Preparing for Sunday, 11/13/11!

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!