Sing to the Lord a New Song in 2017

Every year, around this time, I offer a list of contemporary song selections for the upcoming year based on the lectionary readings. Here is a link to download my list for 2017:

Download Link

Enjoy!

This is an excerpt of what the file look like:

Sing to the Lord a New Song in 2017

 

Contemporary Song Choices for 2017 based on the Lectionary Readings
Date	Song Title	Writer	Scripture Ref
Jan 6 Epiphany	Mighty to Save	Reuben Morgan	Isa 60:1-3
	One Small Child	David Mecce	Mt 2:1-12
	Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)	Chris Tomlin	Mt 2:9-11
Jan 8 The Baptism of our Lord	One Small Child	David Mecce	Isa 42:1
Jan 15 Epiphany 2	Jesus, Son of God	Chris Tomlin	Jn 1:29
	Hear the Call of the Kingdom	Keith Getty	Acts 13:47
Jan 22 Epiphany 3	Whom Shall I Fear?	Chris Tomlin	Ps 27:1-3
	Children of Light	Stanfill, Reeves & Ingram	Isa 9:2
	Children of God	Mac Powell	1 Jn 3:1-2
	How Great is the Love	Paul Baloche	1 Jn 3:1-5
	Glorious Day	Mark Bird	1 Jn 3:2
Jan 29 Epiphany 4	Speak O Lord*	Keith Getty	Mic 6:8
	God of Justice	Tim Hughes	Mic 6:8
	Lord I Need You	Matt Maher	1 Cor 1:30
	Unwavering	Matt Maher	Mt 5:1-12
Feb 5 Epiphany 5	Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)	Chris Tomlin	Isa 58:6
	Here I Am Lord	Dan Schutte	Mt 5:14-16
	Hear the Call of the Kingdom	Keith Getty	Mt 5:16
Feb 12 Epiphany 6	Beautiful One	Tim Hughes	1Cor 2:8-10
	The Same Love	Paul Baloche	1 Th 4:7
	Speak O Lord	Keith Getty	1Cor 2:8-10
Feb 19 Epiphany 7	Living Stones	Michael Schmid	1Cor 3:10-14
	Your Grace Finds Me	Matt Redman	Mt 5:45

Saint Michael and All the Angels

Prayer of the Church

St. Michael and All Angels

The following prayers were written by a friend, Pastor Michael Zarling, for use on Sunday September 25.

Almighty God, in the beginning you made the earth and created mankind upon it. With your own hands you stretched out the heavens. You marshaled their starry hosts. You created humanity to have dominion upon the earth. You created the angels to guard the crown of your creation in all their ways.

For the works of your creation and our salvation, we join with the archangels, the cherubim, and seraphim in praising you, Lord. We gather around your throne to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord almighty. Heaven and earth is full of your glory.” We thank you that you send the angels as your servants to do you will. Your angels were present at the conception, birth, temptation, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus. We join with the angels in worshiping you for the work of your Son in winning salvation for the world and we sing with them, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.” We rejoice with the angels in heaven over every sinner who repents. We are grateful for the angels you send to carry the souls of your departed saints to Abraham’s side in heaven. We await the trumpet call on the Last when you will send your angels to gather your elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Prayers of intercession.

Gracious God and Father, we thank you for the gifts of forgiveness in Absolution, of cleansing from sin in Baptism, of Christ’s body and blood in Holy Communion, and of a peace that surpasses all understanding in the Benediction. We thank you for the message of the angels that announced Christ’s arrival, who proclaimed Christ’s resurrection, testified to Christ’s ascension and will trumpet Christ’s second coming. We are grateful for the holy angels you send to minister to us as they ministered to Christ in the wilderness. For all this, we thank you. And we ask that you hear our humble prayers, so that we might praise your holy name with one voice with the cherubim and seraphim, the apostles and prophets, the martyrs and your Holy Church, all through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Thank you Pastor Zarling for sharing.

Sing to the Lord a New Song in 2016

It was popular last year, so I am doing it again.  Here are my “new song” recommendations for each of your Lectionary-based worship services in the upcoming church year.  On most of the Sundays I have included a choice of songs.  I have not used all of these songs in worship and some of them were released in 2015 so please have your Pastor review all the lyrics prior to use.

