Card Shopping and Corporate Worship; Changing the Way You View Worship

Have you ever taken on the daunting task of card shopping? It can sometimes feel like finding a needle in a haystack. The store has three two-sided isles filled with cards anxiously waiting to be read. If you have any anxiety about decision making, these isles are not for you. You may want to take a friend!

This task not only requires a strong decision maker and some serious stamina, but it requires the skill of a 4 year old who has mastered the game of memory. You stand there looking at all the cards that are staring you in the face and you can almost imagine them saying “Pick me! Pick me.” You assert yourself to actually pull the card to read, quickly you lose yourself in the message wondering if it accurately represents the unformed words in your heart and then comes the need for the 4 year old. When the card does not prove to be the perfect card, how do you find its original home? Ugh!! How did it grab your attention to pull it in the first place? After some concentrated focus and wishing you had worn sensible shoes for this adventure, finding the card that conveys your heart is a precious find. This may be where you wish you had a friend with you for that congratulatory pat on the back. This calls for celebration.

Then you have those occasions where all you need is blank space. You have clearly scripted in your mind the message for the inside of the card. This will be a simple find. Sometimes the store is even kind enough to label those cards, “blank!” Yes! The effort for those cards is not exerted in the search, but in your heart.

Over the years, I have had the unique opportunity of watching my brother do what he does best, lead worship. He has been leading worship services since the day he could drive. He has spent countless hours finding and writing worship songs that represent what his church would long to sing in a corporate service. He has been their card shopper, pulling songs to read. He looks for songs that say the things to and about God that many people could never put to words. It is a process, a searching to find exactly what the church would want to say to the Lord with the only thing they have, words!

But what about those blank cards? What of them? While many people in church think that the 16 bars between songs are simply masterful transitions, these are our blank cards. They are purposely placed for us to have our own white space. They are moments for individuals to formulate words that speak to the goodness of their God. It is as if corporate worship pauses for your personal and intimate moment with God. These blank spaces are not for the musicians to regroup, they are for us to regroup, refocus and remember our relationship with God. In this crazy life, we have a few scripted moments to find the words that express our devotion to our creator. There is nothing wrong with picking the right already written card, or singing the right song, but there is something so personal about searching your heart for words to communicate to a God that hears you. Just you! In that moment!

Next time you are in worship, think about the card buying process. Focus on the message of the words that were so perfectly chosen. And in those quiet moments, imagine that blank card. Would you offer a friend a blank card with nothing written inside? Use those moments to formulate and even vocally pen your love for a faithful God. Am I saying that the quiet between songs should always look and sound like a “Dear God” letter? No. Maybe no one was thinking that, but I have a 10 year old that is so literal he causes me to sometimes rethink my words and my message. I am simply saying to think about those times you have received a card, that when opened are filled with imperfect hand writing. It is personal. It is heartfelt. It is forever written on your heart. Use those precious moments, even if just quietly in your heart to piece together your personal message to God.