On June 11 (in Nashville) and June 13 (in Newnan, GA), I had the extreme honor of leading a worship service for my friend Emmett’s memorial service. It was definitely the hardest worship leading experience of my life, (the second most difficult was the memorial service I led for his daughter Mallory Eden who died in 2006 – she only lived for about a day). It was also one of the most moving times of worship – for both services – I’ve ever led.
I knew coming in this was going to be difficult. Emmett had been on my worship team for about 6 years. We had shared our love for music and led many, many worship services together, including several for an overseas retreat for missionaries in Central & Eastern Europe. He was diagnosed with esophogeal cancer on February 17, 2010. It was stage IV. After a long, hard-fought battle, he died in the early hours of June 9, 2011. He leaves behind his wife Wendy and 4-year-old son Quinn. You can read their story here.
When I walked into the chapel that morning to rehearse, Barbara Haynes, another worship team member and one of my best sounding boards for all things worship, gave me a big hug and said, “Time to put on the steel.” Yep, it was time to lead worship with songs that were mostly chosen by my friend before he passed. It was time to let all the emotions come out during rehearsal and then press ahead – finding the impossible balance of not choking up so I can’t lead, and yet not disconnecting so that I’m present like I need to be to lead well for this very important occasion. We prayed that God would give us the grace to live in that balance for the next hour, and He gave it to us.
Here is the service order with an explanation of why the songs were where they were:
Prelude – played by Ben Shive in Nashville and Barbara Haynes in Newnan.
Video – Someone put together a video slide show (if anyone has a link and/or his name, please leave it in the comments) of pictures of Emmett and his family to begin the service. The images faded in and out to “Heaven Song” by Phil Whickham, which has not stopped playing in my head since.
The next two songs are prayers that I believe Emmett would have prayed. They are a tribute to his life of joy before the Lord.
Be Thou My Vision – I chose this to open the service because it was the same song that opened Mallory Eden’s service and because as far as I could tell, it would be something Emmett’s heart would have cried out to God during his life.
Fill Thou My Life – Emmett chose this one. It definitely resonates with my memories of him. He was a passionate and joy-filled person, which is what this song communicates.
In the next section of the service, we moved from celebrating Emmett’s life before God to celebrating Emmett’s salvation because of Christ.
Scripture Reading – 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 – Scott preached on this passage later in the service.
Behold – Emmett LOVED this song. I know it was because of it’s message, but I think he also really dug its vibe. On the recording I linked to above, Emmett played a really cool percussive thing along with Steve Adams or Scott Moore (can’t remember which of you guys it was!) on the first chorus. We made sure to play the same arrangement for this service.
Before the Throne of God – He also chose this one. I was overcome with emotion when we reached the final verse that says, “One with Himself, I cannot die.” The beautiful irony of death being the continuation and perfection of life with Christ in heaven and imagining Emmett standing before his Creator still brings the tears as I write this. I LOVE our Savior!
Then Scott gave an incredibly beautiful eulogy remembering our dear brother. It was exactly what needed to be said. In it, he preached the gospel clearly, which is all that Emmett and Wendy wanted.
Though this service was definitely a celebration, everyone needed a couple of songs to help them grieve with hope. The next two songs and the reading were planned for this purpose.
The Valley Song – This is the only song that Emmett said HAD to be in the service. We sang it for Mallory’s service as well. It’s a beautiful song that lets someone going through something like this feel the pain but keep the hope of God’s love in view. We sang it as a worship team.
Reading – “If Death My Friend and Me Divide” – I had planned to read from the Valley of Vision earlier in the service, but when Scott forwarded me this text that was sent to him by Katie Thompson in our church, I knew it was the right thing to put in this spot.
It Is Well – I had a really hard time deciding whether to put this hymn in the service. They didn’t specifically request it. I originally had “The Glorious Impossible” here, but it felt like the time of sorrow would be cut too short if we went too quickly into something that upbeat. So, after trying to decide which song we would do, I just decided to do both. I don’t think Emmett would be disappointed that we sang so much. And we grieved the most as a community during this hymn.