Here is an excerpt of the song choices:

Contemporary Song Choices for 2015/2016 based on the Lectionary Readings
Date	Song Title	Writer	Scripture Ref
Nov 29 Advent 1	Overflow	Matt Maher	1 Th 3:12
	Lift High	Steve Fee	Lk 21:28
Dec 6 Advent 2	One Small Child	David Mecce	Mal 3:1-6
	Every Promise	Keith Getty	Php 1:6
	Give Us Clean Hands	Charlie Hall	Ps 24:3-6
Dec 13 Advent 3	Mighty to Save	Reuben Morgan	Zeph 3:17
	Rescuer	Johnny Parks	Zeph 3:17
	Whole World in His Hands	Tim Hughes	Zeph 3:17
	East to West	Mark Hall	Php 4:6-7
Dec 20 Advent 4	My Soul Magnifies the Lord	Chris Tomlin	Luke 1:46-51
Dec 24 Christmas Eve	We Have a Savior	Reuben Morgan	Isa 9:6
	Emmanuel (Hallowed manger Ground)	Chris Tomlin	Lk 2:6-7
	He Shall Reign Forevermore	Chris Tomlin	Isa 9:6-7
	Joy has Dawned	Keith Getty	Lk 2:1-20
	Glory in the Highest	Chris Tomlin	Lk 2:13-14
Dec 25 Christmas Day	Glorious Day	Mark Hall	Jn 1:1-2
	Uncreated One	Chris Tomlin	Jn 1:1-4
Dec 27 Christmas 1	Offering (Christmas Version)	Paul Baloche
Jan 3 Christmas 2	Abba Father	Steve Fry	Gal 4:6
	Rise and Sing	Steve Fee	Lk 1:68
	Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?	Martin Smith	Ps 148:7
	Beautiful Savior	Stuart Townend	Col 1:13-14
	Uncreated One	Chris Tomlin	Col 1:15-17
	The Heart of Worship	Matt Redman	Col 1:17-18

You can download the entire file for free here:

https://app.box.com/s/bt7zkk1s8zl0sljuvf9smc8tm2sjqfdl

The Top Five Reasons for Rejecting Some of Today’s Music

I do not reject any contemporary song for the sole reason of it being “too light.” If I did, I would also have to reject the singing of Psalm 117 and cringe at what the angels are singing in heaven. Sorry, I am not about to do that!

But there are some good reasons to reject some of the Christian songs coming out today. Perhaps what I am about to say is only for my denomination based on it’s doctrines, but I don’t think so. Every Christian should take heed.

Here are the main reasons why I reject certain songs coming our today:

1. The focus is on man, and our actions rather than on Christ, God the Father or the Holy Spirit. There are too many songs about us worshiping, us bowing down, us loving, us praising, us lifting, us singing, us, us, us, me, me, I, I … You get the picture. Some of this is fine but the song must also include the reason for our actions. Incredibly, too many songs fail this test!
2. The next big one is what I would call “decision theology.” This is where we have the wherewithal to accept Jesus on our own, without acknowledging that He loved us first and that He chose us first. He is the initiator. I am very leery of songs that even use the word “choose or accept” in their lyrics unless it’s Jesus doing the choosing or accepting.
3. There are huge denominational differences on the Sacraments. You need to be very careful on Communion and Baptism themed songs. Run these all by your Pastor before even giving them a blink of your eye.
4. Watch for legalism. It’s in the lyrics. Stuff we have to do to gain eternal life as opposed to what Jesus has already done on our behalf.
5. Watch for lyrics that can easily be misinterpreted. One that always gets my Lutheran ears ringing is actually a line in the Athanasian Creed that says: “Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into eternal fire.” I’ve heard this one rightly explained but it takes lots of backpedaling. My advice – avoid similar notions in your song selections.

These are the big 5. There are others, but I find that most contemporary writers shy away from deep theological and doctrinal statements in their music that would limit their acceptance in Christendom.

All that being said, there is a plethora of incredible new music being released every day!

Sing to the Lord a New Song in 2014/2015

Sing to the Lord a New Song in 2014/2015

It was popular last year, so I am doing it again. Here are my “new song” recommendations for each of your Lectionary-based worship services in the upcoming church year. On many of the Sundays I have included a choice of songs.

Email me at sjbrown58 “at” yahoo “dot” com if you would like a copy of this file.

