A Gifted Response / Checking Out of Civilization

Hey friends! I'm starting work at Kingswood Camp this Monday May 23rd and will be there - weekends excepted - until near the end of August. It’s almost time for me to bring the Kingdom into canoes, cabins and forested canopies. Over this last year I've been so privileged to both continue and begin many relationships, branch out into exciting new avenues of ministry, and live out the bachelor dream with a houseful of fellas all while traversing the frontiers of social media - making a few posts now and then. The love has been real and will keep getting stronger!

But in these last weeks, I've been gradually narrowing my circles and spending a lot of time tending to my soul. Getting well-grounded is essential preparation for over a month of work and life with a very small group of leaders. Taken together, my jobs as Worship Director and “Maintenance Man of God” will engage my entire being and I want to wholeheartedly enter in. So with that said, I want to apologise for missed connections, unfulfilled plans, delayed replies, ignored invitations, and other symptoms of my search for tranquility in the Lord. Thanks to so many of you, I'm experiencing such a kaleidoscopic richness of support and community going into the summer - we’ve been doing some serious churchin’!

If you think of me, say a prayer for the camp kids as well!

And if I could leave you with any one thought, it’s this:

I don’t understand why life seems incredibly unfair for so many well meaning people; I hope if things ever took a turn for the worst I could still say this with conviction - but believing as an axiom, and seeking to implant deep in my heart that God is actually, truely, unconditionally, unsearchably good - loving ~everyone~ and desiring all people to be saved [1 Tim 2:4] - has cemented the most transformative change to my cognitive and spiritual architecture since accepting Jesus as Christ as an adult. People really really matter. And it’s not up to me to figure out all the hows and whys, to develop the right philosophy or theological system: it’s a simple gospel, and we have to keep it that way. For the sake of the children.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Gal. 2:20 [ESV]

Thus, I stand in agreement with the self who penned this first line of my 2016 journal:

Everything I do from here on to the rest of my life is a
Gifted Response.

Here's the **extended version** from one of the most astonishing and powerful gatherings at Bethel Church. Five saturated minutes where silence breaks into free expressions of worship, unmediated by the band. I see it as a picture of Heaven: when in such a vast building, under a powerful, charismatic leader like Jeremy Riddle, the Spirit can guide the worship team and congregation into one body, offering to Jesus unashamed, undivided adoration.

Catch Me Up In Your Story

Five months ago today I was flying back to Halifax from Toronto. Early morning in the lobby while waiting to board, I was refreshed being in the presence of Martimers. The tone of the banter and the cantor of the chuckles practically begged me to join in and make a connection. With each miniscule step in the cavernous terminal magnetically drawing me to the less-than-full service Tim Horton’s, bonding with a random Bluenoser over the lack of breakfast sandwiches popped a blister of pretention that had been festering for my entire week’s stay in the Centre of the Universe.

Rather than feeling drained from over stimulation, I was starved for meaningful engagement.

Don’t get me wrong, my hosts were incredibly gracious. I had a private room in a swanky home, free range of an expansive kitchen, a giant cat to hang with - perks abounding. My sister did her best to point me toward touristy attractions tailored to my taste. The AGO made me sit up and appreciate Canadian Art while the ROM splashed millennia of antiquity ‘round every corner. But alas! I hadn’t a guitar, nor any other instruments with which to warble out a heavenward plea. My cries were silent.

Looking back, to say that the highlights of my trip were three coffee dates with friends from home sounds incredibly mundane. But it is true. I had the best Americano Misto of my life at Dineen’s on Bay Street. And spurred by these various brews, the depths of conversation with the best kinda folks were wells of life. Okay, so I’m not a city kid. I grieve at the sight of thousands of people walking around as if they were in invisible cocoons. Touch not, speak not, hear not; where a friendly ‘good morning’ is met with a stare to the ground. No, I don’t take it personally – but this is an allegory:

Wherever conversation can organically percolate between strangers, there is an opportunity for a healthy culture to develop. Yet, wherever culture shuts down spontaneous conversation there is a pall of gloom.

Thus, we arrive at this post’s original raison d’être, which I owe to a message delivered by Grace Han one Friday night in Acadia’s Chapel basement. Coloured by my interpretive flair, the key point is this: in our walk of faith, where we find ourselves at fork after fork, we have to realize that God is already at work down every trail. He’s doing stuff. Our response to this humbling awareness is then: “How can I join in on what You are already doing?” Maintaining this perspective has the potential to shift our focus beyond our individualistic quests for purpose.

