Set The Atmosphere

Setting the atmoshphere is very important in getting people ready for what they're about to read, see, or hear. Think about how the weather works, for example. Let's say it's 65 degrees, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky, and then all of a sudden it starts to rain. Most people would be upset because they're in nice clothing, they just broke out the crispy white pair of shoes, and maybe they just got their hair did (I don't speak like this, I just thought it was appropriate). However, if the sky gradually started to get darker and the temperature cooled down, people would know, "I need to get indoors or grab my umbrella", because it's about to rain.

I spoke about John Jay in one of my previous entries, but one of the things that he said that stood out to me is that a lot of good ideas get left in the drawers of desks because they're not presented in the right way. Presentation is everything. People sell terrible ideas because they presented that terrible idea in a great way. It seems like presenting ideas is kind of like setting the mood when you have a date coming over your place. Some people want to turn down the lights or turn on music, or cook, etc. And doing these things give off the impression of "oh this is a date", rather than "we're just friends hanging out".

My girlfriend burned a gospel cd for me about 2 weeks ago. I read the Bible often, but I rarely listen to gospel music; so listening to that cd was pretty good, and a little bit of a change of pace from what I normally listen to. One of the songs that's on that cd is called "Set The Atmosphere". And I listen to that song at least once a day now because I started to understand what "setting the atmosphere" means, especially in the context of church. I never completely understood why the pastor or the leader of the choir would have people stand to sing songs in church. I would stand sometimes, but a lot of times I would just sit down and kinda tap my foot to the beat.

Standing up and singing songs as a congregation gets the heart and the spirit ready for God's message to be heard and felt. Proverbs 25:11 reads:

11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

This verse means that a message spoken at the right time can penetrate more than a word or mesage said at the wrong time. I think Christians get a lot of criticism because we want to talk about Jesus and what He's done, what He's doing and what He's going to do, but a lot of times the atmosphere isn't right for people to hear it.

We, in general, need to set the atmosphere and the mood right for our voices to be heard.