Doxology – This is the only song Wendy specifically requested. It was the appropriate verse to close the time of the service particularly set aside to grieve.
Prayer – Scott closed with some directions for a time of visiting after the service and then prayed for the family.
The Glorious Impossible – Emmett had this one on his list too. Though it felt a little “up” for a memorial service, I know Emmett would have said something like, “And the issue is….?” Truth is, this service was a mix of tears, sorrow, joy, hope, brokenness and community. This song took us to the joy and hope to send us out. Thanks for encouraging me to keep it in there, Barbara.
And thank you, Wendy, for giving me the chance to put my passion to work to honor my friend and my God.
June 21, 2011
The final event of the conference was a worship service which began with new worship songs being sung “in the round” by those who wrote them. Those attending the conference could submit a song ahead of time to Song DISCovery to be considered for inclusion in this service. I submitted “Greatest End,” and it was chosen. It was a blast to get to open the service with this song that we have sung at Grace for years and to get to introduce it to a new group of worship leaders and writers.
Also singing and playing (I hope I don’t forget anyone!) were Debi Selby, Bill Wolf, Wendy Wills, Richie Fike, Mia Fieldes w/Sons & Daughters, Ian Eskelin and Chris August.
Some of these folks are more well-known than others, so I want to draw your attention particularly to two of them that you may not have heard of, but you need to check out. Wendy Wills is at Grace and on my worship team, and we have collaborated on several songs in the past. She sang “The Bread Has Been Broken” which you can hear here. I must be a dork, because we’ve been singing this off and on at Grace for a while now, but it wasn’t until this evening that some of those lines jumped out at me – what a great song! We’ll be singing more of it, Grace folks.
Also, Bill Wolf is a worship leader in Knoxville, TN that I knew of before the conference because we sang his song “A Baby Will Come” during our Christmas Worship Service (that I was not able to attend due to the birth of my daughter). Bill and Emilie Cook sang a gorgeous new song of his called “Unknown Wounds” that still gives me goosebumps when I sing it in my head. His creativity reminds me of Michael Card, though he is a bit more raw with his lyrical choices. He handed me his collection of Good Friday/Easter songs after the time of worship, and I’ve really enjoyed listening to his musical take of the events of Holy Week. I don’t see where there’s anywhere you can listen to it unless you go ahead and purchase it, but it’s worth it in my book for that one song and several others that struck me.
My overall impression of the night was that I may have some songs that I think are great and that I pray serve the Church well, but there are so many hugely talented writers out there that inspire me and make me want to work harder to refine the gift of songwriting. May God be glorified by us all as we work toward that end!
June 8, 2011
As I said in my last post, the Song DISCovery in the Round Conference last Friday was a very enriching experience. Here are some quotes from the day.
From Chuck Fromm, who started Worship Leader Magazine and was President of Maranatha Music for 22 years:
“Each generation is charged with making the Word new for their generation – to fit the times.”
“Five Words of Worship:
Maranatha – “Jesus is here – He’s coming again”
Hallelujah – “Praise the Lord”
Hosanna – “Save now”
Abba – “Dear Father” – not Daddy – Communicates both intimacy and respect.
Amen – “Complete” – Jesus is the Amen of heaven. It is finished.”
Quoting St. Augustine: “The essence of a Christian song is praise.”
From Charlie Peacock, artist/producer/visionary/multi-hat wearer:
“The great object of living Is to form within us all that love values.”
“You can’t get at who you love and what you love until you come to this: Jesus is the embodiment of God coming to the rescue of all He loves. He is life itself. And I love Him. And I will love what He loves. All my commitments will be defined by what Jesus loves. Everything has been made through Christ and for Christ. What does He love? What does it mean to love what He loves?” Wow. Unpack that for a few days.
“Sing back to God the certainties of what He loves and who He loves.”