Contemporary Song Choices for 2014/2015 based on the Lectionary Readings
Date	Song Title	Writer	Scripture Ref
Nov 30 Advent 1	Since the World Began	Mac Powell	Isa 64:1-9
Dec 7 Advent 2	A Baby Will Come	Bill Wolf	Isa 40:3-5
	Jesus, Son of God	Chris Tomlin	Mark 1:1
Dec 14 Advent 3	Our God Saves	Paul Baloche	Isa 61:3
	How Can I Keep from Singing?	Chris Tomlin	1Thess 5:18
	The Way	Jeremy Camp	Jn 1:5-7
Dec 21 Advent 4	Born That We May Have Life	Chris Tomlin	Luke 1:26-38
Dec 24 Christmas Eve	We Have a Savior	Reuben Morgan	Isa 9:6
	Emmanuel (Hallowed manger Ground)	Chris Tomlin	Lk 2:6-7
Dec 25 Christmas Day	Glorious Day	Mark Hall	Jn 1:1-2
Dec 28 Christmas 1	Name Above All Names	Tim Hughes	Isa 45:22-24
	God of Justice	Tim Hughes	Col3:12
	Build Your Kingdom Here	Rend Collective	Col 3:14-16
Jan 4 Christmas 2	I Will Sing of My Redeemer	Chad Cates	Eph 1:1-7
	Sing and Shout	Matt Redman	Eph 1:1-8
	Let Our God be Praised	Michael Farren	Eph 1:3
	You Alone Can Rescue	Matt Redman	Eph 1:4
	Salvation’s Song	Stuart Townend	Eph 1:13
	It is You	Peter Furler	Eph 1:7-8
Jan 6 Epiphany	Mighty to Save	Reuben Morgan	Isa 60:1-3
	Children of God	Mac Powell	Eph 3:6
	One Small Child	David Mecce	Mt 2:1-12
Jan 11 The Baptism of our Lord	Like a Lion	David Bashta	Acts 16:25-26
	Jesus, Son of God	Chris Tomlin	Mk 1:1
Jan 18 Epiphany 2	Word of God Speak	Bart Millard	1 Sam 3:9
	They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love	Peter Scholtes	1 Cor 6:17
Jan 25 Epiphany 3	Go Fish	Micahel Schmid	Mk 1:17-18
Feb 1 Epiphany 4	You are Able	Christy Nockles	Dan 3:17
	Lord I Need You	Matt Maher	1 Cor 1:30
	Redemption Song	Marc Byrd	1 Cor 1:30
Feb 8 Epiphany 5	10,000 Reasons	Matt Redman	Ps 103:1-5
Feb 15 Transfiguration	Farewell to Alleluia	To the tune of “Ode to Joy”
	Open the Eyes of My Heart	Paul Baloche
Feb 18 Ash Wed	The Scandal of Grace	Hillsong United	2 Cor 5:20-21
	Jesus Messiah	Chris Tomlin	2 Cor 5:21
Feb 22 Lent 1	Counting on Your Name	Tim Hughes	Rom 8:31-39
	Across the Lands	Getty & Townend	Rom 8:34
	Jesus, Son of God	Chris Tomlin	Rom 8:35-39
	Whom Shall I Fear	Chris Tomlin	Rom 8:38
Mar 1 Lent 2	Awesome in This Place	Dave Billington	Gen 28:17
	Amazing Love (You Are My King)	Billy Foote	Rom 5:8
	Grace Like Rain	Todd Agnew	Rom 5:8
	Sweetly Broken	Jeremy Riddle	Rom 5:8-11
	White Flag	Chris Tomlin	Mk 8:34
	Give Me Jesus	Ortega & Jeremy Camp	Mk 8:36-37
Mar 8 Lent 3	The Scandal of Grace	Hillsong United	1 Cor 1:23
Mar 15 Lent 4	All Because of Jesus	Steve Fee	Eph 2:4-5
	And Can it Be?	Bob Kauflin	Eph 2:4-7
	How Deep the Father’s Love for Us	Getty & Townend	Eph 2:4-9
	Grace Alone	Scott Wesley Brown	Eph 2:5-9
	Wonderful Maker	Chris Tomlin	John 3:16
	This is Amazing Grace	Phil Wickham	Jn 3:16
	Jesus Saves	Jeremy Camp	Jn 3:16-17
	Light has Come	Matt Maher	Jn 3:19
Mar 22 Lent 5	Be Glorified	Chris Tomlin	Jn 12:23
	Be Lifted High	Chris Tomlin	Jn 12:32-36
Mar 29 Palm Sunday	Jesus Messiah	Chris Tomlin	Php 2:1-11
	Like an Avalanche	Joel Houston	Php 2:1-16
	Lamb of God	Twila Paris	Php 2:6-11
	Hosanna	Brooke Fraser	Mk 11:9
