As a pastor, one of the best gifts I can give congregation members (and to myself!) is simply letting go. By this, I mean letting them take something on by themselves, living into their gifts and creativity, and their passions. I'll admit that I can be a control freak. Most of the time, I want to be the one behind the wheel, making sure things are going as they should be, and making sure that things happen. So I need that healing reminder that I can let go and let certain situations be in another's hands, and in God's hands as well.
A prime example of this is our U2Charist worship service, which is Friday of this week. I have been the one that has put the service together, organizing and making sure that everyone turns in their part, etc. But...I made the choice to hand the music completely over to select members of the praise band that decided to take on the challenge of having live U2 music at our U2Charist. I gave them some of the songs that I would like to see, but the rest I left up to them. As a result of this, I feel like our team mentality and dynamic has improved immensely in the band over the past few weeks. There is a refreshed sense of pride and fellowship in the band, even though not all of the members are involved in the "U2Charist Team." This has been an unexpected surprise and a blessing for me to watch unfold. It's also refreshing to know that I can let some of that control of the band go and watch creativity, new talent, and new passions for music come to the surface. And all I needed to do was give something up and let them take charge of this project. I have remained out of it except to answer any questions about the worship lineup. This has allowed me to do what I'm passionate about, which is worship planning, and let them do something that they are passionate about: music.
I never would have thought that something as "simple" as this kind of gesture would refresh the idea of what it means to be a praise team. Needless to say, I am very excited about the U2Charist and hope we have a large crowd and I know it will be a wonderful evening.
The fact that relationships have been deepened is already a gift in itself!
1 comment:
It's so hard to let go of things that are important to us! I'm so happy to hear that you found a way to let go with grace, and with such good results. I can't wait to hear more about your U2Charist service!
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