Scott Jasmin

What it’s all about

Posted by Scott Jasmin on April 17, 2011

This past weekend I led worship at a church that has three services: one Saturday evening and two Sunday morning. Just before the first service on Sunday, the worship team gathered in the back room to pray. We prayed that God would draw the worshipers to Himself so that He would be glorified.

As we sang, I felt the Spirit moving. I hushed the band so that we could hear the congregation singing, “Amazing love, how can it be that You, my King would die for me…” It was beautiful. The more we hushed, the louder they sang, filling the room with worshipful melody. Now I was moved. We finished the next-to-last song, and the pastor flowed into the communion time with a brief meditation and prayer. As he ended his prayer, I began playing The Old Rugged Cross on my guitar in a slow, cowboy-around-the-campfire style (dum janga langa, dum janga langa…) As we sang that final song I scanned the congregation, thinking how people seemed to be really into the moment…really connected. Then, way in the back, I could see my friend Val. Next to Val was an older gentleman with white hair. They were too far away for me to make out their facial expression.

On Monday I ran into Val at work. She thanked me and said that she really enjoyed the service. She explained that the gentleman next to her was her father Richard who was visiting from Iowa. Then she told me that as I started playing The Old Rugged Cross she looked over at her dad because she knew that it was his favorite Hymn. She put her arm around his shoulder and he looked back at her with tears welling up in his eyes. He didn’t say anything. She said he looked like he was just trying to hold it together. As the song progressed, she looked over at him again and tears were running down his face. She said how it was so meaningful for her to have been there worshiping with her dad that morning. She also said that her dad expressed a similar sentiment.

As I walked away from my conversation with Val that morning, I thought to myself, “that’s what it’s all about.” It’s about a group of individuals coming together as the Body to sing God’s praise. It’s about fathers and daughters worshiping side by side. It’s about older gentlemen being overwhelmed with emotion as they are touched by the Spirit.