Sermons Examining Corporate Worship

In preparation for the TBC Music Ministry Leadership Conference, I began a series of sermons that I've come to title "What Are We Doing Here? Examining Corporate Worship." So far, they have covered:

Why Your Congregation Should Have a Worship War (Every Sunday): The Indispensability of Corporate Worship

Bring the Book! The Primacy of Preaching in Corporate Worship

Singing Songs that Teach: The Role of Song in Corporate Worship

Teaching Songs that Teach: Teaching God's People How to Think and Sing

In the weeks to come, I plan to teach two additional sermons on the role of The Ordinances (Lord's Supper & Baptism) and the role of Public Scripture Reading & Public Prayer.

I've posted the manuscripts from my addresses at the conference. The audio from my sermons at church are also available. I've collected the links here.

TBC Music Ministry Leadership Conference

I'm praying for David as he teaches a session this week at the WorshipGod09 conference.

As he teaches, I'm finishing up preparations to teach at a conference next week. I'll be leading four breakout sessions for the "Senior Pastor and Worship Pastor Track" at the Tennessee Baptist Convention's Music Ministry Leadership Conference, August 13-14 in Brentwood. I'm excited to get to learn from speaker David King (pastor, Concord Baptist Church) and Keith and Kristyn Getty, not to mention getting to hear the Tennessee Ladies' Chorus and Tennessee Men's Chorale.

My four session titles are:

1) Why Your Congregation Should Have a Worship War (Every Sunday): The Indispensability of Corporate Worship
2) Bring the Book: The Primacy of Preaching in Corporate Worship
3) Singing Songs that Teach: The Role of Song in Corporate Worship
4) Teaching Songs that Teach: Teaching God's People How to Think and Sing

If you can attend, I'd love to meet you. I'd appreciate your prayers for myself and those who attend.

Update on our God’s Attributes Project

If you follow our blog, you know that last week Eric and I carved out some time to work on our Hymns on God's Attributes project. We had a very enjoyable time together catching up with our lives and ministries. Both of us were tempted to postpone the trip because of the number of responsibilities on our plates right now, but we decided to persevere and trust the Lord, asking Him to help us manage our anxieties by casting them on Him. We're glad we decided to stick with it, for we not only enjoyed spending many hours plumbing the depths of God's character and how it was revealed at Calvary and works its ways into our lives, but we also had a productive time. We finished (that's a relative term) 12 stanzas, or 4 hymns. I thought you might be encouraged to read one of the texts. Remember, this is to the tune of "A Mighty Fortress"

The Lord is Holy
The Lord is holy, free from sin, unmatched in all his glory.
Before His throne angelic ones cry "Holy, Holy, Holy."
His holiness does fill His being, works, and will.
No eye can fully see His

...

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Happy Birthday, John Newton!

Thanks to JT for reminding us that today is John Newton's birthday.

Here are a couple sermons that David and I preached through Newton texts:

A Sermon on the Hymn “Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder” (David)

Amazing Grace: Faith's Review and Expectation (Eric)

Working Retreat: Hymns on God’s Attributes

I just wanted to let you know that Eric and I are going to be working on this project for the next couple of days. Please pray for safe travel, an enjoyable time of fellowship together, and for productivity with our writing. We are really excited about this project as we feel that is needed and timely.

Here's a snippit from the original project post:
Project: Hymns on God’s Attributes
Description: A series of hymn stanzas, set to a popular and well-known tune, that teach on each attribute of God, show us how it relates to the gospel, and includes personal applications.

A Sermon on “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

The audio from my July 5 sermon on Psalm 46 and Luther's hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" is now available as a download.

It is titled "A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Resting in the Presence and Promise of Christ."

A Sermon on the Hymn “Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder”

I had the privilege of preaching this sermon to my local church family on Sunday, July 5th, 2009

Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder: The Proper Response to the Gospel

Selected Scriptures
Do you ever notice the tiny little font that runs across the top of our worship songs? That’s the place where we put author and credit information. It’s purposefully small so as not to detract from the lyrics which we are seeking to engage with as we sing. It’s also small to fight the tendency to exalt songwriters or authors for the gifts they have used in giving us tools to move our hearts and minds towards God. This morning I’m going to go against that trend and make the tiny font of our last hymn huge by spending an entire sermon telling you about the hymn’s author and how it instructs and encourages us in worship. Why would I spend time telling you about the life of a Christian and pointing out the Biblical truths that are present in His song?

Because we are commanded to teach one another through our songs and to sing with understanding. Our muzak and iPod connected lives are...

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John Newton on Writing Hymns

In preparation for a sermon this Sunday I came across this wonderful little piece of advice by my favorite hymn-writer, John Newton. This comes from the preface to his collection of hymns, Olney Hymns.

There is a style and manner suited to the composition of hymns, which may be more successfully, or at least more easily attained by a versifier than by a poet. They should be hymns, not odes, if designed for public worship, and for the use of plain people. Perspicuity (clarity), simplicity, and ease, should be chiefly attended to.

I wholeheartedly agree with Newton. The most successful hymns have just enough poetry to satisfy the artistic sensibilities of those inclined to notice such devices, but no so much that the average, unlearned person would have a difficult time understanding the meaning. Newton could at times be justly condemned for oversimplification, even very bad poetry (or versification), especially when compared to his co-writer William Cowper, a poet par-excellence.

A Sermon on “And Can It Be”

My latest sermon from our hymn memory project is available on-line now:

And Can It Be: Wondering at Free Grace

The Pitfalls of Family Worship

The
      Precedent
      Priority
      Practice
      Pitfalls
of Family Worship

Family Worship is a Discipline
In the book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Don Whitney, the author spends the first chapter exploring the nature of discipline and reiterates the Biblical call to “discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.” (1 Tim 4:7) In an age when many of us (especially my generation) have not been raised in a disciplined home or had a disciplined lifestyle instilled in us, discipline in any area can be challenging, whether it is finances, home maintenance, or spiritual disciplines like private worship. Family worship is like private worship: if we aren’t convinced of its value and don’t plan for it to happen, chances are it won’t happen very often. Until you form a habit and your time begins to feel like a natural part of family life, meeting together for worship may be difficult. You may be easily distracted by the urgent needs of the day that you are “neglecting” by taking time for family worship. Your children may have a hard time sitting still and may...

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