The Blessing of Undistracting Excellence

We will try to sing and play and pray and preach in such a way that people’s attention will not be diverted from the substance by shoddy ministry nor by excessive finesse, elegance, or refinement. Natural, undistracting excellence will let the truth and beauty of God shine through. We will invest in equipment good enough to be undistracting in transmitting heartfelt truth. — John Piper, Desiring God

Excellence is a quiet quality. It doesn’t have an entourage. It doesn’t require an announcement from the stage. It’s steady and mostly unseen, like a heartbeat. It’s necessary to keeping things in motion, but it doesn’t seek attention for itself.

It seeks to give attention to another. Excellence occurs in the presence of an other-minded perspective. It appears when I sacrifice myself—my spiritual act of worship. As my heart and mind become more attuned to God, I breathe easier. I sit.

I don’t have to rush around the room. I can relax. Everything is as it should be. The chairs are set in their almost-perfect lines. The microphones checked, the slides proofed and ready for praise and worship. The lights go down; the music plays; and God’s presence fills the room.

I become aware of Him, not because of some fantastic show but because of undistracting excellence. His truth and beauty shine through everything, even the smallest details that no one, except the person caring for them, is aware of. His Spirit fills the people, and their hearts, like mine, are tuned once more to sing of His marvelous light and grace.

Image: Guy Mayer (Creative Commons)