My son became an usher at the Church he attends. When I was growing up, our small Church had ushers; their job was to hand out printed programs and help people to their seats. So thinking I knew what he was talking about, I began to ask him several questions.

To my surprise, their ushers are much different than I remember. Their Church community has recruited a group of young men simply to have conversations with people on Sunday mornings. They arrive early and look for people they do not know. They introduce themselves and start a conversation. The one rule he told me is that they are not allowed to ask, “How are you today?” or “How are you doing?” Instead, they are required to have a “real conversation.”

One of the core values of his Church is that they aim to be “relationally intense.” Their goal is not to have surface-level conversations and vague acquaintances. Instead, their goal is to build authentic relationships, starting with genuine discussions on Sunday mornings.

I wonder what would happen if I instituted this in the Church I lead. What would happen if every Church took this approach?  

Recently I went to a worship program where I was asked to do the closing prayer. Unfortunately, in the days leading up to the event, there had been changes in time, issues with sickness, and nothing seemed to go smoothly. So the night it occurred, I wasn’t expecting much.

The evening started just the way I expected. There was a disconnect between the leaders, and one expressed a distressing issue in his life. Within minutes I felt like the night would be a waste of time and drain my soul. 

Then everything changed. A single man began to lead worship on his guitar, and it connected to something deep in my soul. I am unsure if it was the words, his presentation, the fact that I was not leading, the Holy Spirit, or possibly all of them combined that touched me so profoundly. I sang along and could feel a connection to God. 

Next, the sermon hit a passage I had not given much thought. It was insightful and encouraging. I took notes and read along in the scripture. The thirty minutes seemed to fly by as the lesson touched me too. 

Finally, I stayed around afterward and visited with people for a long time. There was conversation and connection to the people I had not experienced before that night. The fellowship was sweet, and the evening was a blessing.

I had gone into the program with low expectations, and God had surprised me with his presence in the worship, word, and people. I went home with my soul filled with gladness.

One truth in worshipping Jesus is that he is alive and active. You never know when he will surprise you and speak to your heart. Some weeks you may worship and leave wondering if it was worth your time. But other weeks, you will be more than thankful that you were there. I cannot tell you the difference or when it will happen. All I can say to you is, “Keep showing up,” and some days, God will surprise you.