Service Reflection

Song Set:

        Blessed Be Your Name // Redman
        Indescribable // Laura Story
        King of Glory // Chris Tomlin
        Shout to the North // Martin Smith

        It always encourages me to see God use the songs in a mighty way. This reminds me more and more that Christ is the worship leader, and that our role as a band is to simply be a vessel for His use.

Message integration...

Nehemiah 1:5, “Lord the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,”
        
        These songs represented this verse very well. Indescribable speaks of our awesome God and how we are to respond in humble worship to Him. In verse 5, Nehemiah prays scripture and gives God praise for who He is. He trusts that God will keep His promises. In verse 10 we read, “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.” This connects so well to King of Glory, when we sing that the redeemed are called to “declare the love” of God. This song also speaks about the King of Glory and about His strength and might. It comes directly out of Psalms 24:8-10.
        Nehemiah’s prayer is also acknowledging the Sovereignty of God. Through His prayer we can see that he does not tell God how to do it and is unsure of how God will do it. He simply prays that God will open the door and God does. Understanding the Sovereignty of God has to do with trusting God, but it also starts with the understanding that as Christians we are called to something greater than ourselves. Nehemiah’s heart was turned towards God and God gave him the desire to see the walls built. In response we need to be open to God’s work in our lives as we are continually being transformed in to the likeness of His son.


Special Music...
        I also loved the special testimonial song by Rebekah Yoon. In talking with and sharing her testimony it is easy to see her openness to God. To give up the big career in music to devote her life to the glory of God shows Christ work in her. I loved the fact that we could hear this come out in the music; that the way she expressed her love to God was evident in the music. This was a moving example of a non-verbal communication to God.

June 8 Worship Service Reflection

Set List:

1. Everlasting God - Brenton Brown


2. Holy is the Lord - Tomlin, arr. by Bethany Dillon


3. Shout to the North - Martin Smith from Delirious


4. You are the One - Lincoln Brewster

Theme Discussion:

        The theme of strength seemed to ring through the songs as I sang through them this Sunday. There is trust and strength found in waiting on the Lord in Everlasting God. This songs comes out of last part of Isaiah 40 to encourage the people of Israel. Then this theme was in the line, “For the joy of the Lord is our strength”. I love how God orchestrates themes that I did not think of during my preparation time.
        Shout to the North was the focus song for the week. It is a song of restoration of a returning to who God has called us to be. This is a returning to our true identity in Christ. In this identity we can join God in His redemptive work. This connected well with the theme that our days are ordained by God our creator in You are the One.
        After the songs, during our prayer Chris mention new insight on the line “all Your thoughts towards me are holy” from You Are the One. She mentioned that sometimes our thoughts are not holy towards others, but we can trust that all of the thoughts from God are holy towards us.

Sermon Notes:

        The introduction into Nehemiah was great. The theme of the book teaches the art of leading reform. Reform means to go back to the ancient truths of God. The question then is are we concerned about what God is concerned about? This is a questions that has come up often when we talk about church vision. I am excited to see how God will shape our community to be more concerned about these things. On an individual basis, the question is; how does this translate to our 8-15 Oikos family God has provided?
        Truth is a great theme to sing about. Shout to the North is a song that encourages us to be ministers of that truth. In the first verse, men are encouraged to be strenghtened and see that in their brokenness they are made complete in Christ. The second verse exhorts “women of the truth” to “sing to broken hearts”. Finally in the third verse together as the body of Christ we are called to sing again the songs of grace.


Possible future songs:
History Maker - Martin Smith
Blessing - John Waller

Stones of Remembrance

        “So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (Josh. 4:4-7, tNIV).



        This last Sunday we had the chance to get together as a team and remember what God has done in the music ministry since September. Coming together as a multi-generational church has not been easy, but the benefit has been great. Some our pile of stones have come from this hard road, but in general as we listened to everyones comments we could see that God was definitely moving among us. This is his ministry and I am so glad that I have the chance to be apart of it.

Here is our pile of stones form our worship team family. I pray that we can remember what God has done as we look forward to what he will do through this ministry.

Soundboard gift...
"The cash gift came in just as we were choosing a sound board."

Together...
"We play better together more and more. Takes less joint practice. Much more confident together." This shows our growth as a band, that it does not take as long to learn a new song.

Daily Dedication to Worship...
"I have appreciated regular Sunday reminder to dedicate worship to God... and seen how that has helped lead to daily dedication of my work day, interaction with others, and relationships, all I do as worship to God"

Musical Growth...
"Nice to have JR sit down and go over a little of the theory or give me a CD to study."

God Being unfalling...
"God has always been unfailing, no matter what songs we do and no matter how well it goes musically."

Growing in Community and models for grace and patience.
“I have been so blessed by everyone on the worship eam and the great examples of patience, grace, humor, caring, etc....i.e. JR with the choir as it transitioned, Milo constant smile and joke.”

Freedom...
"Growing in freedom in worship because we are more comfortable together, the sound folks are providing awesome support, we don't have to worry about 'performing' and we know God is working."

Praise Songs...
"I did not like the 'praise music' because I love hymns. Now I'm use to them and enjoy the worship with another way to sing to our Lord." This takes strength to change musical style, but it is good when the focus in on worshipping God.

Song Selection...
"On paper the songs selection doesn't thrill me but its great - all things work together for good." Being apart of the team it is very easy to get tired of songs quickly, but when you add our congregation it becomes less about the music and more about drawing close to God.

Attention to Music...
"Every few weeks someone from the service asks that the volume be adjusted or the piano louder, ect. After awhile I realized it was really cool that people cared so much about our music." This is a tough lesson, thank you sound crew.

