worshipNOTE🎵

He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. - Psalm 40:3

This above verse is what I think about every time I step up to lead worship. This is what I think about every time I speak about worship. It is part of my email signature. It is part of my motive for being a pastor. If you notice, the verse is not about the singer, but the song God has placed there. It is about His glory. It is about Him.

It is always about Him…

Thanksgiving and Christmas are quickly approaching - the time of year when God’s children remember the hope that His firstborn brought to us some two thousand years ago. As the weather changes and the trees change color, we break out our cookies and candy recipes, start putting our shopping lists together, find the perfect turkey, find the perfect tree, spread red and white and green everywhere, and sing songs reserved for only this time of year. It is an amazing time for many of us, a time when families come back together after a year of being apart, a time when we find it easier to be kind to others and forgive simple offenses. Is Jesus, the Son, in our traditions and merry making, however?

It often seems we only include God when things get serious, or perhaps we only include Him when we are doing something ritualistic. We often forget about Him in the midst of our laughter, in the midst of our joy. These are the times, however, when we most need to include Him. By excluding Him from these moments, we’re unconsciously training ourselves to only remember Jesus in the times when we need Him to address something that’s gone wrong in our lives. But shouldn’t He be in every part of our lives? How easy it is to say, “I am so glad God put you in my life!” How easy it could be to exclaim, “Thank you for that, Jesus!” when you find yourself laughing heartily?

Keeping the Lord in every aspect of our lives will help us share the Good News because people will see Him in ourselves. As a part of our daily comings and goings, He will stop being seen as an optional “add-on” and start being understood as a fundamental part of our identity. Suddenly, we become genuine in our faith and stop being that “everyman who is stuck in the tradition of going to church on Sunday.”

In the Works…

Here at Chattanooga Valley Baptist our Worship and Music Ministry is truly alive and vibrant. Veteran’s Day will soon be upon us and the band and choir are ready to celebrate those who have served our country with a rousing Salute to the Armed Forces, followed by a prayer of blessing in the form of a familiar song, God Bless America, as arranged by your Worship Pastor and led by Vivian Holmes.

The choir and orchestra are very busy getting ready for our Christmas Worship Presentation – The King Is Here – coming mid-December. It is not too late to join us! I hear all the time about how wonderful it would be if our choir filled all the seats available. Well, to do that, we need YOU to step forward and lead by example. I have heard how we have extremely talented instrumentalists who should be in the orchestra. We rehearse on Wednesdays at 6 pm – you are welcome to join us!

Our Christmas Worship Presentation – The King Is Here – will be presented on December 14^th and 15^th. We hope you will join us for this very special night and join us for a cookie and a cup of warm cider afterward!

A Final Note…

My family and I have appreciated your warm welcome here at Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church. There are many challenges ahead as Chattanooga Valley continues to build up her Music and Worship Ministry, but I look forward to tackling them together all for the glory of the One who gave us music in the first place, the One whose Word sings for all creation to hear: God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit… three in one.