“Pray to be a citizen of heaven here on earth. How do you get at God’s will in the world? Study the Word. Study creation. Tease out all the possibilities that are embedded in what he’s created. Everything you need to know about songwriting is there.”
“We get the privilege of the work and none of the glory. The glory is God’s. You get to be part of His story.”
From Margaret Becker, artist/songwriter/worship leader:
“It’s your job [as a worship leader] to present something that’s engaging, but not distracting.”
“Work that is acknowledged and marketed is only a small portion of what is really there.”
“Paint the truth with the colors on your palette. Your experience is a lot more common than you give it credit for.”
“Clearly know what aspect of Christ you are experiencing right now. This will make you effective in the community.”
“God help us if we all start to try to fit into a marketing box.”
“There are still aspects of performance in worship leading – worship leading is an event where the importance of it calls for our best.”
From Keith Getty, writer of new hymns (including “In Christ Alone“)/worship leader (imagine all of these quotes with an Irish accent):
“We stand in front of congregations every Sunday who live lives of quiet desperation. They’re going to worship something, and they will be fed many things in the week ahead. It’s so important that we fill their heads with the Word of God.”
“Are these words [in the body of songs in a service] painting a big picture of God as spoken in the scriptures?”
“The artists in the Old Testament spend a lifetime refining their craft.”
“To write melodies that work is a pain actually.”
“Write songs that build up people’s confidence in the gospel.”
“If you’re writing for the church, write for the church you’re involved with.”
Just writing these out has helped me solidify the things I took away. I’m grateful to all these people for their focus on the gospel and their concern for this generation’s worship songwriters.
May 25, 2011
I had the privilege of attending a one day conference five miles down the road at Brentwood Baptist Church last Friday, May 20. The focus of “Song DISCovery in the Round” was to equip those who write songs for the church and to give them the opportunity to hear from experienced, successful and influential writers for the church such as Charlie Peacock, Jason Ingram, Keith Getty and Paul Baloche.
I was expecting to meet some fellow writers, be reminded of a few good songwriting tips, etc., but the day far exceeded my expectations. There was a joy about the whole day that I attribute to both the speakers and the attendees having their minds set on the glory of God. SO refreshing. In this day where many worship songs enjoy “market success” and writers can make a serious profit from CCLI checks, to hear so many in positions of influence talk about the importance of the local church, being creative outside of what is “marketable,” and doing everything we do knowing that God gets the glory, not us – it challenged, convicted, and motivated me.
Thank you, Worship Leader Magazine, for putting this on. I look forward to processing my experiences further in the next few posts.
May 22, 2011
I’m pleased to finally announce (I should have done this back in April) that you can listen to many of the worship songs that we’ve recorded over the years at Grace’s website. I will be adding more as we record them.
May 13, 2011
This week is always both a sigh of relief from all the prep work that goes into Good Friday and Easter and a joyful evaluation of the services. We had a great weekend at Grace remembering the cross and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
And I couldn’t make it through 4 out of the 5 services without getting choked up. On Good Friday, it was “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood” that got me. On Easter Sunday, “In Christ Alone” did it all three services. The lines that took me there were:
“When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy power to save”
(I’m tearing up just typing it!)
And then in “In Christ Alone”:
“And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost it’s grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ”
(The “From life’s first cry” line in the final verse got me in one of the services because I was watching my wife sway with my 4-month old in the back.)
Now that I look at it, I can see a theme. My soul wants to soar. It wants to be free from all the fleshly yuck of mortality and be free to worship without any earthly restrictions. Jesus has made the way for this to be possible through his death and resurrection. It just hasn’t happened fully yet.
So every once in a while, my soul tells me what it wants. It usually happens when I’m listening to beautiful, God-honoring music or singing praise. My throat gets tight, the tears come, and I try to keep singing (it sounds GREAT, let me tell you…). It’s especially awkward in times like this weekend when I’m trying to lead. Sometimes I have to rally myself like a coach so I can do what I’m called to do and keep the melody going for the congregation. Other times, I just step away from the mic and try to cause as little distraction as possible. We had a worship choir for both of these services which was very helpful in such moments!
