Sound...check

As the holidays approach, church services tend to become more complicated. Sunday, for instance, our own service included an advent reading, an a capella call to worship, three videos and a short presentation by a visitor. Then there were the usual things, like a few worship songs and a sermon.

The focus of the videos, guest and sermon was missions - developing a missions-oriented world view and witnessing to the hope we have in us. Not surprisingly, our adversary didn't want the service to be very effective.

Our entire sound system died just before the morning run throughs.

Even our very talented Chief Sound and All-around Tech Genius and the incredibly capable Sound Guy couldn't figure out what was going on. What they could - and did -do, however, was reroute everything, setting the video controller up in the theater's own sound both, running other cables and generally working a miracle before the service started. Unless you had been half an hour early to the service, you didn't know there had been a problem.

Would we have gone on if the sound system hadn't come back? Yes - worship isn't dependent on amplified voices, sophisticated video programs and a rock beat, but on hearts raised in adoration and awe. But would some people have been distracted and fussed, as a result missing the point of the message and the opportunity for God to work through it to convict them of the need to open their perspective, look beyond their comfort zone? Yes.

It's not healthy to constantly look around you and see Satan at work in everything. But neither should we forget that there are forces that are working diligently in opposition to God. Peter described what our mindset should be:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

1 Peter 1:8 - 9

For today, New Day 1, Satan 0.