Everything I have written so far could be summed up in a simple, two-part rhythm.  I believe this rhythm is the very essence of Christian worship, transcending denominational, stylistic, and even theological lines.  Christian worship does these two things, which are always working in harmony with each other:

1) Acknowledges our need for God.
2) Celebrates Jesus as the fulfillment of that need. 

If you are doing this in your worship, you are leading people toward experiencing the gospel, and therefore experiencing God.  This applies to our singing, as well as to preaching and to our celebration of the sacraments.  Over and over again as we worship, this rhythm is either right beneath the surface or explicitly displayed. 

Musically, it may happen within one song, with two songs, or it may be a broad movement over an entire set.  As you plan worship, look for this rhythm.  Plan it into your worship.  In this rhythm God is glorified.  In it God comes to meet us where we are.  In this rhythm we are ushered into God’s presence.    

As an example of the ideas presented in the last several posts, here is a breakdown of the worship service at my church from today.

Movement 1: Gather
        Happy Day (Tim Hughes)
        Everyday (Joel Houston)
        Love the Lord (Lincoln Brewster)
In this particular service we are afforded quite a bit of time for music, so we are able to develop the theme significantly through music in the Gathering section.  Today we used “Happy Day” to recall and celebrate our baptism, by which we are united into Christ’s death and resurrection: “The greatest day in history/death is beaten you have rescued me/Sing it out/Jesus is alive/…/O happy day/You washed my sin away/Forever I am changed.”  We didn’t do this today, but during this song we could have invited folks to come forward, dip their fingers into the baptismal font and make the sign of the cross on their forehead (or one another’s foreheads), saying “I am (You are) a baptized child of God.”  Another method is for a pastor or member to walk around and “spritz” the congregation with a branch dipped in water.  Good times.