Spirit and Truth

Glorious

2011-03-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Glorious

Written by: Paul Balouche and Benton Brown

CCLI Song No. 5548521 CCLI Song No. 5548521

Lyrics

Look inside the myst'ry - see the empty cross

See the risen Savior victorious and strong

No one else above Him - none as strong to save

He alone has conquered - the power of the grave

Glorious, My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord

Glorious, He stands above the rulers of the earth

Glorious, glorious - Lord You are glorious

Look beyond the tombstone - see the living God

See the resurrected; ruler of my heart

No one else above Him - none to match His worth

The hope of His returning fills the universe

Devotional Scripture:

*Scipture payers from Kenneth Boa, Handbook to Prayer: Praying Scripture Back to God (Atlanta: Trinity House, 1997).

“My attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5–8).*

“You are worthy to take the scroll

And to open its seals,

Because You were slain,

And with Your blood You purchased men for God

From every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

And they will reign on the earth (Revelation 5:9–10).*

“There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:6-7).

Devotional Prayer:

You are the resurrected Savior; strong and victorious. You stand above the rulers of the earth and we wait in the hope of Your returning. You are glorious!

Revelation 9 "Still Complacent?"

2011-03-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

After reading chapter nine of Revelation, I was struck by the people who did not respond to God. Even after all that had happened and seeing his judgment all around them, they continued to worship the idols they have made. But before I could accuse any further God reminded humbly approach these words. How many times did I feel his call to move or change an action and yet I did not respond. I continued to honor something else over him.

The first song that came to mind was “God of Justice”. It is a song that still challenges me to live out the words I am singing. To turn to what Micah 6:8 calls us to do; justice, love mercy and walk humbly.

Revelation is a book that forces you to consider your humility before and all powerful God and this verse reminds us that is not the words that honor God it is the action.

“He has shown all you people what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)

God of Our Fathers

2010-06-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

BLESSED ASSURANCE/TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Jesus is my story and my song was Fanny Crosby’s devotional prayer in this song. She is America’s most prolific hymn writer penning over 8,000 hymns. She would say about her blindness, “Darkness may throw a shadow over my outer vision, but there is no cloud that can keep the sunlight of hope from a trustful soul”. Her hymns became well known through the American Evangelist D.L. Moody crusades. Then they were reintroduced during Billy Graham crusades. This next song, “To God Be the Glory” was written in 1872.

GOD OF JUSTICE
We have been given much as Americans for a reason, so that we can give and be in a position for God to use us.

RAISE UP THE CROWN
It is only through the power of Jesus that we can love others. It is only his work on the cross that can bring freedom and justice to all.

GOD OF OUR FATHERS
We are thankful for the freedom that we have to choose to worship God. We are blessed to be free from oppression and thankful for the courage of those who gave their all to protect this freedom.
“God of Our Fathers” is a song written by a pastor of a small church in 1876. It was written to commemorate the one-hundredth birthday of the Declaration of Independence. In this prayer we are reminded that God is an almighty God and is in charge of nations. This trust in God alone is echoed through the prophet Daniel, "The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17).
Let your prayer during this time of offering be one of thankfulness to God and that we would demonstrate His love and grace to others.

Impulse of Thy Love

2010-06-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

The key verse that drew me into the text this week was in verse 12, “Live such good lives among pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us”. How can our actions demonstrate the gospel? Would there be evidence of God’s presence in my life? This line from Take My Life, written in 1874 prays this way, “Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love”. Before we strive to simply not do bad things, we need to realize that it is God’s love in us that transforms us. It is Christ’ s love in us that leads us to love others, we are simply following his impulse.

Reflections

2010-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Songs;
Beautiful One
Blessed Be Your Name
Never Let Go
Our Great God
Father Let Me Dedicate

Do we trust God through tough times?

During Beautiful One we prayed that we would not become too familiar with God. That He would open our eyes to see how wonderful He is and that our hearts would be "captured" with the love He has for us. It is an everlasting love and He is a faithful God.

God is in the dark times and tough circumstance can bring a stronger and more real faith. Sometimes we have to experience His faithfulness in order to grow. Jesus is the "Living Hope". This week lets fix our eyes on him, "the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). Our hope can be secure, lets not put our hope in anything else.

Throughout the songs I was reflecting on the familiar passage from Psalms which promises His presence in our dark times.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:1-4).

May His presence restore your soul this week.

