a Powerful Night

Rock Harbor has a talent for putting together meaningful and thought-provoking worship services, but every once in a while we have a service that surpasses anything we could have planned for. For lack of better words, something extraordinary happens in the congregation and they are moved to worship in ways that may be different or more passionate than what usually occurs. Last night was one of those extraordinary services.

We've been going through a sermon series lately called "God Is..." in which every week a different attribute of God is discussed. Yesterday message was called "God is Trinity" and focused on the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is always a difficult subject to deal with since 1) this relationship is something we will never completely understand and 2) there are a lot of different theological views on it. Nonetheless, the idea of the "3-in-1" relationship ran throughout the entire service.

Before the message, an interpretive dance was given (which is not normal for Rock Harbor services) in which there were three dancers who each represented one entity of the Trinity. They began dancing to their own moves, but by the end of the song they imitated each others moves in unison. The entire performance was moving and gave a beautiful picture of the mystery and harmony of the Godhead.

Although the dance was powerful, I would argue that the response time after the message was the most powerful time of the night. For both services, the congregation seemed to engage with an attitude of worship that seemed more giving than usual. One of my critiques about Rock Harbor's approach to worship has always been that it encourages individualistic and introspective worship more than it does communal and "self-denying" worship. However, last night's response showed a much more communal and sacrificial attitude, and many people found it to be extremely powerful. We also sang older hymns that are not usually played such as "Holy, Holy, Holy." To end the night, the worship leader led the entire congregation into an ac cappella reciting of the Doxology.

Running sound from the back of the room, I got to see the entire service from a uniquely holistic perspective. I always appreciate being a part of nights like those not only because I get to be a part of the moment myself but also because I get to help facilitate those worship experiences in a very tangible way. I am continually thankful for being a part of this team, and I always hope that my experience here has ultimately served to bring further praise and honor to God.