I have a friend who says that the very first rule of public speaking is… have something to say. That's advice worth taking to heart, but it's a concept that, I fear, we don't really consider strongly enough.
For instance, the opening words for worship have power – the power to engage the congregation; the power to focus attention on God; or the power to be disengaging, lacking focus and trivial. And those opening words, in many cases, fall to us as worship leaders.
This Sunday, how will you invite people to worship? How will you help usher them into an encounter with God? Maybe there's a scripture passage that ties together the theme of the opening songs. Maybe your comments could connect today's music with a particular season. Take the Psalms as your cue. Most scholars believe that many of these were used in Israel's ancient liturgy as a call to worship. They're vivid, gritty and passionate. But mostly, they give us a vision of God we don't see every day.
The point is this – before the day is done, your congregation will hear plenty of “Good to see ya!” and “How ya doin'?” You've got one chance to set the tone and direct the focus of worship.
Make it count.