	Hosanna (Praise is Rising)	Paul Baloche	Mk 11:9-10
Apr 2 Maundy Thursday	Make Us One	Twila Paris	1 Cor 10:16,17
Apr 3 Good Friday	Lead Me to the Cross	Brooke Fraser	Heb 4:15
	Lord, I Need You	Matt Maher	Heb 4:16
	Nothing but the Blood	Matt Redman	Heb 4:16
	Your Grace Finds Me	Matt Redman	Heb 4:16
Apr 5 Easter (Dawn)	First Song of Isaiah	Jack Nobel White	Isa 12:2-6
	In Christ Alone	Getty & Townend	1 Cor 15:51-57
	Across the Lands	Getty & Townend	1 Cor 15:54-55
	Mighty to Save	Reuben Morgan	1 Cor 15:54-55
	Christ is Risen	Matt Maher	1 Cor 15:55 & Jn 20
	Let God Arise	Chris Tomlin	1 Cor 15:55
	Resurrection Hymn	Getty & Townend	1 Cor 15:57
Apr 5 Easter	This is Amazing Grace	Phil Wickham	1 Cor 15:20-23
	All Because of Jesus	Steve Fee	1 Cor 15:22
Apr 12 Easter 2	Arise	Paul Baloche	Acts 3:19
	Like a Lion	Michael Bashta	1 Jn 5:4-5
Apr 19 Easter 3	In Christ Alone	Getty & Townend	Acts 4:11-12
	Your Name	Paul Baloche	Acts 4:12
	Nothing but the Blood	Matt Redman	1 Jn 1:7 & 2:1
Apr 26 Easter 4	You Are so Good to Me	Ben Pasley	Acts 4:31
	Because of Your Love	Paul Baloche	1 Jn 3:1
	Lost in Wonder	Martin Layzell	1 Jn 3:1
	Children of God	Mac Powell	1 Jn 3:1-2
	How Great is the Love?	Paul Baloche	1 Jn 3:1-5
May 3 Easter 5	I Need You More	Marc James	Jn 15:5
May 10 Easter 6	The Highest and Greatest	Tim Hughes	1 Jn 4:4
	Jesus, Son of God	Chris Tomlin	1 Jn 4:10
May 14 Ascension	Jesus Saves	Tim Hughes	Acts 1:8
	Jesus Saves	Jeremy Camp	Acts 1:8
	Glorious	Paul Baloche	Acts 1:10
	Glorious Day	Mark Hall	Acts 1:11
	The Scandal of Grace	Hillsong United	Eph 1:18
	Open the Eye of My Heart Lord	Paul Baloche	Eph 1:18-21
	Overcome	Jon Egan	Eph 1:20
May 17 Easter 7	Alive and Running	Kristian Stanfill	1 Jn 4:14
	My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness	Getty & Townend	1 Jn 4:18
	You Never Let Go	Matt Redman	1 Jn 4:18
	Jesus, Son of God	Chris Tomlin	1 Jn 4:19
	The Power of Your Name	Paul Baloche	Jn 17:11
	The Name of Jesus	Chris Tomlin	Jn 17:11
May 24 Pentecost	Awake My Soul	Chris Tomlin	Ez 37:4-10, Acts 2:1-3
	Holy Spirit Rain Down	Russell Fragar	John 14:26
May 31 Holy Trinity	I See the Lord	Chris Falson	Isa 6:1-3
	Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty	Matt Maher	Isa 6:1-8
	Our Great God	Fernando Ortega	Isa 6:2-6
	Wonderful, Merciful, Savior	Dawn Rodgers	Rom 8:14-16
June 7 Pentecost 2	The Way	Jeremy Camp	2 Cor 4:6
June 14 Pentecost 3	Overflow	Matt Maher	2 Cor 4:15
June 21 Pentecost 4	By Faith	Keith Getty	2 Cor 5:7
June 28 Pentecost 5	Cannons	Phil Wickham	Job 38:4-7
	The Scandal of Grace	Hillsong United	2 Cor 5:15, 20-21
	Jesus Messiah	Chris Tomlin	2 Cor 5:21
	East to West	Mark Hall	2 Cor 5:21
	Holding Nothing Back	Tim Hughes	2 Cor 5:17
July 5 Pentecost 6	Whole World in His Hands	Tim Hughes	Lam 3:21-24
	I Lift My Hands	Chris Tomlin	Lam 3:21-24
	Faithful	Chris Tomlin	Lam 3:23
	The Lord Our God	Kristian Stanfill	Lam 3:23
	In Christ Alone	Getty & Townend	Lam 3:23-25
July 12 Pentecost 7	Your Grace is Enough	Matt Maher	2 Cor 12:9
	Your Grace Finds Me	Matt Redman	2 Cor 12:9
