Living a Life of Worship

Written by: Mr. Aaron Rosberg, Upper School Dean of Students

Originally Published in Flourishing: Volume 1, Issue 1

One of my roles as the Assistant Headmaster is Worship Leader. If you hold, as I do, that in worship we honor our God-given purpose to glorify God, and enjoy him forever; my role is both humbling and thrilling. As I lead worship, I prayerfully model, teach, and mentor students in a lifestyle of worship. I strive to inspire others to worship through every moment of the day. All activities from the most mundane to the most outrageous; utilizing special events, discipline, chapels, informal and formal conversations, parent partnerships, mentor relationships, teaching, and the list continues as these moments are occasions to inspire students to worship. This is my greatest task and my greatest joy in working at Trinity, and the best part is this embraces the whole school, each day, every day, and throughout the whole day.

Before proceeding any further, let’s look at our grammar and define worship! When someone hears that I am a worship leader at my church, they immediately assume that I lead the music. That assumption is correct. Music is my main duty at the church. Ask someone the question, “What is the worship like at your church?” and most expect an answer about the type of music in the service. Yet crucially, worship is vastly more. It is that aspect of the Christian life we are created for and encompasses who we are. Music plays a wonderful role. Yet worship restrained to music and a set period of time on Sunday, curbs the joy of our faith.

As the scriptures teach, all of life is worship.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Col. 3:17

I think Matt Redman said it well in his song Heart of Worship when he penned the words: “I’ll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within; through the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart.”

The Heart . . .Worship as an exercise of the heart. My heart. Your heart. When we worship as an exercise of our heart, we worship from the depths of who we are in Christ and because of who He is in us.

We are redeemed; He is Redeemer.

We are bought; He was the Payment.

We are the saved; He is the Salvation.

As Jesus said to the woman at the well, “ . . . true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” We are true God, the God of the Bible. As Paul tells us in Romans 12, “...by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

So we worship as we give ourselves to God and bring glory to His name. Turning away from the things of this world and surrendering our hearts to Him, as we seek what is true and give Him the glory we begin to live a lifestyle of worship that manifests itself through our actions done and undone, our words said and unsaid, our thoughts, our families, how we work, how we serve, and the lists goes on.

I think it is summed up in a charge God brings against Israel in Isaiah 29 when He says, “ . . . this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men . . .” Oh Lord may our worship never be heartless! Rather may our love and respect toward You inspire our worship and may it be further inspired by the fact that we are loved and redeemed by the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God of the universe. We seek Him and his glory in our lives, the worshiper “seeks first His Kingdom and His righteousness” that He may be glorified and others may see and know that He is God.

This is our foundation for a lifestyle of worship. To seek His will and bring Him glory in every fiber of who we are, to declare His name for all to hear with our words and our deeds. To share His love with all those He brings into our lives be it for a moment or for a lifetime.

As I look around the school everyday, I see Trinity staff inspiring students to worship in how they love them and train them. When Mrs. Blount disciplines a student and allows him to walk through the consequences of his actions all the while loving him with a heart of Christ and helping him better understand grace and that it does not just mean a free pass; this is worship.

When the students circle up in Mrs. Orr’s 7th grade Bible class for singing and prayer on Fridays; this is worship. When an adult walks into Mrs. McKeown’s class and the students stand and greet them as a sign of respect; this is worship.

When Mrs. Red sacrifices her lunch break to sit with students and tutor them in math or science to help them feel confident and make sure they understand; this is worship. When Mr. Lane sits with a group of boys to discuss life and what it is to be a man of Christ and the pains and triumphs of this life; this is worship.

Each morning as Mrs. Shelabarger greets her students with a song calling each student by name and acknowledging her love and care for them; this is worship. One of my favorites is the blessing ceremony we have at the end of each year where the teachers stand and proclaim a character trait they see in each student; this is worship. As we celebrate what God is nurturing in our students and call it out affirming it in their lives; THIS IS WORSHIP!

Now as the leaders of Trinity, we do have a plan of worship to provide opportunities of training for the students as they grow in their understanding of worship and a lifestyle of worship. We work to provide opportunities to train them in the areas of the head (knowledge), the heart (relationship), and the hands (service) to provide for them a well-rounded approach to a lifestyle of worship. We trust God as He keeps each student at Trinity for the time He has ordained, and we are committed to disciple and inspire them in a lifestyle of worship for that time, but it is in the organic, life-on-life moments of worship mentoring like those mentioned above that the worship habits of the heart are developed and established. It is our prayer here at Trinity that we may ever be worshipers of the Father in every aspect of the school, and that our worship would inspire a lifestyle of worship in our students and their families.

So now we must ask ourselves, “Is mine a lifestyle of worship?” We are thankful for a community worshiping our Heavenly Father together and inspiring our students to worship God beyond Sunday morning and into every part of their lives, living a lifestyle of worship. For that is what it means to truly be a Christ-centered school.