        Here are a couple from my journal that I shared...

Journaling...
"Journaling about the songs and how they interact togethe each week has brought a lot of joy and is my act of worship."

Choir...
"I always have great joy when working with the choir, but the most exciting part is to see them become the lead worshippers in the congregation after the choir week."

Great is Thy Faithfulness...
"Our church came together in September with this song, and the truths found in this song are what makes haveing a multi-genreational church worth it.

We also prayed for Jonathan as he leaves our team. Jonathan, your heart for worship, and expression through music has encouraged us all. We will miss you dearly.

Humble Community

We are unified through the spirit, and in then humility of Christ we become equal.
Today’s prayer as I prepare my heart is that we can lay our pride aside and the things that we hold dear, in order to unify and submit to God’s sovereign will for us as a church. We can always find common ground in the cross.

Songs and Prayers...

“O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing”
Grace has triumphed, and we can join together and sing.
We can all join and sing of this great love.

“Holy is the Lord”
Unified in our understanding that He is a great God and we humbly proclaim that He is set apart.
In Isaiah 6, we find a great principle of what worship is...
The angels sing
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)
and Isaiah is humbled.

“Surrender”
We would be able to give up all that we hold dear.
As we approach memorial day, the word surrender can have negative connotations.
In light of the victory at the cross, Surrender does not mean defeated. Instead it means that we put are trust in the Lordship of Christ, and we attribute to him the victory of Christ.

“Hungry”
Falling on our knees is a symbol of our place of humility and as a church our need for redemption.

The Love of a Forever God

HAPPY DAY


One of the reasons to sing is to gain strength, and to remind ourselves that God is a forever God, and to turn our hearts to him
Everlasting God
Isa. 40
28Do you not know?
      Have you not heard?
      The Lord is the everlasting God,
      the Creator of the ends of the earth.
      He will not grow tired or weary,
      and his understanding no one can fathom.
       29He gives strength to the weary
      and increases the power of the weak.
       30Even youths grow tired and weary,
      and young men stumble and fall;
       31but those who hope in the Lord
      will renew their strength.
      They will soar on wings like eagles;
      they will run and not grow weary,
      they will walk and not be faint.

Forever
One way that the people of Israel worship God when they got together was to have call and response. Psalms 136 is this type of Psalm, it was a way for them to remember God and pass this on to future generations. Let’s try this together, I will call out attributes and thanks and you will respond with the truth that...“His love endures forever”

Ps 136
1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
      His love endures forever.
       2Give thanks to the God of gods.
      His love endures forever.
       3Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
      His love endures forever.
       4to him who alone does great wonders,
      His love endures forever.
       5who by his understanding made the heavens,
      His love endures forever.
       6who spread out the earth upon the waters,
      His love endures forever.
       7who made the great lights—
      His love endures forever.
      

23He remembered us in our low estate
      His love endures forever.
       24and freed us from our enemies.
      His love endures forever.
       25He gives food to every creature.
      His love endures forever.
       26Give thanks to the God of heaven.
      His love endures forever.

Declare the Love

Happy Day
“Forever I am changed”
It is grace that transforms us.

Indescribable
Our view of God as Majestic, and imposing form or force
Humbled and Amazed by Him

King of Glory
Ps. 24:7
7      Lift up your heads, O gates!
      And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
      that the King of glory may come in.
8      Who is this King of glory?
      The Lord, strong and mighty,
      the Lord, mighty in battle!
9      Lift up your heads, O gates!
      And lift them up, O ancient doors,
      that the King of glory may come in.
10      Who is this King of glory?
      The Lord of hosts,
      he is the King of glory!
Selah

This song encourages as the redeemed to declare the love of God.

Majesty
“Forgiven so that I can forgive”
When we encounter God’s love for us, we are forever changed.

Wonderful Cross
This is the story of grace. The grace that we have allowed to transform us and that we are called to declare.

Humble Dedication

Colossians 3:18-25
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Themes...

Dedication
Service of the Lord
Humility

Sunday’s Script...

Our God Saves
Make this our prayer God that we will offering our praise to You, because we find our hope in You.
“We gather together to lift up Your name
To call on our Savior; to fall on Your grace”        
PRAYER... “We put our hope you God our savior, help us to be prepared, as Peter says, to give a reason for the hope that is in us.”

Blessed Be Your Name
        we are called to worship Him even in the dark times. We have to come to understand and trust that God has a plan for us. Then we will be able to see past the

Father Let Me Dedicate
Written in 1864, this song was sung from memory as a new year’s hymn to dedicate the year to God. Today we say together that we will trust God in every situation and dedicate our lives to glorifying Him in whatever we do.
        
Surrender
“Lord we want to trust You for the plans you have for us. We believe that they have been ordained”
In order to surrender to God we have to trust His plans for our lives. We also need to see our position before God.        

Reflections...

        The thought from Scott Furrow’s sermon that rang in my heart was the the call to be integrated. This came out of verse 22, “Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” The concept of having sincerity of heart is a worship concept. Scott related the sincerity of heart to an integrated life. When our lives are fully integrated we allow God to have his home in us and this is an act of worship. We can see in the Jewish culture that all of life was spiritual. There was not separation between religious and non-religious, or sacred and secular. To often we separate our spiritual time to a weekly gathering or a daily quiet time, when we are called to make all of our life integrated with God’s direction. This is also a call to become conformed to Christ, which is a process. Some of my favorite authors like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Kenneth Boas all see this as a process of practicing spiritual disciplines. It takes practice to allow God to integrate our lives. The main point is that this is a process, and we are simply called to join in the process of God transforming us. I view this as our spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1-2
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”