Youth Sundays Mess Me Up!

This past Sunday was Youth Sunday at our church, and it was a really great experience for MOST everyone who attended. (I'll get to that in a second.) Our youth worship leader, Dan Cress, led an amazing worship set with our youth band. One of our High School students gave a communion meditation. Others handed out announcement sheets, and still others worked in the tech booth. Our youth minister, Paul Ross, gave a great message on self-control. I had a huge problem that day though.

I've gotten so used to leading worship and doing all the things that have to happen on a Sunday morning, that I didn't know how to ATTEND a worship service. I found myself wandering around, trying to find something to do. I felt useless. I felt annoyed. I was almost to the point of frustration. Nothing was wrong with the service, but I've been doing what I do for so long that I had trouble enjoying a day where I should have felt the relief of not HAVING to anything.

I think, as ministers, we get caught up in the business of doing church so much that just enjoying worship and being challenged in our own services is difficult. It really got me thinking about my view of Sunday morning. Maybe I get a little too busy with the business of morning worship to engage in authentic relationship with Christ on the first day of each week. While kind-of-annoyed with this weekend, it really woke me up. Somewhere along the line, I forgot WHY and got a little too focused on WHAT I was doing.

As far as the "MOST" that I wrote about earlier, I was talking about everyone but me. Looking back at it now, I would have to say the experience WAS great for EVERYONE. I needed that service as much, if not more, than anyone there. I need to send out a big "thank you" to the youth ministry for the awesome life lesson I got this week. What a day!!!

JK <><