Michael Horton:

“Coming to the cross means repentance - not adding Jesus as a supporting character for an otherwise decent script but throwing away the script in order to be written into God’s drama.  It is death and resurrection, not coaching and makeovers.”  

Christless Christianity:  The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008), 94.

I have been terrible about blogging and sharing my Sunday set list.  I have resolved to do a better job at this.  The way I plan to do this is to share a favorite line from each song we sing along with some background and possibly how the song went over with the congregation.

Last Sunday (11-20-11) was a great morning leading worship at Manna Church Hope Mills.  It was bittersweet because it was our primary drummer’s last Sunday.  I appreciate his faithfulness and he will be missed.

Our set list was as follows:

1.  Beautiful One - Tim Hughes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIZ77NormVI)

‘Your Cross has spoken mercy over me’

This song is a great reminder of the beauty of Christ through the cross and through His mighty works.  I also like the line that says:  ”My soul must sing”.  Sometimes our soul is crying out to sing and other times we must tell our soul to sing, but either way, our souls must sing.

2.  With Us - Hillsong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpY43AG1Ex8)

‘Before my heart believed, You came to my Rescue’

This song is quickly becoming a new favorite for us.  It is from the new Hillsong album, God is Able.  It has the great “Hillsong-esque” bridge that it great for the congregation to latch onto, but the reason I really enjoy this song is because it reminds us of God becoming a man coming down to earth to be with us.  I love the line, ‘Before my heart believed, You came to my Rescue’, which brings to mind Romans 5:

[8] but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. [10] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:8-10 ESV)

3.  10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) - Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jYLTn4fKYQ&feature=related)

‘And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore’ 

We introduced this song last weekend and it was well received.  This song is certainly my favorite modern ‘Praise & Worship’ song at the moment.  Matt Redman is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite worship leaders.  I like this song for many reasons, but one in particular is that it does not shy away from the theme of death.  I feel that many modern worship songs do not explore this theme very often like many old hymns did.  I love the last verse that brings to mind probably the most well-known hymn of all time, Amazing Grace.

4.  I Stand Amazed in the Presence - Charles H. Gabriel, Edwin O. Excell (http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/s/isaithep.htm)

‘He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.’

‘When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.’

I think that speaks for itself.

#SundaySetList 11/20/11
http://www.mannachurch.org/

Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! (Psalm 150:1-2 ESV)

As I began reflecting on this scripture today, I almost automatically began to think about music.  “’Praise the Lord!’ – oh yeah that means singing,” I thought.  I began to wonder, “Why does my mind begin thinking about singing when I hear those words?”  Maybe it’s because I am a musician…  Maybe it’s because I like to sing…  Hmmm…

There is no doubt that God tells us to sing in the Bible, for example:

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, SINGING to God with gratitude in your hearts. (Colossians 3:16 NIV)

However, it is incorrect to assume that worshipping or praising the Lord is ONLY done through music or singing.  Worship involves all of life.  We worship God when we share the Gospel, care for our children, give to the poor, serve a neighbor, etc.  So, why is singing such a big deal?

There is no doubt that singing and music is an incredibly powerful tool.  It affects our emotions.  It stirs our affections.  When used rightly, music can do some pretty astounding things.  It can help us remember the Word AND respond to God’s goodness and grace.  Merely hearing or talking about God is not enough – we are compelled to sing!  We are compelled to sing because we serve an amazing God!  I love this quote from John Piper from one of his sermons:

“Music and singing are necessary to Christian faith and worship for the simple reason that the realities of God and Christ, creation and salvation, heaven and hell are so great that when they are known truly and felt duly, they demand more than discussion and analysis and description; they demand poetry and song and music. Singing is the Christian’s way of saying: God is so great that thinking will not suffice, there must be deep feeling; and talking will not suffice, there must be singing.”

So sing.  Make music.  Make art.  And Praise the Lord!