I have created an Advent Candle Lighting Ceremony for 2009.  If interested, You can obtain the file by downloading the entire five week program from my file download area (file name “Advent Candle Lighting Ceremony”) or, drop me an email and I would be happy to forward a copy to you.   It is free.

Here is a sample of the first week:

Week 1 (11/29) – candle of Expectation, Hope or Prophecy

Scripture:

As we light the first Advent candle, we are reminded that Jesus is “the Light of the World.”  We read in John 8:12 … “Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

Responsive Reading (focus is on “hope”):

P:  Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. – Psalm 31:24

C:  We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. – Psalm 33:20

P:  The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him; – Lamentations 3:25a

C:  Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. – Romans 5:5

P: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

C:  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised, is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23

P and C: May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. – Psalm 33:22

Prayer:  Lord, renew a sense of hope in our hearts this morning/afternoon/evening.  Let your Word and your promises remind us of  the hope that our prayers will be answered, that doors of opportunity that seem closed will be opened, that broken relationships will be mended, that diseased bodies will be healed and that damaged trust will be restored.  We pray this in eager expectation of our coming Savior; Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Pastor:              Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – PHILIPPIANS 4:6

Lay Leader:       We are also thankful today because God is our strength and shield.

Lay Leader:       Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. – COLOSSIANS 3:16

Pastor:              And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – COLOSSIANS 3:17

Lay Leader:       Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

Pastor:              All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.  They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! – REVELATION 7:11-12a

Lay Leader:       Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.   Amen!” – REVELATION 7:12b

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of International Bible Society

My son has announced his engagement to his girlfriend of four years.  I don’t know if my son and his fiancé are looking for song recommendations for their ceremony, but if you know me, you know that I have at least one.  I recommend “Love Is the Gracious Gift” which is hymn number 505 in our hymnal Christian Worship.  As is usual with most of our hymns, the lyrics will take your breath away, and musically, it’s also a masterpiece.  Many of you from my generation will know this tune as “Morning Has Broken”; made famous by Cat Stevens.

The tune has Gaelic roots and is played to a quirky 9/8 time.  I’m a bit critical on time signatures and as I teach young guitarists, I always stress counting out the proper time as they play.  For example, to strum ¾ time, you count: 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc. with the emphasis on the first note (think waltz time I tell them!).  A lot of contemporary songs are played in 6/8 time.  I usually describe this as double ¾ time, counted 1-2-3-4-5-6, 1-2-3-4-5-6 with the emphasis on the first and fourth beats.  But 9/8 time?  I believe that this is actually called a triple compound meter.  It’s to be counted 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 with the emphasis on the first, forth and seventh beats.  It sounds complicated but in this case, it is easy to play.   It has a lilting folk dance-type quality to it.  “Ode to Joy” is also played in this time signature.

Here is the wedding verse from the hymn (as you read, sing it to “Morning has Broken”):

Love in a marriage, love freely given;

Love of a husband, love of a wife;

Made to continue, blossom, and flourish;

Grow ever deeper throughout this life.

                                 – Donald E. Smith

It’s also a song that lends itself well to a guitar/keyboard accompaniment; in fact the hymnal version has guitar chords.

Congratulations Chris & Lauren and May the Lord bless your union.

-         Dad

The People seek:

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. – 1 Chronicles 16:10 & Psalm 105:3

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. – 1 Chronicles 16:11

Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah – Psalm 24:6

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. – Psalm 27:4

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. – Psalm 27:8

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The LORD be exalted!” – Psalm 40:16

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. – Psalm 63:1

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. – Psalm 105:4

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. – Psalm 119:10

God Seeks:

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” – Luke 19:10

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. – John 4:23

Does God want us to seek him?:

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. – Psalm 9:10

The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. – Psalm 14:2 & Psalm 53:2

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. – Proverbs 8:17

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; – Lamentations 3:25

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. – Psalm 119:2

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. – Matthew 7:7

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. – Matthew 7:8

Indeed we should be seeking God; and yes, he seeks us as well; as a matter of fact – He seeks us from birth, while we are being formed in the womb.

God found me…

I once was lost, but not am found, was blind but now I see. – John Newton

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of International Bible Society

I have.  Some Pastors use this term to define a song that has a lot of repetition, i.e. 7 words repeated 11 times.  This is usually used in a derogatory sense but as you will see, repetition is an important part of our faith and our worship.  Let’s investigate!

How about Psalm 130, written by Israel’s sacred song writer himself, the one after God’s own heart, King David; and inspired by God.  This is actually a 4/26 song because the words “His love endures forever” are repeated 26 times throughout the Psalm (song).

Or, how about Rev 4:8, those angels sure know how to sing a good 7/11 song.  Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”  I guess we would call this a 16/infinity song (or spoken word as the case may be).

I have been a member of a WELS church for 25 years and I rarely miss a worship service.  Therefore, in 25 years I have recited the Lord’s Prayer at least 25 x 52 = 1,300 times.  I have recited the Nicene Creed 650 times and the Apostles creed 650 times as well.  I have sung about the gospel and have heard it preached and expressed in enough different and creative ways to save all the people in China.  I know the Sanctus, Agnus Dei, the Nunc Dimittis and the Benediction by heart as a result of similar repetitions.  These are all good things.  Other examples of repetition used throughout Liturgical worship would be statements like “Amen, Amen, Amen” ,   “The Lord be with you – and also with you”  and “Praise Be to You O Lord”. 

Repetition, particularly in a simple song can be powerful in that people will take it home with them after worship and might find themselves singing it during the week.  Consider adding one of these gems to your worship services.  “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” by Rick Founds is a good example.