	His Strength is Perfect	Steven Curtis Chapman	2 Cor 12:9-10
July 19 Pentecost 8	I Will Sing of My Redeemer	Chad Cates	Eph 1:1-7
	Sing and Shout	Matt Redman	Eph 1:1-8
	Let Our God be Praised	Michael Farren	Eph 1:3
	You Alone Can Rescue	Matt Redman	Eph 1:4
	Salvation’s Song	Stuart Townend	Eph 1:13
	It is You	Peter Furler	Eph 1:7-8
July 26 Pentecost 9	Through the Cross	Ben Cantelon	Eph 2:15-17
Aug 2 Pentecost 10	They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love	Peter Scholtes	Eph 4:2-4
	May the Words of My Mouth	Tim Hughes	Eph 4:15
	Oceans – Where Feet May Fail	Joel Houston	Eph 4:14-16
Aug 9 Pentecost 11	Take My Life	Scott Underwood	Eph 4:23-25
	Breathe	Marie Barnett	John 6:35
Aug 16 Pentecost 12	People Need the Lord	Greg Nelson	Eph 4:35
	Savior of the World	Ben Cantelon	Eph 4:39-42
	Miracle Maker	Martin Smith	Eph 5:1-15
	Come Just as You Are	Joseph Sabolick	Jn 6:47
Aug 23 Pentecost 13	Holy Spirit	Keith Getty	Eph 5:18
Aug 30 Pentecost 14	Rescue	Jared Andersen	Jn 6:68
	Rescuer		Jn 6:68
	Son of God	Ed Cash	Jn 6:69
Sept 6 Pentecost 15	O Church Arise	Getty & Townend	Eph 6:10-18
Sept 13 Pentecost 16	O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing	David Crowder	Isa 35:4-6
	Everything, God in My Living	Tim Hughes	James 1:17
	Everything	Chris Tomlin	James 1:17
	Overflow	Matt Maher	James 1:17
	Friend of God	Michael Gungor	James 2:23
Sept 20 Pentecost 17	Word of God Speak	Bart Millard	Isa 50:4
	White Flag	Chris Tomlin	Mk 8:34
Sept 27 Pentecost 18	Yesterday, Today and Forever	Viccky Beeching	James 3:17
	The Servant Song	Richard Gillard	Mk 9:35
	Let the Children Come	Michael Card	Mk 9:37
Oct 4 Pentecost 19	Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer	Keith Getty	James 4:8
Oct 11 Pentecost 20	Come and See	Lenny LeBlanc	Heb 2:9
	Worthy is the Lamb	Jeff Nelson	Heb 2:9
	Let the Children Come	Michael Card	Mk 10:13-16
Oct 18 Pentecost 21	I Stand for You	Jon Ellis	Mk 10:21
	By Faith	Keith Getty	Mk 10:27
Oct 25 Pentecost 22	In Christ Alone	Getty & Townend	Isa 53:10-11
	Purify My Heart	Jeff Nelson	Isa 53:11-12
	Once Again	Matt Redman	Isa 53:11-12
	How Deep the Father’s Love for Us	Getty & Townend	Isa 53:12
	Our Great God	Fernando Ortega	Isa 53:12
	Thy Word	Amy Grant	Heb 4:12
	Before the Throne of God	Vikki Cook	Heb 4:14016
	Jesus Messiah	Chris Tomlin	Mk 10:45
Nov 1 Reformation	Salt and Light	Jon L’Ecuyer	Jer 18:6
	O Church Arise	Getty & Townend
Nov 8 Last Judgment	Here’s My Heart	Chris Tomlin	Mal 4:2
	The Wonder of the Cross	Vicky Beeching	Heb 9:28
	Glorious Day	Mark Hall	Heb 9:28
Nov 15 Saint’s Triumphant	How Can I Keep from Singing?	Chris Tomlin
Nov 22 Christ the King	O Worship the King	Chris Tomlin	Dan 7:9-22
	And Can it Be?	Bob Kauflin	Rev 1:4-6
	Amazing Love (You are My King)	Billy Foote	Rev 1:5
	The Scandal of Grace	Hillsong United	Rev 1:5
	Behold the Lamb	Keith Getty	Rev 1:5
	Glory to God Forever	Steve Fee	Rev 1:6
Nov 26 Thanksgiving	My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness	Keith Getty
	Enough	Chris Tomlin	Php 4:19
	All We Need	Charlie Hall	Php 4:19

