Posted August 23rd, 2008
We never move past the need to meditate deeply on the suffering that Jesus endured for our sins. Without reflecting often on the unjust suffering of our glorious friend and king we can easily slide further and further into complacency and be unaffected by the magnitude of what took place at Calvary. The spotless Lamb of God died for us - unworthy, helpless sinners entrenched in our rebellion, intent on slaying Him and usurping His authority over us. The song begins by inviting all to come and behold Jesus dying on the cross that they might find the endless and abiding love of God. The chorus answers this invitation, declaring that we will indeed come and remember that mercy moved God to satisfy the demands of righteousness by sending His own Son to bear the punishment for our sins. In the second verse we cry with hymn-writer John Newton that the cross might continue to pierce our hearts as we remember that it was for our sins that Jesus suffered and died.
Continue reading...
Posted June 12th, 2008
The gospel, the good news of Jesus’ death for our sins and new life in Him, is sometimes regarded as a message that only unbelievers need to hear. When we preach about Jesus’ death for sinners only at “outreach” or “evangelistic” events or when we think to ourselves “I’ve heard this a hundred times… can’t we move on?” we demonstrate this kind of thinking. We tend to act as if Jesus’ death only has relevance in getting us in the doorway of the Christian faith. But scripture paints a much bigger picture than this. The gospel’s relevance stems from its inception in eternity past when God devised a plan to redeem people from the sin they would plunge themselves headlong into. The first verse of this song explores the themes of God’s sovereign plan of salvation and the death and resurrection of Jesus. The second verse remembers how the gospel arrived into our lives at conversion and goes on to remind us that even now we stand forgiven before God and do not need to get on God’s “good side” or get out from being on God’s “bad side.” Lastly, we rejoice in the fact that the gospel affords us our only true hope and comfort in death and will be the subject of our songs of worship for eternity as we sing the praises of the Lamb who was slain for our sin. May God’s glorious gospel of grace be sung and cherished in our lives and in our churches!
Continue reading...
Posted June 10th, 2008
O weary saint is a song written particularly for those facing despair at the prospect of their own death or upon the death of a loved one. We are convinced that death is one topic that Christians don’t sing enough about; not what lies beyond death – the glories of heaven – but death itself. Even though Christians have the assurance that death has been conquered and its sting removed (1 Corinthians 15:54-57), we still face physical death and the fears and sorrows that accompany it. This song allows us to confront our grief but offers the encouragement of how Christ can transform it into hope so that we do “not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) Notice that the song is written in a chiastic structure – the second verse is the crux through which the gloom and despair of the first verse are transformed into faith and hope of future promises. O believer, since you are in Christ you will rise again one day in soul and body to everlasting joy!
Continue reading...
Posted February 8th, 2007
The person and work of the Holy Spirit is often minimized or misunderstood in many reformed circles. While many of us may believe that the Holy Spirit is not giving the miraculous gifts of the New Testament to the church today, we must not live and worship as if the Holy Spirit is not at work in us in experientially. God calls us to joyful, Christ-centered worship, and without the Spirit we have no hope of replacing our empty, self-seeking loves with genuine affection for Jesus. The prayer “The Spirit’s Work” from the Valley of Vision (a book of puritan prayers) beautifully describes a biblical view of the ministry of the Spirit and how it relates to our affections and experience of the Christian life. Our chief prayer for the filling of the Spirit must not be that we would experience uncontrolled emotions or that He would give us spiritual gifts. Rather, our chief prayer to the Spirit must be that He would “direct us to the cross” and “put Jesus on display” that our worship would be cross-centered and not Spirit-centered.
Continue reading...
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.
Continue reading...
Posted March 14th, 2006
The best modern songs, whether they be for worship or part of pop culture, tell a story. The story at the heart of Christian worship is the gospel of Jesus and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). There Is No Greater Portrait is the first product of the new collaboration between songwriters Eric Schumacher and David Ward and reflects on the gospel story in a way that helps move us to thanksgiving and awe. In the first verse, we sing that remembering the sufferings of Jesus should move us to sorrow because it was our sins that caused Him to suffer so dearly. We then reflect on Jesus' ministry and final days and how they were culminated in His great act of obedience and love to His heavenly Father when He gave up His life on the cross. On the cross Jesus was displayed for all the world to see, only He was not worshiped as He deserved, but rather mocked and scorned by both His own people, the Jews, and the Romans. After pondering all of these things, we ask the Holy Spirit to be our salvation and apply these things to our hearts so that we can love Jesus more and more.
Continue reading...
Posted March 14th, 2005
This hymn was originally written by Horatius Bonar, who has been called the prince of the Scottish hymnwriters. In it we are reminded of how God invites us to bring our sins to Jesus not just initially when we come to Christ for justification, but repeatedly as we continue to become trapped in the guilt and shame of our remaining sin. The chorus was added with Revelation 3:19-20 in mind, an often-misquoted passage about God's invitation to believers to repent and return to Him. "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." Jesus is speaking to the church in Laodicea which had become "lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold" in thier deeds of righteousness. This song explores WHY we can bring our sins to Jesus, giving us peaceful trust that He is willing, able, and ready to forgive and restore sweet communion with Himself to us when we ask.
Continue reading...
Posted May 28th, 2004
The text of It's All of Grace is perhaps the strongest and deepest text that we have ever worked with. Watts is arguably the best hymn-writer of the western world, and these verses show his mastery of poetry and theology. Many of us that have a very strong conviction about God's sovereignty in salvation have struggled to feel the joy and tenderness in this choice. Watts takes us through the gospel story, beginning with confessing our sin, and moving through acknowledging that we are saved only by sovereign grace, in a way that is very touching. Of particular note is the second verse (which was borrowed from another Watts hymn in the same collection) - He "fixed our standing more secure than 'twas before we fell". We understand that to speak of the fact that since we have fallen and then been restored and are now secure in Christ, we have more hope and stability than before we (mankind) had fallen into sin. How amazing! Watts' conclusion is powerful as well - he refers to Ezekiel 37 about the Spirit breathing life into our dry bones, then reminds us of the certainty of appearing before our Father justified.
Continue reading...
Posted July 11th, 2003
One of the most precious songs to the Reformed Praise writers, this hymn, based on Psalm 130, was penned by Martin Luther himself. Luther was a Monk in the Roman church who diligently sought peace with God through his holy life. As he studied the Bible, he became confronted with the doctrine of justification and imputed righteousness and understood and accepted the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ alone, apart from the works of the Law.
Continue reading...
Posted July 9th, 2003
Every now and then we find songs about singing! In this beautiful hymn, John Stocker turns our attention to God's mercy. In the first verse, we remember that it is only by God's mercy that we escape the terrors of Hell and that it was because of and for mercy that Jesus gave himself on the cross for our sins. In verse two, we remember it is only God's mercy that can overcome the coldness of our heart. Verse three proclaims the blessed truth that God's mercy is freely available to all who come for it, while we conclude by singing that it is God's covenenat love that guarantees our ownership of His mercy. This hymn has also been made popular by the group Caedmon's Call, who wrote another tune for it with slightly different verses and lyrics.
Continue reading...
