Hey church familia,
hope you're planning on being together with us tomorrow morning. We'll continue our preaching series through 1 Samuel, and we'll remind one another of God's faithfulness to His people through the preaching, through the songs we sing, and hopefully in our fellowship. Let's all be there, and prepare to come to encouraging one another to walk with Christ another week. Life is hard, and the pull of the world is strong, which is why we need the body of Christ, and why the body of Christ gathers.
We'll sing the following songs:
1. Forever
We'll sing of God's faithfulness to His people with this one. The songs says, "From the rising to the setting sun, His love endures forever/And by the grace of God we will carry on." God's grace enables us to walk with Him, and it's God's unchanging love for His people that keeps us in the faith. Our salvation is rooted in God's faithfulness and goodness, not our own.
2. The Glories of Calvary
We are only God's people because Jesus completed our salvation on His cross and in His resurrection. This song has a really sweet thought-progression: the verses develop multiple aspects and benefits God has given us in Christ's sacrifice, and the chorus is a response and prayer to God to take us "deeper into the glories of Calvary." We meet to draw near to God together as a church, and to go deeper together in our knowledge and experience of the Gospel.
I love the line that says, "And Your saints below join with Your saints above, rejoicing in the risen Lamb!" When we meet together, we also anticipate and look ahead to when we'll gather in the new Heavens and new Earth to praise our King.
3. KIDS' CHOIR: Make Me Wise
We'll worship by listening to the kids on this one, which is a prayer for God to gives us wisdom and teach us to fear Him rightly. It's a good tune - our 3 year old Ella is excited that we're playing it in church.
4. My Hope is Built
This is one of the best hymns there is, in my opinion. We'll sing all 4 verses. This hymn takes its themes from Hebrews 6, saying that no matter what evil befalls us in this world the way it is, or what trials God ordains for our lives, our salvation and eternal life is rooted in Christ. Definitely watch this one, and/or listen below!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Recommendation: Red Mountain Music
Red Mountain Music has, and is putting out some pretty awesome church music: some original stuff and a lot of really good re-workings of hymns. It's all very, very good - I can't stress this enough. Follow the first link above to Red Mountain's Bandcamp page, where you can stream a bunch of their songs. Here's the link to their music in iTunes.
Their Christmas album is especially good, if you want some new stuff for the Advent season that's a'comin upon us right fast.
And finally, here's a neat little post analyzing one of their arrangements of a classic hymn. Make sure you read this, and listen to the track. It's such a simple recording, but it's so good.
The thing a really appreciate about these folks, is not just their amazing creativity and the quality of their music (vocals, arrangements, instrumentation, etc), but I really appreciate that just about everything they do would work well in a congregational-sing setting. This is really good, honest, rootsy church music.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Preparing for Sunday, 11/6/11! DON'T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK!
Hey folks,
The first way you can prepare for this Sunday morning is to remember to set your clocks back an hour Saturday night.
This Sunday morning we'll meet to sing together, pray together, listen to preaching together, all to remind one another and encourage one another, of the God who has called us out of darkness and given us life in His Son. Lets prepare to participate in all of these things, and serve one another too when we meet. Be praying for God to give you opportunities to encourage others with the joy of the Gospel, and for you to be encouraged and admonished as well. Lets not waste this Sunday morning.
Jordan will preach from 1 Samuel 28, when Saul goes behind enemy lines to meet with the Medium of En-dor (don't worry, no ewoks involved). Jordan will focus on repentance, and the need Saul shows in this book for actual repentance and godly sorrow over his sin, rather than continuing to bypass God and do things his own way. Let's read the passage ahead of time so we're ready to really engage on Sunday.
We'll sing the following songs, focusing on God's holiness, and His grace in drawing us near through Christ.
1. Indescribable
This song's 2nd chorus at the end includes a really important lyric. After talking about God's sovereign glory and power, seen in creation and His governing the universe, the song says, "You see the depths of my heart, and You love me the same." God, in His holiness, has reached out to draw His people near to Him, because He is full of love and grace. This is glorious truth.
2. How Can I Keep From Singing
If you read the post about last Sunday, you knew we were going to sing this one again. We introduced this song last week for the first time in Main Service. One clarification: the first verse says, "There is an endless song, echoes in soul/I hear the music sing." This seems a little disjointed, unless you connect it directly to the chorus, that says, "How can I keep from singing Your praise?/How can I ever say enough - how amazing is Your love!" These words are for a believer, get that: believer, who has a song of praise in his/her heart because they are born-again. There is a theology of worship in this song, that God has, through Christ, made His children worshipers of Him. We sing together because we're the redeemed people of God. This is a glorious song for someone who is a redeemed Christian.
3. Stronger
This song exults in the strength of our Savior. Christ is faithful to hold his sheep secure, even through trials, or as the song puts it, "through the storm, and through the fire."
4. It is Well
One of our best hymns of the church, this song continues the thought that, no matter what may befall us, God has fully paid for our sin on the cross. Whether God ordains blessing or trial for our lives, He remains faithful and good. The songs says, "My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought/My sin, not in part but in whole/Was nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more/Praise the Lord, O my soul!"
The first way you can prepare for this Sunday morning is to remember to set your clocks back an hour Saturday night.
This Sunday morning we'll meet to sing together, pray together, listen to preaching together, all to remind one another and encourage one another, of the God who has called us out of darkness and given us life in His Son. Lets prepare to participate in all of these things, and serve one another too when we meet. Be praying for God to give you opportunities to encourage others with the joy of the Gospel, and for you to be encouraged and admonished as well. Lets not waste this Sunday morning.
Jordan will preach from 1 Samuel 28, when Saul goes behind enemy lines to meet with the Medium of En-dor (don't worry, no ewoks involved). Jordan will focus on repentance, and the need Saul shows in this book for actual repentance and godly sorrow over his sin, rather than continuing to bypass God and do things his own way. Let's read the passage ahead of time so we're ready to really engage on Sunday.
We'll sing the following songs, focusing on God's holiness, and His grace in drawing us near through Christ.
1. Indescribable
This song's 2nd chorus at the end includes a really important lyric. After talking about God's sovereign glory and power, seen in creation and His governing the universe, the song says, "You see the depths of my heart, and You love me the same." God, in His holiness, has reached out to draw His people near to Him, because He is full of love and grace. This is glorious truth.
2. How Can I Keep From Singing
If you read the post about last Sunday, you knew we were going to sing this one again. We introduced this song last week for the first time in Main Service. One clarification: the first verse says, "There is an endless song, echoes in soul/I hear the music sing." This seems a little disjointed, unless you connect it directly to the chorus, that says, "How can I keep from singing Your praise?/How can I ever say enough - how amazing is Your love!" These words are for a believer, get that: believer, who has a song of praise in his/her heart because they are born-again. There is a theology of worship in this song, that God has, through Christ, made His children worshipers of Him. We sing together because we're the redeemed people of God. This is a glorious song for someone who is a redeemed Christian.
3. Stronger
This song exults in the strength of our Savior. Christ is faithful to hold his sheep secure, even through trials, or as the song puts it, "through the storm, and through the fire."
4. It is Well
One of our best hymns of the church, this song continues the thought that, no matter what may befall us, God has fully paid for our sin on the cross. Whether God ordains blessing or trial for our lives, He remains faithful and good. The songs says, "My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought/My sin, not in part but in whole/Was nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more/Praise the Lord, O my soul!"
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