Great Is Thy Faithfulness
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.
Thoughts on Leading Worship
I wrote up a very quick and very rough draft of a document on leading worship to share with a worship leader who will be leading in my absence in a few weeks. What do you think of the following excerpt?
The role of worship leader at Redeemer is extremely important. His task can be summarized as aiding the Holy Spirit in putting Jesus on display in the thoughts and affections of His people. The fact that God would even allow men to be used in this way should deeply humble and amaze his soul. This is done by example (both in how worship leadership is executed and in his life outside of worship), and by spoken word through exhortations and prayers. He should strive to maintain an atmosphere of comfort and security during the worship service and should strive to avoid at all costs the awkward feeling of not knowing what is coming next or being unsure of what to do or say next. This awkwardness tends to pull our attention away from the Savior and onto people....
How the worship leader aids the Spirit
First, the worship leader aids the Spirit by example
Christian Radio Jewel
I heard a quote from a Christian radio announcer this morning (one of those positive, uplifting music stations…) that I just had to share. After a song came on about God being there for us during the storms of our lives, she said something like (I'm horrible at remembering conversations, but hopefully this is close) "isn't it great that we can listen to songs like this that really lift us up when we are in the midst of life's storms. It's not about us, it's about these songwriters. They have truly been anointed by God…"
As a songwriter, I was horrified by this remark. Being comforted by God's faithfulness and loving care for us is not about anyone, especially the songwriters (who are particularly prone to taking pride in their craft, I know from experience!). It's not about us, it's about God.
Re: Grace Gathering, 5/21/06 (David)
Kevin,
Thanks for posting your service orders. I hope that it will help readers think critically about how they plan their own services. One way in which we differ in our planning is how you structure your service into groups or functions. For example, you give each song or group of songs a section heading like "Songs of Meditation." While I might have the function of songs in mind when I plan, I like to leave this out b/c service items can fulfill multiple functions, which can change based on how the Spirit is moving on our hearts and minds as the service goes along. Another reason I don't add functions to items is that my people don't have a service order. We use the overhead projector and most people seem to feel comfortable just following along. We do make a music/lyric booklet available for those that want it, so those that need that sense of security that comes from knowing what's next can satisfy their desire.
The opening song is a great choice. It presents God's character and asks for help worshipping Him. I often use a great hymn that describes God...
Teaching Doctrine Through Song: David
Thanks for reminding us of the importance of what our songs are teaching. It's often said that songs can be more effective vehicles for truth-delivery than sermons! (We must not despise the fact that God has ordained preaching, not singing, as the means by which people are saved - see Romans 10) Your post reminded me of a chapter in a John Witvliet book called Worship Seeking Understanding titled "Soul Food for the People of God." In it, Witvliet compares the choice of songs for a congregation to our diets. Like the maxim "we are what we eat" he says "we are what we sing." Going even further, he says "What more soul-shaping force can we imagine than the songs we sing?"
He gives us seven dimensions of this metaphor:
Congregational song is a means of spiritual nourishment.
A great couple of quotes from this heading are "Consider the prominent spiritual disease of sentimentality: religious experience as candy-coated happiness and bliss. If we feed our souls a steady diet of musical candy, we will have little spiritual protein to sustain us." and "[Music] is more than a shell for the text. The music we sing...
Re: Key Worship Convictions of Grace Church (David)
Kevin,
Thanks for thinking so deeply about your church's approach to worship and identifying key goals. For many of these I can simply say "amen," and for the others I'll try to add something meaningful below.
Theological Richness: Songs should not only be doctrinally true, but theologically rich. Preference will be shown to modern hymns, and shallow, repetitive songs will be avoided.
I wouldn't write off shallow, repetitive songs completely. I occasionally use very simple songs (but don't repeat them too many times) particularly for those who can't fully grasp the complex theological ideas in the larger songs, like children or mentally slow adults.
Historical Connection: The great hymns of the faith should be sung, either with their original tunes or with modern revisions of them, allowing today’s worshippers to be connected to their brothers and sisters of the past and their depth of expression.
I completely agree that we need to connect our people to the past and give them a sense of the history of worship songs, particularly for congregations that haven't grown up with a hymn background. And I think it's important that they learn the original tunes to some of the best hymns.
Indigenous Style: The “feel” of worship...
Grace Gathering: 6.04.06
Grace Church of Columbia - Grace Gathering
Sunday, June 4th, 2006 10:00 am
Call to Worship
Isaiah 40:21-26
Opening Song
The Glories of Calvary Grace Church (Steve & Vikki Cook)
Confession of Sin/Assurance of Pardon
Silent Prayer of Confession
And Can It Be? (v. 4, read)
Song of Prayer
Lift Up Thy Bleeding Hand (Cecil Alexander, Andrew Osenga)
Confession of Our Common Faith
The Eternal Purposes of God (Bethlehem Elder Affirmation) God’s Eternal Purpose and Election
We believe that God, from all eternity, in order to display the full extent of His glory for the eternal and ever-increasing enjoyment of all who love Him, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His will, freely and unchangeably ordain and foreknow whatever comes to pass.
We believe that God upholds and governs all things – from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons – all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, ...
I’m Still Alive, If Only a Little Distracted
Hey brothers, I apologize for my failure to post for awhile. I've been a little distracted by some big changes. You know this, but our readers don't--On June 1, I officially began as pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My first Sunday preaching will be June 11 (this coming Sunday). I'd appreciate you prayers during this busy summer as I begin a new ministry, look to sell and buy a house, and as Jenny gives birth to our third child in August.
Teaching Doctrine Through Song
There was a heretic in church history who taught that Christ was a created being. He spread his error through song. The children would skip through the city streets singing, "There once was was when he was not."
I was reminded of the power of song to teach (and defend) right doctrine yesterday when I received this e-mail regarding my text, He is Altogether Lovely:
Mr. Schumacher,
I just wanted to encourage you to keep writing. Just the other day I was talking with 2 Morman missionary girls about the deity of Christ and how the person they call "Jesus Christ" is not at all the Jesus Christ of the Holy Scriptures . The words you penned (scripture shining through song) quickly came to mind and aided me as I proclaimed to them the deity of Christ. After a short conversation, they insisted that they could no longer stay and talk about this any longer as scripture clearly revealed Christ's deity. All that said, I just wanted to say thank you for your service to the kingdom.
Grace Gathering: 5/28/06
Grace Church of Columbia - Grace Gathering
Sunday, May 28th, 2006 10:00 am
Call to Worship
Psalm 96
Opening Song
And Can it Be? (Scott Roley/Charles Wesley)
Confession of Sin/Assurance of Pardon
Confession of Sin 2.2.68 from The Worship Sourcebook
Leader: God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
God's People: But we have defiled our hearts with idols of our own choosing, doubting thatGod will keep his Word and his promises. We continually compromise the truth by trying to find meaning and security in our jobs, our friends, our pleasures, our projects—but not in God.
Leader: Lord, please show us your mercy.
God's People: Lord, have mercy upon us in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
1 John 1:9
Songs of Worship
I Will Glory in My Redeemer (Steve & Vikki Cook)
Better is One Day (Matt Redman)
Confession of Our Common Faith
Westminster Shorter Catechism Q37 & 38
Leader: Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
God's People: A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united in Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.
Leader: Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
God's...
Reformed Praise is a music ministry dedicated to providing songs for corporate worship which are rich in theology, diverse in musical style, and centered on the gospel of grace, that our praise might be informed by Biblical truth.
Reformed Praise presents Martin Luther's setting of Psalm 130 in a fresh, reflective, piano-driven setting suitable for a wide range of worship music styles.