 

The Gift of Music

The Gift of Music

Good musicians say that it is not the notes but the pauses between the notes that make music.

Our God just pours out blessings upon blessings on us believers through His gracious gift of music. We need to use it wisely to His glory. Just pause for a moment and think about how great music really is.

To take the gift of music and use it for the reason God gave it to us is nothing short of miraculous, no matter how simple or how elaborate the offering is, how new or old it is and whether it is accompanied by one instrument or one hundred. As long as it proclaims truth and comes from a heart of praise, our singing delights the heart of God. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The Musician

• The Holy Spirit fills the heart of the musician to the point of overflow.

• Filled musicians will easily find the “pocket” of the song.

• A good musician is humble, with a heart longing after God’s.

• A good musician does not want to be on a platform. They desire the opposite; to be made “less of” so that God may increase. They understand that if you don’t have a hunger for the things of God, then you must be full of yourself.

• A good musician will not only lead a congregation in worship, their actions will command it. Being filled with the Spirit, they will engage you to sing, to praise, to pray, to feel the music and to listen with your heart. People will want to join in and sing.

The Lyrics

• Good lyrics embrace me. Like a rare earth magnet, they can pull you into the song.

• Good lyrics are memorable. They are truthful, Christ-centered, gospel-focused, bursting with grace, filled with scriptural language and remind us of hope. I recently heard the word hope described as this acronym: “Hold On, Pain Ends.”

• Good lyrics become part of your vocabulary.

• Good lyrics stimulate your emotions, especially longing to be with God

The Music

• Music is a symphony of harmonies blending together around a melody and being carried by a groove that diffuses into your heart.

• A good melody is easy to sing and as memorable as Yankee Doodle Dandy. It is enjoyable. It adds strength to the lyrics. It matches the mood and feeling of the worship.

• A good beat gets your foot tapping; even the most stoic Lutheran.

The Test

You’ll know when you have heard a good song, offered by a gifted musician who understands the source of the gift, with finely honed truth-filled lyrics and a beat that drives the message into your melon – it’s the song that you’ve chosen for your funeral! My guess is that it’s hymn.

 

The Importance of the Opening Song

 

Welcome to Worship

One hundred people enter from all walks of life.  Some are struggling with addictions, some with divorce, some with a job they don’t like, some with mis-behaving children, some with family troubles, some are over-worked, some are in financial ruin, some are dealing with loss, some are looking for work, some struggle with disease, some are overwhelmed, some are near to death, some are depressed, some are insecure, some are feeling heaps of guilt from a signature sin, some are bewildered, some doubt God’s existence, some wonder if God hears their prayers, some need counseling, some are perfectionists, some are burned out, all are sinners, and some actually think they are normal and trouble-free.  These are the people I worship with every Sunday.  I am one of them. Welcome to worship.

“We open this morning’s worship in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” – Your Pastor

Now that deserves a response! It is time for the opening song.

My favorite song location is the “Hymn of the Day.”  It is sung right before the sermon and to the best of our ability is lyrically spot-on with his message and the scripture readings.

Next to the HOTD, my song of choice is the opening congregational piece because the Spirit can use this song to help prepare the tribe of varied worshippers with their myriad mindsets into a unified group of believers and followers with one common goal – if not only for the next hour.  This is the song that the Holy Spirit can use to level the playing field.  This is the song that helps to prepare our minds for worship.  This is the song that delineates the worship service from the rest of the weekly grind. This is the wake up call.  This is the call to worship. Reveille! This song is the trend setter for the mood of the service to follow. This song is powerful because the Spirit is present in the gathered assembly. You are in worship and your problems, troubles, concerns and thoughts are minimized in comparison to the Almighty.  He can handle all of these burdens before blinking if He so desires.

