Get Out of the Way

A concert audience does not come to watch the conductor but to listen to the music; a church congregation should not come to watch or hear the preacher [or worship leader], but to listen to God’s Word. The function of the conductor is to draw the music out of the choir or orchestra, in order that the audience may enjoy the music; the function of the preacher is to draw the Word of God out of the Bible, in order that the congregation may receive with joy. The conductor must not come between the music and the audience; the preacher [or worship leader] must not come between the Lord and His people. We need the humility to get out of the way. Then the Lord will speak, and the people will hear Him; the Lord will manifest himself, and the people will see Him; and, hearing His voice and seeing His glory, the people will fall down and worship Him. —John Stott, Between Two Worlds, 328