Worship at ROL by Rich Hawkins, Director of Worship
In January of 2004 the session appointed me as Director of Worship. It has been a great experience to serve our church in this capacity and I've been blessed with incredibly talented and committed volunteers alongside me who make it all happen. I have often said, "It is a humbling experience to be the leader of a team of which you are the least talented." The musicians and vocalists that we have are excellent at what they do, and even more importantly, they give God all the glory in what they do. There is a tender heart for worship at ROL that each member of the Worship Team resonates with. God has truly blessed us with lead worshippers not just worship leaders.
On the surface of any given Sunday morning it may just look like I've picked out my favorite six songs, a couple prayers, a few scripture readings or quotes, and a special song for the offering time. Although the liturgy may take this form, there is so much more that goes into it than this. My goal as the Director of Worship at ROL is to take its people on a journey every Sunday morning from the adoration of a transcendent Most High God to an intimate experience of grace with a Savior who is "God with us". The way I do this is by using a basic four-step process of Adoration, Confession, the Cross, and Thanksgiving.
Each worship service begins with the adoration of our Creator. He sits enthroned in majesty, greatness, power, and splendor, high above all things. In his transcendence, he is worthy of all our praise because, if for no other reason, he is God and we are his creation. When we catch even a glimpse of his holiness in this time of looking upward in adoration, we cannot help but look downward into our own hearts and see how short we fall in regard to his expectations for us. How can a holy God have anything to do with a wretched people like us?
So we turn to a time of confession; pouring out our hearts in singing to the very Redeemer of our souls. Whether it is a responsive reading, a time of silent meditation, prayer of corporate confession, or a song, this is a sweet and invaluable part of our time of worship. When we see how great God is, we automatically are made aware of how sinful we are. This time of confession begins our pilgrimage back to the place where we can see our sinful hearts made pure and new once more by the blood of the Son.
At the foot of the Cross, we find true forgiveness, complete renewal, and genuine change! When we are cleansed by Christ's blood we are saved once and for all; but over time we grow numb to how awesome and life-changing that salvation really is. By returning to the Cross of Jesus every week we are not being resaved, but rather reminded of how incredible it is that God would save us at all. The Cross is the climactic place where our sinful state meets God's justice and grace in the sacrifice of his Son. To forget the Cross in our time of worship is to forget the very foundation of what our joy is rooted in. The Cross changes EVERYTHING!
Finally, when we have revisited the place where redemption was purchased once and for all, we end in a time of thanksgiving. When we see how marvelous God is, and how awful we are, and how amazing the love of God is though Christ's finished work on the Cross...we can not help but give thanks to him through our praises. In Luke 7, the sinful woman worshipped Jesus with her tears, kisses and perfume. She knew that she was a miserable sinner and she needed Jesus to take away her sin. How much more should we worship God knowing that our sins have been removed from us forever? If we understand that we have been forgiven much, then we will love much. When we realize that Christ offered up his life for us, our desire will be to offer up our lives to him in worship and thanksgiving.
Hopefully all of this helps in understanding the philosophy of worship at ROL. Every song, every prayer, every reading serves a specific purpose in the journey that we take during every worship service. My hope is that even if people cannot specifically recognize what took place on Sunday morning, they will still know they have met with God, seen their sin, revisited the Cross, and really worshipped.
Worship Ministries Areas to serve
Worship Team: Exists to lead the people of God into an intimate time of praise and worship on Sunday morning. Needs: Musicians (Vocal & Instrumental), Special Music, Scripture readers. Contact: Rich Hawkins (click on name to e-mail) or call the church office at 407.351.4333. Multi-media Team: Exists to provide technical and creative support for the Worship service. Needs: Sound techs and volunteers to create/enhance visual images for worship. Contact: Rich Hawkins (click on name to e-mail) or call the church office at 407.351.4333. Drama Team: Exists to enhance and illustrate the message of God's Word. Needs: Actors/Actresses, script writers, sound and lighting techs, set builders/designers, set-up/tear down crews, singers, dancers. Contact: Rich Hawkins and/or Greg Singleton or call the church office at 407.351.4333.
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