It's quite a nice moment when somebody gives you one of those lanyard passes at an event
and you look at it and it says
'Access All Areas'.
That means really you are in that exclusive club
A few people that can go anywhere they like.
Now in a very small way it's just a little bit of an illustration
of how it is that we have access to God to worship.
Now I think that we are very relaxed about what we do in church in many churches,
and sometimes I think we can lose the wonder and the awe
of the fact that we are actually able to worship God at all,
that we are welcomed in His presence
and these are some thoughts I want to share as a worship leader,
and it is to do with a doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity.
First of all I have had to understand that
my only access to bring worship, be able to come before God
and for my worship to be accepted
is through Christ.
Now when I'm setting out to lead worship it's important for me to stand up there
and recognize that this has been a costly thing.
But also that he has ascended to the right hand of the Father
as a high priest and he is there welcoming us into God's presence.
I try and get this picture into my head when I'm planning worship
and sometimes when I'm gathering the band together and we're praying, about to worship
and I remind myself that Jesus is among us
and he's been made like us.
But I go further than that and try and remember this verse
about him declaring the Father's name.
Now that means everything revealed about the Father potentially
can be shared, can be revealed.
This is Jesus' mission and heart is to reveal
God to us.
So I ask a question, I pray often and say
'Jesus what is it that you want to reveal to us about the Father?'
But there's still more to it because remember it says
'In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praises.'
So Jesus actually leads our praise.
This is such a powerful picture for me because we can imagine as worship leaders
that it's all up to us but actually
we're seeking to follow The Worship Leader,
the only one qualified to take us into God's presence
and it puts us, I think, in a place of humility, a place of dependency,
a place of asking and seeking and waiting and listening
so that by the Spirit we can hopefully discern some direction.
But perhaps, I think, more than anything else
to recognize what an amazing thing it is
to be able to come before God, be accepted by Him
through Christ and to bring him thanks and praise.
Now for a worship leader, a really simple, straightforward way of
grasping a bit of this understanding without having to open
big theology books is just look at a hymn.
There's a hymn 'Before The Throne Of God Above'
which has been given a new tune in recent years
and it begins 'Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
a great high priest whose name is Love
who ever lives and pleads for me.
Because the sinless Saviour died, my sinful soul is counted free,
for God, the Just, is satisfied to look on him and pardon me'.
That line is absolute dynamite.
I'm worthy to come into God's presence but it is because of all that Christ has done
and the Father looks at Christ,
and because of Christ, because of what he did on the cross,
then I'm accepted in him. Access all areas.
I think one of the most awesome and wonderful truths in this whole area
is summed up in this quotation from a guy called James Torrance
and he says this 'Worship is the gift of participating through the Spirit
in the incarnate Son's communion with the Father'.
So all of a sudden
when you think that way, there's been a big shift between
'Here am I worshiping God'
to 'Here am I being drawn into this amazing relationship within the Godhead
between Father and Son, into this mystery',
and that God should love us so much that he would want
to draw us in to share something of the wonder of that communion.
So when I approach worship in this way
it really shifts away from just me and God,
it shifts toward me being caught up in a much vaster
and infinite relationship
and that somehow I can share in that.
And just that itself makes me want to worship more
that God should lavish so much love upon us.