Now, I am admittedly not nearly as into the Word or spending time in prayer as I would like to be, so I know these experiences have nothing to do with my achieving some sort of spiritual level. With two little ones, life is chaotic, and time to be quiet is very limited around our house. I attribute the life I feel in my soul to God’s Spirit reminding me that I am His, that the gospel is beautiful and powerful, and that I am not the hypocrite I sometimes feel like. I am very thankful for His hold on me.
And one great day, because of the death and resurrection of Christ, my soul will soar.
April 27, 2011
Click over to Reformed Praise for a post on one of my favorite Good Friday hymns.
April 12, 2011
Last night, Kelly and I got to go to the Schermerhorn in downtown Nashville to see the symphony. Now, typically, I go to the symphony when I am already interested in what they are playing on a given night. I’ve been twice before – once to see the Nashville Choir perform with lots of special guests and once to see Handel’s Messiah. Both events were amazing.
But we were given tickets for last night’s performance (thank you Gary and Martha – so thankful recovery is going well!) of a world premiere of one of Conni Ellisor’s (a Nashville composer) pieces, Rachmaninoff’s Concerto for Piano, No. 2, and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 in D Minor. I have to admit, because I wasn’t familiar with any of these pieces, I thought it would be a nice experience – like listening to NPR on the way home from work.
We sat down about a minute before the conductor walked onto the stage. The lights dimmed, and the first note was struck. And I was riveted. I watched, listened and eventually cried as I listened to the majestic sound of the Nashville Symphony.
Three things stood out to me as a result of the evening:
1. Music is such a gift. God made it powerful. I was moved emotionally and there wasn’t a single lyric all night long.
2. I am a musician, but I am not that kind of musician. The featured pianist memorized 35 minutes-worth of some of the most complicated, technically-insane, yet beautifully melodic music ever written and performed it with incredible feel and ease. Such musicianship is humbling to watch. It made me want to buy classical mp3s.
3. I am a writer, but I am not that kind of writer! I was more blown away by Rachmaninoff than Bruckner (and the Nashville-based composer’s work was also really, really good). Rachmaninoff toyed with musical theory to make it do whatever he wanted when he wrote that piece. To have such a grasp on the hows and whys of the musical palette is way beyond my experience, and it made me want to be more creative, more experimental (though experimentation is appropriately limited when writing for congregational singing), and definitely more passionate about the songs I write.
I am currently writing string arrangements for our Good Friday services coming up. I really enjoy coming up with the parts, and last night made me both shake my head dumbfoundedly (I could never write that stuff) and thankful for the opportunity to exercise some classical muscles. I am inspired.
If you ever get the chance to hear a symphony play, take it! It will challenge, inspire and move you.
April 8, 2011
I had been meaning to put this up last week, but time got away from me. This season is always the busiest of the year – Holy Week consists of Good Friday services, which are a unique blend of congregational singing, choir pieces, scripture readings and a short sermon all focused on the cross. Then, of course, Easter Sunday is a time of celebration and the only Sunday morning thus far in our church’s life where we have a choir. So, planning for these two services along with everything else (I’ll announce another fun thing that I’ve been working on later this week) makes for a crazy schedule.
On March 27, Scott’s passage was Luke 9:18-27 (I like this reference purely for its mathematical qualities proving my nerdy qualities). It consists of three different sections in which Jesus is progressively teaching his disciples how to follow him. Jesus asks the disciples to identify him – Peter answers that he is “The Christ of God” – and then tells them that he is going to the cross and that his call to them is to follow him in similar self-sacrifice. Scott emphasized that Jesus is the end of our faith. Following him is not a means to some other end. Such a claim flies in the face of any teaching that would have us reap gain here on earth as a “re-payment” of some kind for following Christ.
All Creatures of Our God and King – a Chris Hauser contemporized version of the old hymn.
