Whole Hearted Worship

Back in the 1960's I was the song leader at Emanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Ayer, Massachusetts. The picture is of me back then, I am playing on the piano the only song I know "There Is a Fountain." The picture below is of us out in front of the church in Ayer.  One Sunday morning the only ones present in the service were me, leading the singing, my mother was playing the piano, my father sitting on the front row, and my two brothers who were sitting behind my father. My brothers were not singing, my mother was not singing, and my father was not singing. I was leading no one.  I thought on it a bit and then right in the middle of the second verse I stopped singing.  The only sound in the auditorium was mother playing the piano.  My father had been looking at his Bible.  When I stopped singing my father looked up and what he did not do still amazes me even today.  He did not rebuke me for stopping, he did not rebuke my brothers for not singing.  I could see in his face an unusual expression, one I would never see again.  He had been silently rebuked by his son and his son was right to do so. My father picked up a song book and began to sing as loud and as enthusiastically as he could. 

Today I led the singing at our church services.  Both our music director and his back up were out with illness.  It fell upon me to lead the people in worship.  I prayed late into the night last night for God to prepare my heart for worship and also the hearts of the people.  I gave the choir a pep talk before services began.  When I opened our service with prayer I asked God to move the hearts of the people to worship.  Now, the LORD can only move those people that are His and those willing not to quench His Spirit.  My prayer was answered and many sang with great zeal while others showed no enthusiasm for worship at all.  I was truly full of joy as I praise the LORD with singing.  The evening services were held in our Sunday School classroom because the A/C in the auditorium is out.  I let the people choose the songs and we made a truly joyful noise unto the LORD.  All in all this has been a great day!!

Enthusiasm is contagious.  If every church member would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God and have a genuine enthusiasm for God's Word and worship the church would grow by leaps and bounds and lost souls would be saved.  It is my prayer that God will move His people with His Holy Spirit and cause them to be REVIVED AGAIN.  God bless you.