For we can be so caught up in the madness of trying to shape our souls into perfect spheres when all the while, God is carving our rough edges into the links of puzzle pieces. Instead of standing isolate, we must tessellate.

So with today’s meditation, I sing:

“Catch me up in Your story, all my life for Your glory – my God, my joy, and my delight.” 

On Friday A Thief, On Sunday A King

Death In His Grave - Bethel Church Feat... by chretien1959

John Mark McMillan has a way of crafting songs with incredible hooks and anthemic choruses, but his wordy verses, packed with imagery, are oft better mused than corporately led. Exemplified by How He Loves, this formula has not prevented that song from becoming a hand-over-heart tear-jerk classic in the mouths of Crowder and Kim Walker-Smith. John Mark’s recent collaboration with wife, Sarah, has provided more accessible fodder for congregants to sink their syllables into – but that’ll be for another day.

Around 3 years ago, a dear friend was strongly impacted by the song Death In His Grave – found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM0a2YNH3gE. Originally released on McMillan’s 2010 album, “The Medicine,” Death In His Grave is a powerful, ultimately triumphant statement, incorporating a range of emotions and perspectives to illustrate the ransom model of the atonement [Heb 2:14, eg.]. I’d always found it a difficult piece to cover, for even if I had internalized the lyrics, there is still the issue of finding a tempo that doesn’t drag but also doesn’t rush the words into mush.

In most instances, neither worship nights in a candle-lit second floor flat, nor sing-alongs 'round a fire-pit ember glow set the most appropriate stage for McMillan's dexterous pen. Where then? Coffee houses, for certain – or maybe on the corner log-bench, waxing poetic while the rest of the gang roasts a round of marshmallows. But, you say, this Californian mega-church is the furthest thing from a chilly pebble-stone beach – however can we relate the two?

Let’s have a look here - Bethel is most assuredly not the type of culture where a fidget in the pew or the din of an infant could rattle proceedings. To the contrary, they encourage the praise pit, and spontaneous outbursts therein. We could even loosely equivocate an enthusiastic Holy Ghost ‘whoooaaa!’ with the intermittent pops and crackles of a driftwood bonfire.

Brian Johnson has this special force of confidence that knows you don't always have to lead off a set with a 4-on-the-floor 'hype' song in order for the rest of the service to be effective. He is also not too proud to lean on the tele-prompter in the back – for a leader, it’s far better to look out than look down at a music stand. Brian’s brother, Pastor Eric, has welcomed the people, opened with a Psalm, and most likely encouraged them to ‘love on’ one another – cold handshakes be-damned! 

Instead of demanding full attention right off the bat, the drummer’s rolling fill swings into a gentle 6/8; a pair of ‘down’ verses and choruses give time for the milling about to organically settle. The keyboardist dials in a bubbly jazz organ patch and through the mix, Jeffrey Kunde expertly wafts glassy slides. By the time the up-chorus kicks into a tag, just over 2 minutes in, the flock is noticeably engaged. And then, following the John Mark pattern, we have a shout-it-from-the-rooftops bridge. Where the verses crammed four words into half a bar, here each single lyric is drawn-out over that same length of time: it is a victorious summit befitting the message: “one time, once and for all.”

To The Increase of His Government, There Will Be No End.

Graham Moore’s chunky thud frames Michael Pope’s languid slides; he coaxes liquid silver and we are drenched in its warmth. Recorded the evening of April 7, 2013, this entire track sparkles – no little thanks to the outstanding audio engineering. The drums punch with honesty and over a flood of synth patches, Pope and Bobby Strand’s electrics tremble and scream. This is surely the apex of a certain motif within Bethel’s history of sound. Pleasing to the ear and lifting the spirit to ponder the endless majesty of God Almighty. 

And there is Jenn: perched like an eagle, waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down and declare Isaiah’s prophecy into Matthew’s familiar red letter stanza; calling out for the “High Priestly” prayer’s fulfillment; fearlessly proclaiming the Will of God without a shackle in sight.

