Contemporary Music for the Advent Season

Finding good contemporary Advent music is not easy.  For some reason it is not a popular topic for today’s song writers.  These are a few songs that I have found and used in the past. Contemporary Advent Songs Song Title Writer A Baby Will Come Bill Wolf All to Us Chris Tomlin Behold the Lamb [...]

Epiphany Worship Planning

Epiphany is one of the hardest worship services to choose contemporary music for.  The reason for this is twofold.  First, there isn’t a lot of good contemporary music for Epiphany available to choose from.  And second, your band will have very little time to rehearse due to the busyness of the Christmas / New Year’s [...]

A Pastoral Use for Youtube

The following is an excerpt from a Pastor’s electronic newsletter to his congregation: This Sunday our musicians will be introducing a new song by Chris Tomlin called “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.”  This song is rich in content as well as musicality. Please preview and enjoy this song before Sunday by clicking here to [...]

Christmas Music

For our Christmas services we use mostly hymns and carols but our Praise band will be playing four songs this year.  We will be playing Chris Tomlin’s new Christmas song titled “Emmanuel – Hallowed Manger Ground” on 12/20 and Paul Baloche’s “Christmas Offering” on 12/24.  You can hear each selection here: We will also be accompanying [...]

Installation Service

On March 8, 2009 at 4:00 PM, we will be installing our new Pastor – Timothy Ehlers, who comes to us in CT from Oakley, MI.  It will be a traditional service with Lutheran hymns appropriate for the occasion.  However, it’s important to us at Messiah Lutheran Church to inject a little of our own [...]

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Isaac Watts meets Chris Tomlin)

BACKGROUND OF ISAAC WATTS & “WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS” Isaac Watts was born in 1674 in Southampton England.  “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is thought, by many, to be the greatest hymn ever written.  The eldest of nine children, he was the son of an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church.  [...]

Take My Life and Let it Be!!!

Take my Life and Let it Be!   That’s not what I’d call a good title for a hymn.  However, the very next line puts everything into context:  “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.”  Ahh… Now it makes sense.  In fact the entire song is about surrender, commitment & offering. [...]