Posts Tagged "worship"
2025-26 Theme Verse For The Year
August 25, 2025
Many of you likely visited the ocean or sea this summer. But none of you visited one without water. Our theme verse for this year is Habakkuk 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” In this verse, the prophet Habakkuk envisions the glory of the Lord filling the earth, just as waters cover the sea. The Hebrew word for glory is kabod (כָּבוֹד), meaning “weight” or “heaviness.” Throughout Scripture, God’s glory is experienced as a real presence with weight. During times of revival, people often describe feeling this heaviness. But what exactly is the glory of the Lord? That question takes us to the heart of who God is. The glory of God is central to his character. A clear answer emerges in Exodus. Moses asks God to show him his glory (Exodus 33:18). How does God respond?
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“And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19).
The glory of God is his goodness, mercy, and compassion—his goodness, mercy, and compassion toward sinners like you and me. This is an amazing truth! After this, the Lord speaks to Moses again. He tells Moses that his glory is about to pass by him.
“There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by” (Exodus 33:21-22).
How does God reveal his glory to Moses when he passes by?
“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7a)
The Lord is compassionate and gracious. He is slow to anger. The Lord abounds in love and faithfulness. This is how God reveals his glory to Moses, and this is how he reveals his glory to us! The glory of God is heavy. The glory of God is weighty. But it is heavy with compassion! It is heavy with grace! It is heavy with love! And that is the kind of weight we need! But is there a place in the Bible where God reveals his glory even more clearly? Is there a place where it is revealed even more clearly than it is revealed to Moses? Yes. In Jesus Christ. We see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). The Apostle John tells us that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
And this brings us back to the vision of Habakkuk. The prophet desires to see the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Completely filled—as the waters cover the sea! This verse is the spiritual vision for Christian Heritage School this year. That our hallways would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord! That our classrooms would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord! That our chapels would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord! That Christian Heritage would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea! But our hope is that it would not stay within these four walls! But that it would go out into our community. As we go out in local service trips to show the love of Christ and share the gospel. And beyond that, may it go out into the world! As we go out on mission trips to show the love of Christ and share the gospel in other parts of the earth.
This vision has driven new spiritual life initiatives at Christian Heritage this year. One of these is the formation of a Spiritual Life Council, a group of students who will lead and plan various spiritual activities for the school. Their responsibilities include organizing events such as worship nights, evangelism groups, and gatherings like “See You at the Pole.” Additionally, a “Chapel Overflow Room” will be available for students who wish to continue worshiping or praying after chapel services conclude. In the spring, the school will host Spiritual Renewal Week, where we will pray that the Lord would pour out spiritual renewal upon our campus. As the psalmist writes, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6). This is our spiritual vision for this year. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
-Pastor Vin
Pastor Vin serves as the Chaplain of CHS. He is happily married to Nicole and is blessed to be the father of his three sons: Vinny, Timmy, and Lucas. In addition to his role at CHS, Vin is the Teaching Pastor of his church. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, working out, studying theology, hiking, playing video games, learning about history, and spending time with his family. Vin is a CHS graduate and is grateful for the opportunity to return to this incredible community.
Beyond the Music: Developing Leaders Who Worship in Spirit and Truth
January 16, 2025
Beyond the Music: Developing Leaders Who Worship in Spirit and Truth
All throughout scripture, praise is both commanded and modeled as a way of giving glory to God. Psalm 95:1-2 says, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." It is no secret that God created humanity to worship Him, and on the student worship team, exalting Christ is our greatest priority. Through the worship team at Christian Heritage, students grow in theological literacy, they cultivate creativity, and they learn how to lead themselves and others in adoration to the Father.
Through music, we strive to proclaim the truth of God with biblical accuracy. As Matt Boswell writes, “It is (our) responsibility to shepherd the congregation into the green pastures of God-centered, gospel-centered songs and away from the arid plains of theological vacuity, meditations on human experience, and emotional frenzy”[1]. As students craft worship sets and prepare to play, sing, and lead, they are challenged to consider the words and messages of each song. When selecting music, some questions we ask ourselves are: What gospel truth is being conveyed in this song? Is this song more about me and my feelings than it is about Christ and His holiness? Are there any words or phrases in this song that might be confusing or easily misinterpreted? On this team, students understand that in order to grow as worship leaders, they must become students of scripture.
One morning, as the team was preparing to rehearse, a student started playing a riff on the bass that mimicked a tune from an oldies song. Another student darted over to the drums and started tapping along. Others began singing in harmony, and quickly the rehearsal space was echoing to the sound of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me”. There is an impulse inside all of us to create. This is because God, the creator of all things, made mankind in His image (Gen 1:27; John 1:3). On the worship team, we encourage creativity by fostering an environment where permission is given to experiment, try new ideas, and learn from each other. Just last week, a middle school student had the idea to merge two songs together, flowing without pause from one chorus to another, treating two different songs as one. The same day, a high schooler saw a creative opportunity to let the voices minister without instruments. Unrehearsed, she signaled to the rest of the band to stop playing, and the room was overcome by the angelic sound of over one hundred voices lifted heavenward. Creativity inevitably draws us closer to our Creator, and we mirror His very nature when we make space for creative expression.
One of the most well-known worshipers in the Bible was David. Throughout the Psalms he commands himself to praise and stirs up adoration to God. We see this in Psalm 103:1 when he says, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name”. On the worship team, we recognize that in order to lead well, we must first know how to lead our own hearts in praise. We practice this by remembering His goodness and regularly reflecting upon what He has done and is doing in our lives. Cultivating a greater personal life of worship enables us to lead others well.
Students also learn that leading is a privilege, and we stress the importance of preparation as a way to honor God and each other. Preparation on the worship team is both practical and spiritual. We work on how to prayerfully and strategically build worship sets. We discuss ways that each instrument and voice can support and strengthen different songs. We take time to rehearse our parts. And we practice how and when to lead a pastoral moment, whether it’s sharing a scripture or word of encouragement, giving context to a song, or leading a prayer. Psalm 33:3 instructs us to sing and play skillfully before the Lord. When we take time to plan and prepare, we give God our best, and we limit distractions that might hinder others’ ability to fully engage with the wonder of Christ.
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things!” (Psalm 98:1). While we know that worship extends far beyond a musical experience, there is something undeniable that happens when we sing to Him. The life-changing power of God is released into our lives when we praise (Acts 16:25-26; 2 Chronicles 20:15-22), and our focus is shifted away from ourselves and onto something bigger. We cannot help but be reminded of who God is and what He has done when we sing. Through the worship team, students learn how the truth of the gospel, their creativity, and their affection for Jesus inform the way they lead themselves and others in praise. As we develop worshipers here at Christian Heritage, my prayer is that their lives would be shaped by the truth of Christ’s extravagant love; all glory belongs to Him. “Sing to the Lord, for He has done marvelous things!”
[1] Boswell, Matt, ed. Doxology & Theology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader. Nashville, B&H Publishing Group, 2013. 233 pp.
Life Application Bible: New International Version (2011). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Chelsea serves as the Upper School Worship Team Coordinator. She is a CHS alum (2009) and earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Industry. Chelsea is married with two young children, and leads worship and writes music with her friends at Vox Church. Chelsea is passionate about seeing the beauty and glory of God displayed through creative expression.