The Lord’s Prayer, taught to his disciples, expresses the main themes around which we relate to God. Arranged and set to music by Marcus Meier at IHOP, Our Father, doesn’t include petitions for forgiveness and provision – for there are surely a plethora of songs addressing such topics. Using Jesus' words, this is a simple call for God’s kingdom that should rightly orient our beings around the pre-eminence of Christ, and subsequently inspire the Church to powerful action. We have to ask ourselves if we are preaching a Gospel of escapism if we are more desperate to fly away to Heaven than to seek God's will in bringing Heaven to Earth. This is not shallow spiritualizing: for Jesus' earliest call was to repent in order to properly welcome the Kingdom of Heaven to where? Earth! This was Jesus' personal mission. Through an unbroken line of disciples, aka. Christ-ians, aka. humans indwelt with the same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead, it is now our mission. No matter our astonishment and horror at the wicked world around us, if you read the end of all four Gospel books, Jesus never gives an expiry date for the Great Commission. Baptisms inspire joy in the Body of Christ and consistently bring out the best in Bethel worship teams; the intermittent applause for souls reborn is a steady reminder of the ever advancing Kingdom of Heaven here and now. 

Noticing the little things that make a worship set function practically and stand out spiritually or musically will hopefully give this series some added value. Overall, never under-estimate the impact of a powerful backup vocalist: all through this track, Austin Williamson, to the far left of the stage, commands a powerful harmony and is right there with Brian Johnson as he leads into spontaneous - he is one I always look out for on a set. 

That said, here are a few moments that bring me joy:

5:50 - The prophetic high point of the song. Complaints about the 'dying church' should be quelled by this Biblical vision of the rule of Christ, from a verse which we rarely hear past Christmas.

6:15 - This woman flailing around in the baptismal tank.

6:27 - J-P Gentile's snare drum thrashing and wide-mouthed praising.

6:53 - A wry smirk from Brian Johnson, clearly loving the sheer intensity.

8:51 - A tangible pause, resetting the mood. It is a sign of maturity and skill on Brian's part: to not just bring it down for a few bars in order to frame the next build - but to intentionally rest and reflect in the quieter moments. Yet even as the Our Father concludes and only Brian's acoustic caresses remain, the dip into meditation is anticipatory; the wells spring up into a focussed cry of devotion to Jesus.

14:28 - ...And then the crest. This is a powerful wave. What comes to mind are Latin or         German choral Masses wherein the eternal truths are confessed repeatedly. Here we have a musical and spatial setting far removed from cavernous, candle-lit stone halls, but with the same substance: Christ exalted.

Prepare to be Bethelized

Bethel Music, based out of Redding C.A. has completely changed the face of contemporary worship music in only a few short years. Discerning the plot line of how exactly this has happened is a tall order for someone sitting the opposite corner of the continent, in rural Nova Scotia. But a few basic facts might be in order before blasting into headier territory. 

Emerging in the mid 2000s, Bethel's first offspring of note, the Jesus Culture band, blended a conference-friendly, electric wall of sound with the passionate caterwaul of vocalists such as Kim Walker-Smith, Kristene Di Marco, and Chris Quilala. Spearheaded by Banning Liebscher, Jesus Culture has since planted a church in Sacramento and are continuing to record music and expand their musical palate. (See: http://jesusculture.com/team )While this blog will primarily focus on the worship ministry at Bethel Church, Redding, much love and credit must be given to Jesus Culture for breaking through the ordinary worship/concert/sing-along mentality, and pushing the younger generation to expect deep encounters with God through worship.

At the head of an endeavour such as this blog, it's worth spilling a bit of digital ink covering a bit of my thought process regarding praise and worship.

Working through the reclaimed human vessels making up the Body of Christ (aka Church), the Holy Spirit empowers worshippers today to offer praises out of an ever deepening revelation and understanding of God's nature and character. Instead of toning down the passion and intimacy found in the Psalms, how much more ought we shed both our pride and our insecurities in devotion now that we can point to Christ as a clear, personal, embodiment of YHWH. We can rest assured that His blood has made a way for us to boldly approach God's throne at any time, with the liberty of being freed from the curse of the Law we could not keep. Where a man could be struck dead by a mere touch upon the wooden Ark wherein God dwelt under the Old Covenant, it is a glorious mystery that we - as clearly imperfect human beings - are ourselves the intended dwelling place of God, consecrated for His purposes.

On a practical level, we never again need to kill animals in our worship, nor do we need to strive by our own efforts to earn God's favour and love but instead "through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." [Heb. 13:15, NIV] As we behold the Glory of God in devotion, we are actually transformed into His image so that the divide between Creator and creation is not only healed in theory through the cross, but in the deepest parts of our beings as followers of Christ. 

Next time, expect a video - and expect to continue being transformed.

@theezachcooper