The most important moment in the worship service

I sometimes wonder how often we thoughtlessly skip right over the most important part of the worship service when we gather on Sundays. I wonder if the most important part of the service is actually that moment of silence before the first note is played on the piano or the first frame is projected in a multimedia presentation or the first word is spoken into the microphone.
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Pastor Steven Rodriguez suggests that “our worship of God begins not with the first word spoken, but with the silence before it. If we speak to God without pausing first, we are just offering ourselves to God. But if we begin with silence, we are opening ourselves up to receive God.”

I know at least one colleague who pauses momentarily to quietly pray before she ascends the platform steps to open the service. I’ve been invited to lead worship in at least a couple churches where one of the first elements in the order of worship is 30 seconds of silent prayer. I suspect they’re on to something – intentionally holding their tongues, holding their breath, even, inviting God to fill the moment before they make any sound.
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