the cure of worship

... hearing and singing a different tune

Likewise Worship
May 20, 2025

Noise. Noise. Noise. In a minor key. That’s the song so many hear. And the tunes in our heads shape the attitudes and actions of our lives. Read on…

In Today’s Email

3 Encounters Between Sundays
This is YOUR YEAR!
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3 Encounters Between Sundays

Sunday mornings are beautiful. Together, with the saints, we hear the teaching of the Word of God. We sing praise to Him. We see people that we know, love, and trust and who are walking the same road we are.

And then, service ends. We return home. We wake up for work on Monday. We are reintroduced into a world full of fear, darkness, and chaos.

Below are three encounters all of us have between Sundays. And these encounters emphasize the need for true worship and the need for those who lead it.

Hardship / Difficulty

Between Sundays, we all, to some degree, encounter hardship, difficulty, or disappointment. On any given week, in some area of our lives (work, home, family, finances, etc), there will be something to be discouraged about.

We carry our hurt, our doubts, and our questions between Sundays.

Sin

Between Sundays, we encounter and live out of our flesh. The byproduct of this is sin. And the byproduct of our sin is brokenness.

We carry our sin and shame between Sundays.

Competing Narratives

Between Sundays, we constantly encounter competing narratives. We are bombarded by advertisements, by a culture that pulls us into a certain orbit. And at the center of this orbit is ourselves.

Between Sundays we are initiated again into a world of hurry and performance where achievement, wealth, and comfort are the pinnacle of our existence.

We carry the pressure of being the center of our own universes between Sundays.

The Cure of Worship

Between Sundays we feel these things and so much more. We (ourselves and those we lead) often stumble into the next Sunday disoriented, needing to find level footing again.

And it’s actually corporate worship - what YOU lead - that helps us stand on solid ground.

Corporate worship does something to us - it forms us.

Eugene Peterson thought of corporate worship this way:

“Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appetite. Our need for God is not taken care of by engaging in worship—it deepens.”

We (and those we lead) often don’t even know what we need until we start worshipping the Lord. The obedience of corporate worship awakens our hearts again to the true story of the world.

When we begin to worship the living God together, the Spirit reminds us of who we are in the light of who He is. And it’s this very thing that allows us to view all of our “between Sundays” encounters rightly.

When we worship God together, the gravity of the Spirit pulls us back into orbit - corporate worship helps us to again orient our lives around His Kingdom and His purposes.

James K.A. Smith put it this way:

“Worship is the arena in which God recalibrates our hearts, reforms our desires, and rehabituates our loves. Worship isn’t just something we do; it is where God does something to us.”

Corporate worship is our weekly chance to reorient ourselves, as Christ’s body, around Him and His mission.

When you lead people in corporate worship (songs, prayers, scripture, etc), you partner with the Lord in pulling people, who encounter all sorts of trials, temptations, failures, and successes between Sundays, back into the orbit they were made for.

A Different Tune

To end, consider this reflection on Psalm 49 by Malcolm Guite:

Where Christ Himself is there to welcome you
Then you are home, wherever you may fare
And Christ will keep your inner compass true

Though all the world is rushing everywhere,
This way and that before the winds of fear,
Between false hopes and premature despair.

But you can hear a different tune. You hear
The strong song of His love. Open your ears
To hear His parables. The foolish veer

Between their fatuous desires and fears,
With fickle fortunes that they fear to share.
Keep your security in Christ, who hears

The slightest murmur of your smallest prayer,
And do not be afraid, but trust in Him,
Your heart’s in heaven, keep your treasure there.

Ah, worship leader. You’ve heard the different tune. Listen to it again yourself and lead others in it.

Our times of corporate worship are not for emotional “pick me ups.” They are our weekly opportunity to hear and sing the word of God. And in so doing, we learn to love Him more than anything - even ourselves.

THIS IS YOUR YEAR!!

This is your year to come to the Likewise Worship Retreat! We are still 4 months away.

But here’s a secret - if you don’t be proactive about getting rest, you will wait too long. You will only rest to recover instead of rest to prevent yourself from getting to that place!

So get it in the calendar!

Three days and three nights of biblical encouragement, mountain air, resort style rooms (THEY ARE SO NICE), time with your spouse, time with worship leaders from around the country, and a chance to be with Jesus and recharge for another year of ministry… I mean.. come on!!

We’ll be introducing our guest speaker in the coming weeks… you WON’T WANT TO MISS IT!

September 22-25, 2025
Forest Home - Forest Falls, CA
Information and Registration

Tripp on Corporate Worship

“Corporate worship is a regular, gracious reminder that it’s not about you. You’ve been born into a life that is the celebration of another.”

— Paul Tripp

Join our community!

Gatherings - Looking to connect with other leaders? Come to our free monthly hangs with local leaders in select US cities or join us quarterly online!
One on One - Looking to process your ministry, your faith, or your challenges with a third-party you can trust? Set up a meeting with a member of our team.
Vocal Coaching - Feeling stuck or discouraged vocally? We offer professional in-house voice coaching specifically to worship leaders. Best part? We raise funds so we can give you a BIG discount. Schedule a consultation with our team!