Welcome & Ministry Opportunities
Glorious Impossible – iTunes, Amazon – if you haven’t heard this song, I strongly encourage you to take a listen. It’s a very well-written walk through the life of Jesus. It’s co-written by Wendy Wills who is a part of our worship team. I placed it here to give us a good summary of who Christ is and what he came to do to start off the service.
My Faith Has Found a Resting Place – in response to who Christ is as described in the phrases of “Glorious Impossible,” we can cling to him in faith as our Savior.
Psalm 62 – iTunes, Amazon – this great tune expounds on what it means to rest in God alone by adding theme of devotion to God in the midst of temptation and in daily living.
Scripture Reading – Philippians 3:7-14 – Paul’s declaration of losing everything for the sake of gaining Christ and pressing on toward the prize for which he has been called heavenward continue to emphasize the themes of losing all to gain Christ; that it is a heavenly prize that we are seeking.
Greatest End – iTunes, Amazon – this beautiful tune by Lee & Melissa Broadwell (also part of the worship team at Grace) is matched with a prayer that helps the participating believer express their desire for the devotion to Christ we have been singing about.
Give Me Jesus – iTunes, Amazon – going into the sermon with this simple statement – “Give me Jesus. You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.
Sermon – Luke 9:18-27: “Early Lessons: Clarity about Jesus and Commitment to Him”
Congregational Response
Benediction
Psalm 62 – we ended with the chorus.
April 4, 2011
Head over to this page at Reformed Praise to hear this 1772 hymn with a new melody. It is a good holy week text as the second verse focuses on Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and His perfection that is displayed through that intense hour of His life.
March 24, 2011
This week, Scott preached from Luke 8:40-56 – two intertwined stories of Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter and the woman who had bled for twelve years. He pointed out the desperation of these two individuals and the call to faith that Jesus gave them while putting them in awkward situations (the woman could not remain anonymous and Jairus had to wait for Jesus to heal this other person before Jesus addressed his daughter’s sickness (and death). There are plenty of great songs about our desperate need for Jesus, so I could go right at this theme in planning.
Come, People of the Risen King – iTunes, Amazon – I really like this call to worship by Keith and Kristyn Getty. We only did a verse and two choruses to start the service.
Welcome & Ministry Opportunities
Arise, My Soul, Arise – iTunes, Amazon – A very gospel-centered song that assures the believer of his desperate soul’s salvation in Christ.
All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above – iTunes, Amazon – This hymn comes out of “Arise, My Soul, Arise” with much gratitude for the gospel. It declares God’s grace and matches it with the thankful response of the one to whom grace is given – “With healing balm, my soul he fills / The God who every sorrow stills / To God all praise and glory!” The links above are to “Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above” which is the same tune with slightly different words.
Scripture Reading – Psalm 111 – A psalm about God’s powerful works and redemptive acts.
Preparation for Communion – Each communion service, Scott takes a few minutes to prepare us for communion by explaining what Jesus has told us to do in remembrance of Him and by giving us spiritual direction about how to take the elements and who should participate. While the bread and cup were being passed out to the congregation, we sang the next two songs:
In You – iTunes (Dave Hunt’s version), Amazon (Michael Boggs’ version) – I had the entire service planned and the bulletin was ready to go to print on Thursday afternoon. Then, on the way to the office Friday morning, this song came on as I was listening to my “Worship Song Prospects” playlist. About halfway through, God made the connection for me from this song to the two people Jesus heals in Luke 8:40-56. I sat there at the red light and wept (hoping that the driver next to me wouldn’t notice). Then I called our office assistant and asked her to hold off printing so I could get this song in there. It’s a prayerful song about the hope that we each have in Christ for the healing of our hearts.
Jesus, I Come – the old hymn (sorry for the cheese-ball keyboard orchestration link). I was bordering on having too many songs with the theme of coming to Jesus here, but since we were celebrating communion, I thought it was appropriate to stay there for another song. I love the contrasts laid out in this text. And seriously, can you have too many songs about coming to Jesus?