Glorious One

2010-01-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

by Steve Fee

We praise God's glory and the wonder of his greatness in this song. He is great and yet intimate with us as our Healer and Redeemer. My favorite line so far in this song is, "You hold the universe and still you run to the broken". I think this song connects well with our need as a church to see God as great, but also be more aware of his presence among us and in our lives. His love for us is demonstrated in the sacrifice of Christ, he desires a relationship with us. That is something to sing about.

Lyrics...
Our hands are lifted high, our hearts are bowing in reverence
And we're surrounded by the glory of Your presence
With ev'ry creature ev'ry tongue, we're lifting our voice to the Glorious One

Glorious One, Glorious One
Light of the world, You outshine the sun
King of all kings, eternity sings - Glorious One

Oh God of infinite worth with hands that carved out the ocean
You hold the universe and still You run to the broken
With ev'ry heart that's been redeemed we're lifting our songs to the Glorious King

There is none more beautiful...none more wonderful - Glorious One

Scripture Prayer...
Since I am receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, may I be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for my God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)

My Savior My God

2009-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

lyrics by Dorothy Greenwell in “Songs of Salvation”, 1873.
New music and chorus by Aaron Shust.

“I am not skilled to understand what God has willed what God has planned
I only know at his right hand, stands one who is my Savior

I take him at his word and deed; Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find the need for Him to be my Savior

Yes, living, dying, let me bring; my strength, my solace from this Spring
That he who lives to be my King; once died to be my Savior

That he would leave his place on high; and come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I; before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Savior’s always there for me
My God he was, my God he is; my God he’s always gonna be”
_____________________________________________
From the lyrics of this beautiful hymn, the author was struck by the honesty of them. He desired to bring it back to his church, so he took the time to translate the music and write a new chorus that would communicate how our King is also our Savior.

The people who sat at the feet of Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount felt the same way as the religious leaders made it impossible for them to understand how to have a relationship with God. They were the outcaste of the religious society, but Jesus comforts them and calls them blessed.

For us today it is the same principle, we are unified in our humble need for a Savior. May we never forget that and in the words from the author of Amazing Grace John Newton, there are only two things we need to know, that we are great sinners but he is a great Savior.

For Your Glory

2009-11-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

Written by Matt Maher
Devotional Themes: In every season of life seek God’s face,
Trust Him through Trails, and demonstrating Christ’s love.

Why we sing this song...
This song comes right out of our study in Ecclesiastes especially chapter two. We are called to seek God’s face in all the seasons of life - that is why worship is called a sacrifice of praise sometimes. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name”(Heb 13:15). The bridge reminds us that Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit and as a response we love and serve others.

Verse 1
There is a time to live; there is a time to die
There is a time to laugh; there is a time to cry
There is a time to dance; a time for joy's embrace
And in all seasons God, we humbly seek Your face

Verse 2
There is a time to sow; there is a time to reap
A time for victory; a time to claim defeat
A time to be renewed; a time to be reborn
And in all seasons God, we bow before Your throne

Chorus
This is our offering to You - this is our offering
Ev'rything I am is for Your glory; ev'rything I am for You Lord

BRIDGE
The earth stands still without You
We could only move because You made us to
The world is nothing without You
We could only love because You made us to

Summer Blast Kids Songs

2009-07-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved singing with the kids this last week and I was blown away by the songs and response from the kids. God indeed was glorified as we came together each morning and worshiped him. Thank you Lyndsey for letting me apart of the team (and for the dance moves). Here were some of my favorite lines to sing with the kids;

"King of Majesty I have one desire, just to be with You my Lord/ Jesus You are the Savior of my soul and forever and ever I'll give my praises to You"
"Oh I believe the King of heaven died for me...Jesus loves me..."
"Oh Lord anything You want from me I'll give it - I'll fie it 'cause I know I'll find all I need in You...Lord I will lean on You"
"Tell the world that Jesus lives... Tell the world that He died for them...He lives again"

These are words that the kids will not forget and will take root in their hearts as they learn about what a relationship with Christ about. I am blessed to be a part of what God is already doing in the lives of these kids. Please pray with me, Lyndsey and the whole team that God would draw these kids to His heart.

Sunday Reflections

2009-06-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Songs we sang this week.