How To Choose This Song

There are several hints in the preceding paragraph.  It is a wake up call – it can be lively.  It prepares people for worship – it should be edifying and pointing to God. It is used by the Holy Spirit – it needs to be grounded in scriptural truths. It needs to show who is in charge and it’s not you, your family, your job, your financial situation, your anything – it is Christ centered, or Gospel centered, or God centered. It’s like a compass always pointing to the truth.  It is a piece that people can rely on.  It is a piece that helps to carry them through the upcoming week. The song should move their heart, mind, body and soul.

Looking for a Few God Songs?

Meaty Hymns:

• Blessed Jesus, at Your Word
• Stand Up! Stand Up! For Jesus – try singing this one      actually standing up for a change.
• God Himself is Present
• To Your Temple I Draw Near
• Now the Silence

New Songs:

• Gather in His Name – by Gwen Smith and Carl Cartee
• Enter This Temple – by Leland Mooring
• Here I Am Lord – Dan Schutte
• Here With Me – Bart Millard
• Here for You – by Matt Reman and Matt Maher
• Here – by Kari Jobe
• Meet Us Here – Mike Honholtz

Moods and Tones of the Season

Moods and Tones of the Season

Season	Mood & Tone & Emotions & Key Words	Chord Types	A Good Hymn Example	A Good Contemporary Song Example
Advent	Anticipation Expectation Hope Promise Repentance Light Waiting	Diminished Suspended 4 Sevenths	Come, O Long Expected Jesus	Behold the Lamb (Shaun Starbuck)
Christmas Eve	Excited Awe Silence Reverence Peace	Major Suspended	Silent Night	Glory in the Highest (Chris Tomlin)
Christmas Day	Celebration Joy Big Party Excitement	Major Power 5	Joy to the World	All Creation Sing (Steve Fee)
Epiphany	Ministry Baptism	Major 7	How Lovely Shines the Morning Star	Offering – Christmas Version (Baloche)
Transfiguration	Glory Light Wow	Major Augmented Ninths Diminished Add 9	Down from the Mount of Glory	Speak O Lord(Getty & Townend)
Ash Wednesday	Repentance Sorrow Introspective	Minor Minor 7	O Gracious Lord, with Love Draw Near	The Scandal of Grace Hillsongs)
Lent	Sins Mini-Easters	Minor (mid-week) Major (Sundays)	O Sacred Head Now Wounded	The Power of the Cross (Getty & Townend)
Palm Sunday	Praise Humility Hosanna	Major Augmented	All Glory, Laud and Honor	Hosanna – Praise is Rising (Baloche & Brown)
Maundy Thursday	Love Communion Fellowship	Major	‘Twas on that Dark, that Doleful Night	Broken and Poured Out (Kevin Bueltmann)
Good Friday	Funeral Despair Guilt Sorrow Somber Sadness Darkness Tearful	Minor Minor 6 Minor add 9 Suspended Diminished Seven – Minor9	Oh, Darkest Woe	How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (Getty & Townend)
Easter	Celebration Wedding Big Party Excitement Happiness Energetic Upbeat Hallelujah Alleluia	Major Power 5 Major 7	Christ the Lord is Risen Today	Christ is Risen (Matt Maher)
Good Shepherd Sunday	Protection Solitude Serenity Tranquility Peace	Major 7	The King of Love My Shepherd Is	You Never Let Go (Matt Redman)
Ascension	Wow Alone	Major	A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing	Glorious (Baloche & Brown)
Pentecost	Inspiring Spiritual Gifts Prayers	Major Suspended 2	Hail Thee, Festival Day	Where the Spirit of the Lord Is (Tomlin & Nockels)
Reformation	Boldness Confidence Faith The Church Scriptures Lutheran Traditional Liturgical	Major Power 5	A Mighty Fortress	Mighty Fortress (Shust & Baloche)
End Times	Fear Joy Judgment	Major Diminished Augmented Add 9	Forever with the Lord	A Mighty Fortress (Nockels)
Thanksgiving	Thanks Blessings	Major	Now Thank We all Our God	My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness (Getty & Townend)

 

Most people, even non-musicians know that major chords sound happy and that minor chords sound sad but it goes deeper than that. Much deeper.

For example,

A minor sixth chord is the saddest chord on earth. I am quite sure that this chord will not exist in heaven.  It sounds of loneliness, separation, abandonment and heartbreak.

An Augmented chord is used to express astonishment, amazement, surprise, magic and transformation.  Substitute it into a Transfiguration song!