Thursday, December 15, 2005
Reflections on Retreat at New Life Church in Grand Junction
On Saturday, December 3, leadership from New Life Church in Grand Junction, CO and I gathered for a worship retreat in a warm home on the foot hills of Colorado National Monument. Mark Quist, pastor of New Life Church, and his wife Deone were present along with three additional staff and four lay-worship leaders. The purpose of our gathering was to reflect upon the deep meaning and purpose of worship and apply our learning to the practicalities of worship planning and leadership.
New Life Church is a Christian Reformed Church planted only eight years ago. The congregation is made up of people from many diverse backgrounds. Those in the room with me represented at least four different denominational upbringings. New Life Church, however, is united by a Reformed vision for life and worship. Pastor Mark told me the story of one church member who after coming to learn about Reformed theology said, “I guess I’ve been Reformed all along!”
The style of worship of New Life Church is mostly contemporary and the church is blest with enough musicians to form four full worship bands. This is astonishing since the church has only 200 members! There is great enthusiasm in the church for the work of God in their community and there is a hunger for their worship to be vital and faithful.
The material I presented was readily received and discussion was profitable. There were five sections:
- “Joining the Dance of Worship” (in two parts)
This consisted of basic definitions of worship, exploring worship as an enactment of a relationship between God and his people, understanding worship as both formative and expressive our relationship, and concluding with how worshipping a triune God is participating in gospel itself.
- “In the Presence of God: Opening of Worship, Celebration, & Adoration”
Here we asked how we can begin worship as a unique gathering among the regular events we attend, and I emphasized God’s initiative and our response.
- “Before the Throne of Grace: Confession & Redemption”
In this session we discussed the importance of confession being experienced within the context of a relationship of grace. We also explored how five images of the atonement might empower our creative planning for times of confession and assurance.
- “How Long, O Lord: Lamentation & Intercession”
We ended by discussing the importance of and renewed interested in including lament and prayers of intercession in worship
Sessions 2-4 each began with 20 minutes of worship emphasizing the elements of worship we would be exploring together. Not only did we talk about worship, but we worshipped together. This worship times proved to be vital to the day as a retreat. They took on a pastoral tone and they increased our hunger to spend time in discussion and reflection.
Everyone in the room was eager to contribute and there was an open spirit of learning and sharing in the room. One learning moment for me was during a time when we shared around the circle a hymn or song that we would most like to have sung the next day in worship. Each person responded with a great hymn of the faith that had deeply impacted his or her life either in childhood or in recent memory. Some examples were: “Breathe on Me Breath of God,” “Give Me Jesus,” “Abide with Me,” “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” “Amazing Grace” & “In Christ Alone.” This was surprising to me since New Life’s song repertoire consists largely of upbeat energetic Praise & Worship songs.
At the end of the day, I was so thankful that God had exceeded my expectations for the retreat. I was blessed by the group’s openness. I was thrilled at their eagerness to implement the learning from the day. We experienced moments of deep sharing in worship and discussion. The whole day felt like an offering of worship to God – not simply a day to talk about worship. I’m grateful to the leadership at New Life for inviting to join them for the weekend and I have great excitement for the work God is doing in their church.
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