O Praise Him - Crowder
Mighty to Save - Feilding and Morgan
Jesus Paid it All - Hall and Nifong
O Sacred King - Redman

Reflections
In an effort to take notice of the Spirit's work among us when we gather, I wanted to jot down some notes that I wrote down during our worship time together (By the way, when I say 'worship time' I mean the whole service). I was caught up in the phrase "Author of Salvation" which was a line in the song "Mighty to Save". It was a phrase that stood out to me while I practiced the song and when we sang it together I was overwhelmed by God's message that he is mighty to save because he is the creator of salvation. Scott went on to talk about what was distinguishable about God and what was beautiful about him and it was that he is the mighty judge who made salvation possible...He is the Author of Salvation, the pioneer. Praise God for revealing these truths this week and I hope that it is an encouragement for your week and as you pray for your Oikos.

Please respond with comments about what you noticed the Spirit doing Sunday in our midst. You can leave a comment below or send me an email and I will post it for you. jrnall@fbcsd.com

Blessed Be Your Name

2009-03-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

As you prepare for our time together Sunday morning, here are some thoughts and scripture to pray through. Be expectant for God to move in You and in us as a family.

O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing        (Wesley)
We thank You for Your love, give us the courage and strength to demonstrate and announce it to others.

“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”
(Psalm 103: 1-4)
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).
Indescribable        (Laura Story)
Lord we are in awe of You, and of Your creation. Thank You for choosing to love us.

"All Your works will praise you, O Lord, and Your saints will bless You. They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations" (Psalm 145:10-13). 
Blessed Be Your Name         (Redman)
Sometimes I don’t feel like worshipping You Father because of the circumstances of life, help me to call You Lord even when the darkness closes in.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

For Your Glory         (Maher)
In all of the seasons teach me to seek Your face and submit to Your Sovereignty.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1).
“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future” (Ecc. 7:14)

We Give You Glory

2009-03-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a new song that we are introducing with some themes and scripture.

We Give You Glory
by Jeremy Camp on the album "Beyond Measure"
Devotional Themes: God's Glory and greatness, He is worthy of our Praise, Hope and trust in God's sovereignty alone.

Verse 1
We have raised a thousand voices just to lift Your Holy Name
And we will raise thousands more to sing of Your Beauty in this place
Oh none can even fathom no not one define Your Worth
As we marvel in Your Presence to the ends of the earth
Verse 2
As we fall down before You with our willing hearts we seek
In the greatness of Your Glory it's so hard to even speak
There is nothing we can offer no nothing can repay
So we give You all our praises and lift our voices to sing
Chorus
We give You glory
Lifting up our hands and singing holy - You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your Heart Lord (touch Your Heart)
Glory lifting up our voice and singing holy - You alone are worthy
We just want to touch Your Heart Lord (touch Your Heart)
BRIDGE
Our hope is found in You
Our faith has been renewed
We trust in Your ev'ry Word
Nothing else can even measure up to You

©2006, Thirsty Moon River Publishing CCLI #155583

Why We Sing this Sing
This is definitely a "family song" that reminds us when we get together that He is worthy of our praise and nothing else can compare with Him. In this song we can corporately declare that we put our hope in Him. We are reminded about God's presence being among and that we are to come before God in humility.

Verses found in this song
Isaiah 24:14-16, “They raise their voices, they shout for Joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name o the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing; ‘Glory to the Righteous One’”

The first verse tells us about the indescribable greatness of God (Dt. 3:24; 5:24; 32:1-3; Isa 64:4; 1 Cor. 2:9) and realizing His presence among us when we gather together (Matt. 18:20; Phil. 3:15; Heb. 10:25)
The second verse reminds us to be humble in His presence (Is 61-6; Ecc. 5:1-2)
The chorus highlights two worship responses raising hands and voices. Lifting our hands is both a sign of humility and surrender to God (Ps. 141:2; 1 Tim. 2:8).

To God Be the Glory

2009-02-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

I love singing songs from Fanny Crosby, because she worshiped God in every area of her life. She was a blind woman living in the 1800s and wrote over 8,000 hymns, but what is more encouraging to me is her devotional life. She wrote a song for everything, even to the point when her neighbors would come to her when they needed a song for an event. Talk about loving your relational world (Oikos). Her songs are filled with personal testimony thanking God for what he has done for her and praising His name. How often do I praise God throughout the day? How often do we notice God in our day?

Pray through these scriptures in preparation for worship this week

Romans 15:5-6
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 29:2
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Galatians 1:3-5
Grace and peace to you form God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:21
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In our response song this week we are going to sing the famous song It is Well by Horatio Spafford.

