Posted September 12th, 2006
This song beautifully illustrates the great exchange of the cross. Because of the work Jesus did on the cross in satisfying the wrath of God on our behalf, we bring all that we have done, including the things we thought were good ("so-called righteousness"), to exchange them for the merits of the Son, Jesus. Yet the believer desires to bring even more than simply his dead works to the Lord. We desire to bring the glory we once took in our works and nail it to the cross. What can the response be to such a great exchange – our filthy works for Jesus' righteous works? The declaration that by faith we will cease the labors of our own righteousness, stop trying to earn favor with God, and rest in the work of Christ for us.
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Posted August 24th, 2006
This text is very heaven-focused. Not from the standpoint that it attempts a description of heaven, but more that it expresses the longing in each believer's heart for the day when our burdens will be lifted and we will be fully free to praise! The verses each give a different look at how heaven will be a relief to the believer - spanning the freedom from flesh to the rest we will have from trials. The final two lines leave us with a simple, but beautiful vision of the glorious transition we will experience one day. As believers, we are wise to keep our eternal destination ahead of us as a reminder that this world is not our home, and that our longing and expectation for home can bring us hope in any circumstance.
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Posted August 19th, 2006
Christ deserves praise from every creature and every aspect of creation. This popular Isaac Watts text paints beautiful pictures of the effect Christ's reign has on all He has made and their response to Him. As a church, we need to speak of the greatness of Christ in ways that spark our imagination. To sing about the "early blessings" that infants cry out to Him gives us a shifted perspective on the cry of a newborn. Watts obviously looked for ways that God is praised in the every day life he saw around him, and as worshippers of the living and omnipresent God, we are encouraged by this hymn to see and hear His praise happening all around us.
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Posted August 8th, 2006
Historically, church covenants have held an important place in church life. A church covenant educates new members in the responsibilities of church membership and clarifies modern misconceptions about what membership means. A recited church covenant reminds members of their scriptural obligations to one another in the body of Christ. A signed church covenant is powerful tool in church discipline. It aides in addressing back-slidden and wayard members, as well as warning those who are tempted to follow. Used rightly, a church covenant is a great tool for encouraging and protecting the health of a local body of believers.
Kevin Larson approached Eric Schumacher with the idea of writing a church covenant that could be set to music and be sung congregationally. Music has always been recognized as a powerful aid in memorization. A sung church covenant would etch into the minds of a church's members their obligations and commitments to one another. Eric produced this text, basing it on the church covenant of Kevin, Eric, and David's churches, a historic Baptist church covenant made popular by nine marks ministries. The timeless nature of David's tune will allow this covenant to be used and enjoyed across generations and for years to come.
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Posted June 12th, 2006
How bitter-sweet this mystery:
Christ Jesus crucified
Yet, He is not the guilty one;
No sin, though still He dies.
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Posted June 12th, 2006
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
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Posted June 12th, 2006
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
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Posted June 12th, 2006
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
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Posted June 12th, 2006
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
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Posted June 12th, 2006
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
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