Category: Worship
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O Come All You Unfaithful
As much as I appreciate and enjoy the traditional Christmas hymns and carols – O Come All Ye Faithful high up on my list – here is a worthy addition to the Christmas song catalog: O Come All You Unfaithful. Though not an especially new song, (it has been around for several years,) this song beautifully…
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Are Some Christmas Songs Better Than Others?
Are some Christmas hymns better than others? Consider what Martin Luther says to his Anglican friends in this imaginary discussion, from Lutheran Satire.
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Worship: The Center of Our Existence
“We worship God because God created us to worship him. Worship is at the center of our existence, at the heart of our reason for being. God created us to be his image – an image that would reflect his glory. In fact the whole creation was brought into existence to reflect divine glory. The…
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Ashamed of Jesus?
This past Sunday I introduced the lyrics of an old hymn to our congregation, as part of a message from John 18.1-27 about Peter’s denial of Jesus. The point I was making is that while we are easily “ashamed” of Jesus, whether conscious of it or not, our relationship with Jesus – and with God…
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Roots & Wings: Indelible Grace
Kevin Twit and Indelible Grace have helped, directly or indirectly, shape and deepen worship for hundreds and thousands of congregations. Indelibile Grace was at the forefront of the movement to renew old hymns by setting the rich lyrics to newer music. While, no doubt, this had been tried before, it was Indelible Grace music that…
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9 Reasons People Are Not Singing in Worship
Charles Spurgeon once quipped: “God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy exultation.” While Spurgeon is right, the problem is that in many congregations the people are not “praising God with the voice”. If the folks at Renewing Worship are to be believed, part of the reason is…
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I Will Praise You
A live performance by my friend Ginny Owens of a song from her (relatively) new album: I Have a Secret. This song just seems appropriate today, as some very close to me are experiencing serious life challenges. But in each case, regardless of the immediate outcomes, I know they will be praising God.
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Be Not Afraid
by John Michael Talbot You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst./ You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way./ You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand./ You shall see the face of God and live. Chorus: Be not afraid.…
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This is Christmas
Check out this simple, original Christmas song by my old, dear friend, Ginny Owens. You can also check out Ginny’s Christmas Album, Bring Us Peace, on I-tunes.
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Grace & Peace: The Song
This song from Sovereign Grace Music, that shares the same title as this blog, is a three verse meditation on Romans 1.7: Verse 1 Grace and peace, oh how can this be / For lawbreakers and thieves / For the worthless, the least / You have said, that our judgment is death / For all eternity / Without hope, without…
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Evangelistic Worship
by Tim Keller THE WORSHIP WARS One of the basic features of church life in the U.S. today is the proliferation of worship and music forms. This in turn has caused many severe conflicts both within individual congregations and whole denominations. Most books and articles about recent worship trends tend to fall into one of…
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Four Streams of Worship
Worship involves action and response. God’s Action: God graciously invites us into his presence. (Isaiah 55; Matthew 11.28) Our Response: We come reverently, aware of God’s holiness and significance; and we express humility by confessing our sins. (see Isaiah 6) God’s Action: God speaks the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation to us. Our Response: We…
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God-Centered Worship
by Robert Hartmann I recently listened to a preacher instructing other preachers on how to deliver God-centered sermons. The speaker pointed out that of the many things that people would like to hear in a sermon, and the many things that we think they should hear, a sermon is really achieving its purpose only when it…