Finally, I realize that 7/11 stores might only exist in the North East.  The graphic is an image of a slurpee drink from a 7/11 store in case you were wondering.

Father, 

Thank you for the wonderful gift of music with its incredible array of sounds, colors, moods and emotions.

Thank you for minor and major keys, rhythms, melodies and harmonies, and for the bountiful collection of chords.

Thank you for ballads and anthems, for multi-versed hymns, for Psalms and for spiritual songs.

Thank you for inspiring song writers of old; hymn writers, and modern contemporary writers.

Music would be nothing without you.

Thank you for allowing me to participate in leading your people in praise and worship. 

Thank you for my brain so that my musical abilities can be enhanced by my imagination, creativity, knowledge of musical notation and musical theory.

Thank you for my eyes so that I can read my music and so that I might one day see you face-to-face.

Thank you for the dexterity in my hands & fingers so that I can play my instrument.  Thank you for the sensitivity in my finger tips that you have perfectly balanced with the calluses that I need to play my instrument proficiently.

Thank you for my ears so that I can hear what I am playing, for tuning my instrument, and so that I might one day hear the chorus of angels that are praising you in heaven.

Thank you for my feet & toes so I can play my instrument and tap out a rhythm.

Thank you for my voice so that I can sing praises to you.

Thank you for my heart so that I can feel your presence as I play my instrument and sing.

Thank you for my soul that makes me different than anything else in your creation.

I would be nothing without you.

I am forever grateful to the gifts you have bestowed on me.

Help me to stay focused on you.

Open up my mind so that the Holy Spirit might guide my singing and my instrumental abilities.

May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. 

I pray this in my Lord and savior’s sweet name Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I stumbled upon a good web resource recently and wanted to pass it along.   This site is especially helpful if you are a guitarist interested in Lutheran hymns:

http://www.lutheranmusic.com/

How to get a Contemporary Sound with Your Guitar

One way of getting that thick contemporary sound is to use “2” Chords.  Plain Old Major chords are being used less and less in modern music.  So first let’s define a 2 chord, then let’s look at how to play them on the fretboard.

Major chords are defined as the three notes from the musical scale from positions 1-3-5.  So for example, a C major chord would be composed of the C-E-G notes as shown below:

 C1-D2-E3-F4-G5-A6-B7-C8

 To create a 2-chord, you need to use this formula: 1-2-5.  The “3’ is dropped because it does not sound good with the “2”.  So a C2 chord would consist of the notes: C-D-G.

 It is now easy to write out all the chords.  Here are the most common ones:

 A – A-B-E

B – B-C#-F#

Bb – Bb-C-F

C – C-D-G

D – D-E-A
E – E-F#-B

F – F-G-C

G – G-A-D

One nice way to play these chords is to use a 6-string bar chord.  This is shown in the diagram below.  Basically, it starts with an open chorded A2.  Then use your first finger, barred across all the frets and drag this chord shape up the neck.  At the third fret you will get a C2, at the fifth a D2, at the seventh an E2, at the eight a F2 and not shown; at the first fret you will have a Bb2 and at the second a B2.

Practice dragging this chord all over the neck until you can play all the notes cleanly.

One nice thing about this bar chord is that if you play all 6 strings, you are actually getting an inversion because the root is actually on the fifth string.   The sixth string is adding a different tone so for example, the C2 at third fret is really a C2/G and the D2 at the fifth fret is actually a D2/A and so on.  If you just want the pure chord, simply omit the sixth string by muting it or by not striking it.

As you practice dragging the chord up the neck, also memorize each chord name.

There are also open finger positions for most of these chords as well.  These are shown in the following diagram: 

A Liturgy based on Five Solas

Sola Scriptura : Scripture alone  

Pastor: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.   (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

All:      I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.   (Psalm 138:2)

Solus Christus: Christ alone

Pastor: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.   (Colossians 1:13-18)

All:  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.   (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Sola Gratia: Grace alone

Pastor:  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.   (Ephesians 1:7-8)

All: But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!   (Romans 5:15)

Pastor: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.   (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Sola Fide: Faith alone

Pastor: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.   (Romans 5:1-2)

Soli Deo Gloria: Glory To God alone

Pastor:  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.   (1 Corinthians 10:31)

All: To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.   (Revelation 1:6)

Pastor: For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.   (Romans 11:36)

Consider following up with the singing of “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend, or “To God Alone be the Glory” by Aaron Shust. 

You can here “To God Alone” here:

http://sjbrown58.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/to-god-alone-be-the-glory-sdg/

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of International Bible Society

Pastor: Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. – Psalm 31:16

All: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. – Psalm 37:6

Pastor: Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth – Psalm 80:1

All: Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. – Psalm 80:3

Pastor: Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. – Psalm 119:135

All: even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. – Psalm 139:12

Congregation Stands

Pastor: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. – Isaiah 60:1

All: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6

Pastor: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us – Psalm 67:1

Good Song Candidates to follow up with:

Traditional (Hymns):

Arise and Shine in Splendor      CW081

Rise, Shine, You People CW556

Adult Contemporary:

Shine Down LAPPY 267

Shine, Jesus, Shine LAPPY 270 & BOB 204

Teen, Christian Radio:

“Shine Like the Son” by Matt Maher

“We Shine” by Steve Fee

Key:

CW = Christan Worship (the WELS Lutheran Hymnal)

LAPPY = “Let All the People Praise You” NPH

BOB = “Best of the Best in Contemporary Praise and Worship” Fellowship Ministries

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of International Bible Society