have no use, no meaning, no purpose, will fade out. You will have to justify your existence or perish.” In our global, information age of limitless possibilities, the freedom to be anything has turned into the expectation to be everything. As a result, many of us feel relentless pressure to justify our existence or perish. So we try to establish our value by making more money, enhancing our sex appeal, gaining more influence, or improving our image. But despite our attempts to prov
Last Week's Sermon:
Worship and Music
The goal of the worship ministry at Central is to draw people into a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and to equip them to participate more faithfully in his renewing work in the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to the glory of God our Father.
Our worship re-presents the story of the gospel and arises out of grateful response to what God has first done for us through the person of Jesus Christ. We, therefore, strive for humility in worship, which flows from a thankful heart (2 Samuel 7.18).
As beloved sons and daughters of God, we understand that we are uniquely called to worship and adore our heavenly Father both individually and corporately (Psalm 22.22-28). Therefore, we approach the throne of grace confident in the love that the Father has for us (Hebrews 4.15-16; 12.18-24). Moreover, we rejoice that we at Central are merely one section in a great symphony of creational praise that every moment declares the glory of God (Psalm 19.1-4).
We strive for excellence in worship out of a desire to honor and commune with God, and we take our worship seriously because we believe that art uniquely expresses both human and supernatural qualities. On the one hand, we create as human beings simply for the sake and joy of creating. Yet, on the other hand, art reflects one of our most god-like activities. God is a creator, and while we may not create from nothing like God does, we certainly do create from the materials he has given us.
Excellence in worship, however, is not the ultimate goal since our artistic tastes are often defined by limited past influences and cultural standards of sophistication. The Spirit, however, is not formulaic but mysterious, and no style of worship holds the rights to his movement because the Spirit of God cannot be contained (John 3.8). No matter what form the worship takes, the Spirit can use it to transform lives. The true goal of worship, therefore, is not flawless artistry but the strengthening, deepening, and development of faith in Jesus. Though we strive to bring our utmost to God in worship, the condition of a person's heart always trumps the level of excellence in any offering of praise.
We pray that our worship leads you to deeper trust in Jesus and greater participation in his mission to the world. We encourage you to contact our music director, Seth Ward, if you are interested in using your gifts to contribute to the music ministry of Central.