Horatio’s story is a sad one. He lost his family as the boat sank coming from England to America. He wrote this lyric when he passed over that place in the ocean, “When sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul”. The story that we don’t see is how he dealt with this grief, but what we do know is at the end of the anger, frustration and sadness he placed His hope firmly in Christ. Lets remember from last week that “when times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made one as well as the other” (Ecc. 7:14a). He does not promise us a life of prosperity, but he promises us His presence in adversity. Worship for Horatio meant taking all of his emotion before God.

2009-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

Devotional Scripture

"Praise the Lord! Praise God in His Sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

Praise Him for His acts of power;

Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.

Praise Him with the sounding trumpet;

Praise Him with the harp and lyre.

Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing;

Praise Him with the stringed instruments and flutes.

Praise Him with the clash of cymbals,

Praise Him with the resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

(Psalm 150:1-6)

Lord, we pray that we will come Sunday ready to celebrate Your greatness and may You be glorified in our hearts.

Lyrical Prayers

Blessed be Your name

In the land that is plentiful; where the streams of abundance flow.

Blessed be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place; though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shinning down on me; when the world's all as it should be.

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering; though there is pain in the offering.

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise

And when the darkness closes in still I will say blessed be Your name

You give and take away;

My heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name.

(Redman, Blessed Be Your Name)

Father let me dedicate all this life to you in whatever worldly state Thou would have me be. Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim.

This alone shall be my prayer, glorify Thy name.

Can a child presume to choose where or how to live?

Can a Father's love refuse all the best to give?

Let my glad heart while it sings, Thee in all proclaim

And whatever future brings glorify Thy name.

(Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864)

Response

Ecclesiates 7:14

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about the future."

Both prosperity and adversity come from a Sovereign God. That is a hard concept and the lyrics this week are challenging. How can I train my heart to sing "blessed be Your name" when times are bad? Do I really trust God with my future even if that means it may not be comfortable? I think the important thing is to remember that we are in an intimate relationship with the Father and to bring our honest worries to him. That relationship is worship. We bring glory to Him when we come to Him first with our concerns.

God be glorified in us as we learn to put you first in our hearts and trust You for our future.

Phil. 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Be Our Vision

2009-02-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Devotional Scripture

Psalm 8
1 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!
       You have set your glory
       above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants         you have ordained praise        because of your enemies,         to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,         the work of your fingers,         the moon and the stars,         which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,         the son of man that you care for him?

Isaiah 6
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
       "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
       the whole earth is full of his glory."

Praying through the Lyrics

Be Thou my vision O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me save that Thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance now and always (through all my days)
Thou and Thou only the first in my heart
High King of heaven my treasure Thou art
(Be Thou My Vision; Irish Poem, 700)

See from His head His hands His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul my life my all
(When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Isaacs Watts, 1707)

Response

The lyrics from “Be Thou My Vision” written so long ago tells of a heart that is fully devoted to Christ. The author, like the author of Ecclesiastes, understands that he cannot find meaning in riches or the praise of others. These things can become our identity and we can place our hope in them, but we are called to find our identity in the cross of Christ and He is our hope of glory.

What things do I put my hope in?
What does it mean to find my identity in Christ?

Philippians 1:20-21
20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Colossians 1:27
27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

O Worship the King

2009-02-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Scripture that we are singing...
This week as we prepare our hearts for worship Sunday, I thought it would be good if I simply wrote the scripture that we are singing this week. In your worship time this weekend, pray through these scriptures. On Sunday morning we can proclaim together that God is the Defender, Redeemer, Shield, Ancient of Days and Friend.

Everlasting God - Brown
Isaiah 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

O Worship the King - Robert Grant (1778-1838) Tomlin
Psalm 104
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

King of Glory - Tomlin
Psalm 24:7-15 (New International Version)
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.         Selah

God of this City - McCann
This is a response song where we as a church can agree that our great God is active and has a plan for the University City area. The love of Christ that we have declared together should be demonstrated and announced to those God has brought in our relational world (our Oikos). This is our spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Morning Worship Thoughts

2009-02-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

This week we introduced a new/old song, "O Worship the King" which is a great model for why we worship. It was written by Robert Grant in the early 1800's and comes from Psalm 104.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in the light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent." (vv.1-2)

The hymn uses great names of God; King, Ancient of Days, Shield, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. It also uses great imagery found in the Psalm as well. The first verse reminds us of God’s glory, power and love. It uses phrases like “Pavilioned in splendor” which our modern translation would say clothed in splendor, and in verse 2 it describes His robe as the light and canopy space. In the final verse, the hymn uses the word "ineffable" which means, "too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words". That is a great attitude of worship, when you run out of words in trying to describe who God is.

