Time Out to Worship
"Be still and know that I am God" is a Scripture more quoted than implemented on Sunday morning. The rush to get a family up, fed, dressed, and driven to church is often not eased until the afternoon snooze. At High Road Bible Church in Romeoville, Illinois, there's a major block of time in the morning service each week for silent prayer and worship. After announcements, responsive reading, and an opening hymn comes a recorded selection from "Praise Strings," which runs from 3 1/2 to 5 minutes. "This lets people truly unwind, slow down, and reflect on the One they've come to worship," says Pastor Matthew Heard. Each week Heard suggests a different psalm as a point of focus, to pray or read back to the Lord. "This helps new Christians learn to praise him, gives visitors something definite to do, and is enjoyed by more mature Christians as well," he says. At the end, he leads the congregation into a sharing time—praise items, reflections on the psalm just noted, requests and needs, then the pastoral prayer. "The feedback has been entirely positive," says the pastor, looking back over the year since the silent worship time began. Often it's the first thing visitors compliment after the service: "That was a breath of fresh air." "We've never been to a church where they gave time for this before." Key factor: The music that sets the mood must be instrumental, not vocal. The style, obviously, needs to be reflective rather than upbeat. "The five 'Praise Strings' albums have been ideal for us," says Heard, "and it's been no problem to repeat various selections at times. "However, one Sunday our sound system was out, so I asked our organist to prepare something appropriate instead. This worked just as well."
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