September 7, 2008

The “first song” has been an issue in our church for years. In short, worship is a response to God, and most people are not in the mindset to respond to God from the beginning. In order for the beginning of our service to be a response, yesterday we began with a verse from 1 John 4:14-16. We had a ton of visitors, so I said a few words about our belief in God, Jesus as God’s Son and the sent Savior of the world, and that our service was a response to that. It’s a strong opinion of mine that we are clear about our belief as a church, especially considering the day and time.

All Creatures Of Our God and King
Words by Francis of Assisi.
Arrangement by David Crowder, with additions by Vintage21 Church

We’ve done this song for years, with many different arrangements. This particular arrangement will stick, and the congregation can really sing out due to the repeating “Hallelujah, Oh Praise Him” at the end. It worked great as a closer a few weeks back, but perhaps was too intense out of the gate yesterday, as the congregation didn’t seem to be ready yet. Again, I ask: What would happen if people woke up on Sunday, prayed and spent time meditating on God’s word, repented, and thanked God before attending a church service?

Chainbreaker
Words by Charlie Hall
Music by Kendall Combes, Dustin Ragland, Brian Bergman, Quint Anderson

This is a new song for us at Vintage21 Church, and it went over tremendously. There is great energy, well-written parts, and- most importantly, represents well of God. Over time I’ve developed an issue surrounding a lot of worship songs- they are true, but is it the best thing we can sing about God? Charlie Hall’s tune “Chainbreaker” is a great song on all accounts, and his lyrics challenge both followers of Christ and the seekers and doubters who attend our service as well.

“We are free, we are free, yeah the Son has set us free
Drop your chains, sons and daughters, come and run in liberty”

Sermon: Ecclesiastes 1
Today was the beginning of our new series, Ecclesiastes: What are You Made Of? This oft-misunderstood book will provide a challenge to our church, as everything we pursue apart from Christ is portrayed as vapor, mist, nothingness. Visit http://ecclesiastesv21.com/ for more on our series.

No Eye Has Seen
Words and Music by Holly Dwan

What a beautiful passage in Isaiah 64 and 1 Corinthians 2 – we can’t even fathom God’s grace in our lives. All we can do is follow Him, and confidently expect His love and mercy. This message was much-needed on the tail end of our Ecclesiastes opening, where Pastor Tyler sufficiently wrecked our flimsy foundations of worldly trust, and called us to trust in God. This song was allowed us to transition by singing of the goodness that comes from trusting God

How Great Thou Art
Words by Carl Gustav Boberg, translated by Stuart K. Hine
Arrangement by Vintage21 Church

This version is done in a swinging, bluesy style, seeking to capture the soulful roots found in the lyrics. I’m not sure if it’s the time period I associate with this song (late sixties- thanks to Elvis) but this song should be sung with the feeling that few genres capture better than soul. Yesterday was a packed house, and when we broke it down to an a capella chorus,  it was beautiful.

Chainbreaker (we repeat new songs)

We’ll Praise You (Psalm 150)
Words and Music by Matt Stevens

This song had more energy yesterday than ever before. This is due to people gaining familiarity with it, but mainly a sign to me that God is moving in our service- He’s revealing Himself, and leading us in a heartfelt response. The best thing about yesterday was at the end, after a great second set of songs, it seemed like just the beginning of praise. All the songs in the world would leave us incomplete in our praise of God- “Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart” (Ecc. 3:11). We’ve no other option but to continue praising God from our heart through our actions after the service is over.

Today’s Sunday Review is posted in collaboration with other church music ministries at FredMcKinnon.Com.