Personally, I love how this starts out with the Psalmist telling his soul to praise God. Often times we get caught up in doing life and we forget to praise God. This is why Paul instructs us encourage each other with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). This is true for us because songs can remind us of the characteristics of God and even teach us what it means to live in communion with Him.

Chorus 1
You alone are the matchless King
To You alone be all majesty
Your glories and wonders
What tongue can recite
You breathe in the air
You shine in the light

Verse 1
O worship the King all glorious above
O gratefully sing His wonderful love
Our Shield and Defender the Ancient of Days
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise

Verse 2
O tell of His might O sing of His grace
Whose robe is the light and canopy space
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm

Verse 3
O measureless might ineffable love
While angels delight to worship above
Thy mercies how tender how firm to the end
Our Maker Defender Redeemer and Friend

Finding Hope

2009-01-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

Sunday’s Set List

Hosanna - Balouche
Forever - Tomlin
Never Let Go - Redman
Jesus Messiah - Tomlin
Hungry - Scott

Text Ecc. 3:1-15

When you read through the text a song may come to mind...“To everything, turn, turn, turn/ There is a season, turn, turn, turn” The passage is a commentary on life. How there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven (3:1). At the end of the passage the conclusion is that God is in control of time. I love verse 11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time...”. That includes us. God is always at work in us and it is often in the hard times that He makes us beautiful. One of my favorite lines from the songs comes from Jesus Messiah, “All our hope is in you...All glory to you, the Light of the World”. This reminds me that Jesus was the plan from the beginning. That if we place our hope in anything else, life becomes meaningless. We find our meaning in Christ.

Christmas Sunday

2008-12-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

This Sunday we may see a lot of new faces and I am excited to welcome them all to our church. One of the main things that I wanted to communicate this Sunday was the greatness of God. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because through him we are made right with God. We sing carols about this excitement and joy of his birth; Joy to the World, or the, “thrill of hope the weary world rejoices” from O Holy Night. This excitement is real, because our great God provided the long expected King, Jesus. God’s plan did not stop at His birth, How Great Thou Art, tells the purpose of His birth;

        “And when I think that God His son not sparing
        Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
        And on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
        He bled and died to take away my sin
        Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, how great Thou art”

Jesus is the Messiah sent by God, he is the “rescue for sinners” and the “light of the world”; He is what all the excitement is about. It is important for us to not forget about the cross during this Christmas season. Our response is to bring an offering of worship similar to the wise men’s gift or the bowed Shepherds.

Songs for Sunday...
O Come All Ye Faithful / Oakeley, C. Frederick | Wade, John Francis
How Great Thou Art / Hine
Jesus Messiah / Tomlin, Chris | Carson, Daniel | Reeves, Jesse | Cash, Ed
O Holy Night / Kipley, Pete | Millard, Bart | Dwight, John S. | Adam, Adolphe
Christmas Offering / Paul Balouche

Sunday Flow

2008-11-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing / Wesley, Crowder

        A great song that Charles Wesley wrote in honor of the day he surrendered to Christ.

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us / Stuart Townsend

        This song tells God’s story of salvation and asks the question why we a sinner should benefit from the victory of Christ’s resurrection. Paul writes a song in the book of Philippines that emphasizes this sacrifice.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,       did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,   but made himself nothing,        taking the very nature of a servant,        being made in human likeness.   And being found in appearance as a man,        he humbled himself        and became obedient to death—           even death on a cross!   Therefore God exalted him to the highest place        and gave him the name that is above every name,   that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,        in heaven and on earth and under the earth,   and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,        to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:6-11.
Jesus Messiah / Tomlin
        This song is clear about the identity of Christ and what His sacrifice means for us. In the last part of the Philippines passage we see the power of Jesus’ name and that all will worship Him. His name is above all names, he is the Messiah.
God of Justice / Hughes
        Worship is a verb not a noun and this song prays that God will keep us from just singing and move us into action.
Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Redemption and Righteousness

2008-10-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Set List
Happy Day / Hughes
Hosanna / Fraser
God of this City / McCann, Tomlin
Nothing But Your Blood / Redman

