Matthew Starner

This is a great video, even though it’s a little on the long side. Take 20 minutes when you have time and watch this video. It’s worth it, or I wouldn’t have included it here. Watch the video and then read on.

Did you watch it? Don’t go on until you take 20 minutes and watched the video all the way through! (Trust me)

There’s a lot in there to digest, but this is what I took away from watching the video:

• First off, he’s a great communicator. He engages his audience, he uses illustrations very well and he has an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious. He really believes that if he can help people understand classical music, they will appreciate and enjoy it. What if we approached the Gospel in the same way, truly believing that people just need a little help “getting it” and they would be excited about it too?
• I love the statement toward the end when he asks how different you would walk if you believed that only 3% of people liked classical music vs. believing that everyone likes classical music, they just don’t know it. How different would you walk if you really believed that everyone belongs to God, they just don’t know it yet?
• When he starts the experiment to get everyone in the audience to enjoy classical music, he doesn’t get bogged down in the details. Sure, he throws in some simplified music theory – “The C’s job is to make the B sad” or the idea of “home” – both of which are complex ideas of music theory, but he keeps it simple. In making followers of Christ, we sometimes get bogged down in the details – we feel like we need to make theologians out of everyone in order for them to “understand” why they’re following Christ. All those details can come later.
• Are you too hung up on thinking about every note along the way or are we thinking about the whole piece as one phrase? (or, are we thinking too much about what’s happening next week, rather than where the church is heading?
• The statement about the conductor really jumped at me. The conductor makes no sound on his own. “He depends for his power on his ability to make other people powerful.” His job is to awaken possibility in other people. Are we realizing that potential??
• Speaking as a worship leader, when it comes to leading worship, our job is to be just like Ben. He takes his audience on a journey. He takes time to explain why all this stuff matters and what’s going on at different times.  Notice how he even stops the song to share a story and make the song even more meaningful. He knows where we’re going and how we’re going to get there and he helps us take the steps needed to reach the destination. That’s what leading people into the presence of God is all about.

What stuck with you from the video? Share your thoughts in the comments.