Leave Some White Space

Everyone knows (or has heard) that they should sacrifice at least something during Lent—for most us it’s usually sweets or other even more trivial things. What about leaving something out of your worship service as an added discipline during this important season of the church year?

Not having the benefit of a full-time graphics designer on staff during my many years of ministry, I learned to make my own flyers and brochures. They weren’t professional, but they got the job done. The very first lessons I learned about what NOT to do was overcrowding everything and changing fonts on every line. Can you empathize?

We call the result “white space” because it leaves a lot of paper showing and enhances the readability of what’s left. In time, I became ruthless in leaving things out of my “masterpieces.” I became what might be called an adequate “quasi-designer” guy.

At the same time I was acquiring some graphics skills, I was adapting what I had learned from that exercise into my worship planning skills, having discovered that a “crowded service” tends to negate the things that we wanted to emphasize? Here are some examples:

—Too many songs
—Endless reiteration of sermon points
—Announcements other than church-wide events
—Awkward and poorly prepared transitions
—Prayers that ramble and use “God talk” instead of clarity and energy

The above is a very partial list. I’m sure you could expand on it!

One pastor reminded me that he needed at least 45 minutes for his sermons. The service consisted of two praise songs, one hymn, one solo during the offering and six announcements. Anything wrong with this picture? Yes, the congregations opportunity to participate in some form of corporate expression of faith lasted six minutes, or one-tenth of the total service length.There was no quiet and there was no room in the inn!

Another pastor said to me that he needed a producer to make it all work. I reminded him he already had one, but had labeled and confined him to the job of being solely a worship leader. Most church musicians assumed this role years ago, but there are many more (and you know who you are) who are chomping at the bit to balance and illumine services.

During Lent it would be virtuous to rid ourselves of the (pardon me for saying) vanity of excess that often creeps into our worship. Make it simple and keep it simple. Or, at the very least make it seem simple. Services should be “of a piece” and they should elicit peace with ample sprinkles of challenge and application!