The evening service had just finished, and as we packed away the final bits of PA equipment from the school hall there was the usual buzz of conversation after the service. But the question on some peoples lips was, "Did you notice one of the lines in one of the songs tonight?"
For the last three weeks during the evening service my church has been going through the book of Job. It's been fantastic to reflect on suffering - and, more importantly, on God. To fit in with the series, we've introduced a song by Keith and Kristyn Getty called 'When Trials Come'. It's a great song that talks of God's faithfulness to us and His enduring love in the midst of trials and suffering. It talks of the triumph of the cross and, in the last verse, about a day when all things will be made new.
The lyrics for verse 3 go like this:
I turn to Wisdom not my own,
For every battle You have known
My confidence will rest in You
Your love endures Your ways are good
Your love endures Your ways are good
However, at the start of the third verse, due to an "administrative error", the projector screen read, "I turn to Wisdom of my own". A small typo makes a big difference! In one short moment, encouragement to turn to Jesus fell flat on its face and the congregation were encouraged to look to themselves.
The most interesting thing was the number of people who noticed. Not many (as far as I can tell).
Which begs the questions: How closely do we read the words that we're singing at church? As we teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, are we discerning the truths we're singing? Or are we just going with the flow?
Kevin Sorensen