The Bread and the Cup
The Doxology – it has been a long-standing tradition at Grace to sing the Doxology a capella after partaking of the Lord’s Supper as a hymn of gratitude to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Sermon – “Faith That Is Deeper Than Desperation” – Luke 8:40-56
Congregational Response – after a few minutes of allowing the congregation to respond through prayer and the offering, we stood and sang the bridge and chorus of “In You” once more to respond congregationally to the message.
Benediction
All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above – final verse
March 8, 2011
There are thousands and thousands of worship songs and hymns out there. You can find them in hundreds of hymnbooks, on hundreds of websites, and on hundreds of worship albums. Out of all the songs that you come across, how do you choose which ones to introduce to your congregation?
I’ve read some good guidelines over the years that have helped me to compile what I look for when I’m listening to a new album or come across a new writer on iTunes. Here they are:
1. Look at the lyrics apart from the music. I think it was an article by Bob Kauflin that pointed this important practice out to me. Make sure you don’t just get mesmerized by a beautiful melody! Though musical content is important, theologically sound and well-written lyrical content is more important.
2. Listen to the “heart” of a song. Does the song make you want to worship God? Does it have a reverent, God-glorifying quality to it? It’s been just recently that I’ve picked up on this. You can tell when a song is written from a humble, gospel-honoring place. Those are the songs I want my congregation singing.
3. Calculate the range. Most average singers have about an octave plus two-or three-notes range. If a song spans more than that, they’re going to have a hard time with it. I don’t worry about how high or low a song was recorded as long as I can transpose it and it doesn’t go below a low A (for the guys) or a high D or the occasional E (for the ladies). Side note: Because of the influence of pop music, some worship songs written today depend on the force of a high male vocal for the energy of the song. You can detect whether this is the case when you lower the song to make it singable by the whole congregation. If you lower it and it no longer feels like it has that “power,” it means that the melody wasn’t that well-written in the first place and was only appealing because it was recorded in a higher key where the singer could belt it out. If this is the case with a song, it’s another good reason to pass.
One more side note here: if you are a male worship leader and you keep songs in the higher keys so that you can belt it out, check your heart. I know the temptation! It feels so good to soar up there. Even spiritual. But if your people, especially the women, are not able to sing unless they can harmonize with you, that’s not very inclusive of your average singer who’s trying to participate. I can’t tell you how many times a woman in our congregation has thanked me for putting songs in keys that they can handle.
4. Imagine an older congregant singing the song. Barbara Haynes, the worship leader at Grace before me, taught me this valuable litmus test: can an older man or woman who is not a trained singer pickup the melody of this song and be able to sing it? If not, it’s probably not the best song to introduce. We want to make sure no one gets left behind just because a song we choose to sing is too jumpy or complicated melodically.
5. Consider the theme. What themes is your church repertoire lacking? Do you need more declarative songs about God’s character? Do you need more congregational response songs? Or do you need to find some songs that address hardship or maybe some that emphasize unity? Look at your current set of songs and see where you need to shore up the subject matter to make what your church sings more fully representational of the whole Christian life.
If you put a song through all the considerations above and it’s still standing, it’s probably a great song! But before you write it into the annals of your church’s history, there’s one more thing to consider:
6. Conduct a congregational test. Last year, I listened over and over to a song that I concluded would be a great one for our church to learn. I charted it out, taught it to the worship team and was excited about introducing it to the congregation. But when we finally sang it, it fell totally flat. I waited a few weeks and tried again. Still flat. Not every song you think will work works. And that’s okay. There’s an intangible “connection” factor where you can tell if a particular song is helping your people worship God or not. It’s an important factor, because your goal is for your church to glorify God with their praises. If they aren’t able to sing a song from their heart (and they’re able to sing others – meaning it’s not a heart issue, it’s a song issue), it’s not very glorifying to God. I think in my case, the production of the song on the recording I was listening to was so compelling that when we did it in the context of a Sunday morning, the energy of the production didn’t translate.