Thoughts
I love “Happy Day” it is a great song of celebration of the risen Jesus. We do not have to wait for Easter to express the joy of our salvation. My favorite line is “I’ll never be the same, forever I am changed”. When we experience the grace of God, we are changed and our life is about being conformed into the image of Christ.
“Hosanna” we introduced last week and I hope that we can make it our own, because our church’s heart is to serve. The process of our heart being broken for the things that break his heart should be our continuous prayer as a church. This connects very well with the theme of “God of Justice”. After our hearts are broken for others, we have to believe that God has the strength to help and to heal.
“Nothing But the Blood” which speaks about how we can approach God with confidence because of the price that was payed by Jesus’ sacrifice.

Key Verse;
Hebrews 10:19-23
“Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter into the Most Holy Pace by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and have our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hosanna

2008-10-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Everlasting God / Brown
Hosanna / Fraser
You Are the One / Brewster
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
In Christ Alone / Getty

The focus this week in the songs is the firm foundation of Christ. Some great words come out of “In Christ Alone” about the characteristics of this foundation.

1 Corinthians 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Hosanna is a new song for us and it came highly recommended by some of my fellow worship leaders. Hosanna means come save now, which brings a lot of meaning to the verses. The line that is constantly on my heart with this song is, “Break my heart for what breaks yours.” There are always certain words that we walk away with in songs and can be used by God to challenge our perspective of Him or our actions towards others.

This is the essence of what it means to have a lifestyle of worship; these words can be used to develop devotional habits throughout the week.

Worship Progression

2008-10-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

This Sundays songs and thoughts...

Beautiful One
        Praising Jesus for His Majesty, and thanking Him for His beautiful sacrifice.
        Favorite line this morning, “My Soul must sing”

King of Glory
        Jesus in the King of Glory, strong and mighty.
        Favorite line, “Let the Redeemed declare the love” For our church that translates as demonstrating and announcing the love of God, through Jesus, to our Oikos or relational world.
Verse Reference...Psalms 24:7-10
     Lift up your heads, O gates!
      And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
      that the King of glory may come in.
     Who is this King of glory?
      The Lord, strong and mighty,
      the Lord, mighty in battle!
     Lift up your heads, O gates!
      And lift them up, O ancient doors,
      that the King of glory may come in.
     Who is this King of glory?
      The Lord of hosts,
      he is the King of glory!

God of Justice
        Matt. 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Some of you may not know that our church is 140 years old and historically our motto has been this verse- “ not to be ministered unto, but to minister.”
This song talks about the actions Jesus did and encourages us to act.

Worship Reflections

2008-09-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

Set List...
O, For A Thousand Tongues to Sing / Charles Wesley (1739) arr, by David Crowder
How Marvelous (My Savior’s Love) / Charles H. Gabriel (1905) arr. by Tomlin
Father Let me Dedicate (Be Glorified) / Lawrence Tuttiett, Redman
God of This City / McCann, Tomlin

Lifestyle of worship
This week we began First John, a book that looks at some divisions in the Church as well as attributes of Christ and how to love. Looking at 1:1-4, Scott talked about how our joy should be rooted in our fellowship with Jesus and with each other. He cross referenced this passage to one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, John 15. Here we are called to ‘remain in (Jesus) as He remains in us’ or using an older word ‘abide’. Simply put it means to remain as one. This is the transformational process of becoming like Christ. It is what some call a lifestyle of worship. Daily as we strive to obey and develop the character of Christ we are in worship. Music then is simply a tool to encourage this development or come together and celebrate it!

Set List and Thoughts

2008-09-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

How Great Thou Art / K. Hine, Paul Balouche
“That on the cross my burden gladly bearing...”
God’s greatness is demonstrated through his Son’s death.

Scripture Reading Phil 4:5-11
“your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the very nature of God,
        did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
        taking the very nature of a servant,
        being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
        he humbled himself
        and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
        and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
        to the glory of God the Father.”

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) / John Newton, Tomlin
“But God who called me here below will be forever mine.”
The direction of our focus should be on suffering with the world not escaping from it.

God of this City / Aaron Boyd
“Greater things are yet to come
Greater things are still to be done in this City”
The challenge is do we truly believe that, are we ministering to our Oikos with expectancy.

Communion
When I survey the Wondrous Cross / Isaac Watts, Kathryn Scott