This week, we begin our rehearsals before holding our first worship services in our new church building on September 12.
I’m also in the process of cleaning up our Order of Worship format to be more readable and helpful. More on that to come.
(Reading books like REWORK have done wonders in helping me as an editor. Superfluous words choke out meaning.)
Here is a doxology that I wrote a few years back based upon the Doxology to Martin Luther’s hymn “Savior of the Nations, Come”.
Praise to God the Father sing.
Praise to God the Son, our King.
Praise to God the Spirit be,
Ever and eternally.
Hymns II from Page CXVI drops today. To mark their new release, the band is offering a free download of their first album, Hymns, from April 27 to May 4.
I really liked the first album. The band has some great, creative arrangements of Come Thou Fount, In Christ Alone, My Jesus I Love Thee, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Nothing But the Blood, The Solid Rock, and Joy (I’ve Got the Joy along with It Is Well with My Soul). (Did I mention that you can download it free for the next week?)
One of the things that I love about this band is that they’re doing something very different with hymns than most folks (including myself) are doing. They’re using the well known tunes and reinventing them rather than throwing off the old baggage and starting again. And, of course, sometimes the old tunes are so bad or so unhelpful that they need to be thrown off, but not all the time!
The second album looks to be just as good as the first. Here’s the song list:
How Great Thou Art
Praise to the Lord
Jesus I Am Resting, Resting
Rock of Ages
Abide With Me
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Doxology
Except for one song, I’m looking forward to the second album. Why a reservation? Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that. See if you can guess which song I’m not looking forward to and why that is.
John Frame gives four rules for preaching:
Any other rules (as opposed to maxims) that you would add?
Patrick Miller Kirkland (1857-1943) wrote this hymn for Easter evening.
Jesus, Lord, Redeemer,
Once for sinners slain,
Crucified in weakness,
Raised in power, to reign,
Dwelling with the Father,
Endless in thy days,
Unto thee be glory,
Honor, blessing, praise.Faithful ones, communing,
Towards the close of day,
Desolate and weary,
Met thee in the way.
So, when sun is setting,
Come to us, and show
All the truth: and in us
Make our hearts to glow.In the upper chamber,
Where the ten, in fear,
Gathered sad and troubled,
There thou didst appear.
So, O Lord, this evening,
Bid our sorrows cease;
Breathing on us, Savior,
Say, ‘I give you peace.’
A gem from Michael Spencer on Good Friday.
Here’s the closing prayer:
Master, this day is our day to stand and look. To be amazed and disturbed. This is a day to put away glad songs, and to see the terrible cost of our salvation. This is also a day to believe, and as Watts said, to know what is demanded in the Great Exchange at the heart of the Gospel. Forgive me for living in the shadow of this bloody execution as if it were religious art or a cultural symbol or the inspiration for music or preaching. This is my life, my death, my sin and your love. This is the beating of the heart of a Christian. Give me grace to pause and look. To see, feel, weep and above all, believe and keep on believing. Through Jesus. Amen.
Read the whole article. But before you do that, pray for Michael and his family.