These are the things I consider when sifting through the myriad of worship songs and hymns out there. Are there some other things that you consider when you are looking for new songs to introduce?
February 28, 2011
I really enjoyed planning this service. Scott preached from Luke 8:22-25, which is the story about Jesus calming the storm. His themes were God’s authority and the need for us as disciples to experience life with Jesus in order to truly know and trust him.
“Holy, Holy, Holy” – first two verses
Welcome & Ministry Opportunities
“Indescribable” – iTunes, Amazon – I chose this because of the emphasis it has on God’s power shown through creation and his ability to create.
“You Are the Great I AM” – iTunes, Amazon, My post – This song takes the majesty we’ve just sung about in “Indescribable” and moves it into a comparison between God’s greatness and our mortality and dependency on him. This is the chorus I chose to sing in the response time.
Scripture Reading – Psalm 107:1-3, Psalm 107:23-32 – Scott suggested this reading as a great Old Testament parallel to Luke 8:22-25.
“The Fury of the Wind” – Reformed Praise – Eric Schumacher wrote this text after a trip he took to aid in the Hurricane Katrina recovery. Its imagery from Job is powerful. The lyrics reiterated the power of God through nature that we saw in the scripture reading and brought Christ into the picture as the one who can save us.
“Be Still My Soul” – iTunes, Amazon – Coming out of the weighty content of “The Fury of the Wind,” this beautiful hymn emphasizes that God is “on your side” and that we can be confident through life’s trials because “the waves and wind still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.” It makes me giddy when a lyric matches this well with a sermon text.
Sermon – Luke 8:22-25
Congregational Response
Benediction
“Holy, Holy, Holy” – final verse
February 20, 2011
After the preaching of the Word at Grace each week, we spend a few minutes allowing the congregation to respond in various ways to what they’ve just heard and in ways that we are always called to respond to God’s gracious lordship over our lives. We have tried many different things over the years to lead people in responding – spanning from singing a responsive song congregationally to spending a few moments in silent reflection.
There are many good ways for those planning a worship service to call people to respond to God. At Grace, we’ve landed on spending a few minutes after the sermon doing the following:
1. Calling people to prayerful response: whether they stay in their seat or come to kneel at the altar, we encourage everyone to spend a few minutes prayerfully responding to the Word while I play a soft guitar in the background (nothing too melodic – it distracts the musical folks!).
2. Giving everyone a chance to pray with someone: we have several people stand at the front during this time each week to receive and pray with anyone who would like to about anything that is going on in their lives. Scott, our pastor, always says, “I never want someone to come to church and not get the opportunity to pray with someone.”
3. Giving everyone a chance to give their tithes and offerings: it makes sense to us to include this in the congregational response time. Giving our money to God’s work through the church is a response to His lordship over our finances.
4. Singing briefly after everyone has had a chance to respond in ways 1-3: after a few minutes (most weeks), I ask everyone to stand and sing one of the choruses of a song we sang previously in the service. I usually base my choice on what our pastor actually preaches in his sermon. I pick the one that fits the best as a musical response to the Word.
Then Scott gives a benediction – a final word sending us all out into the world for the week – and we sing a final song.
Next week: out of the vast array of songs out there, how do I go about choosing the ones that our church should sing?
February 20, 2011
I’ve decided to post occasional (maybe even weekly) orders of worship from our Sunday mornings at Grace Community Church. Hopefully, it will be helpful for you to hear the songs and see the orders (might help make a little more sense of the posts explaining how I go about planning).
Here’s the order from Sunday:
“O Word of God Incarnate” – Reformed Praise
Welcome/Ministry Opportunities
Parent/Child Dedication
“How Firm a Foundation”
“All to Us” – iTunes, Amazon
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3:1-8
“In All Your Ways” – iTunes, Amazon
“Every Promise” – iTunes
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon: “Hear the Word of God” – Luke 8:1-21
Congregational Response
Benediction
“O Word of God Incarnate” – see link above
February 15, 2011
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