October 4, 2009

This was the first Sunday my band has led together since early August. It was a welcome return, and I was reminded of the difference made by playing with musicians you’re familiar with. The previous weeks playing with a mix of folks was a lot of fun, and they are very good, but the familiarity of your own band does make a difference.

And Can It Be That I Should Gain
Words by Charles Wesley
Music by Thomas Campbell
Arrangement by Vintage21 Church
While this song used to be a bit more reflective due to the arrangement and lyrics, we’ve begun opening the service with this. It poses an important question to start with “And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?” For those who do not follow Christ, the challenge is there- “Can I gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?” For the followers of Christ, singing this should shed light on whether or not we view this as an honor.

Dearly We’re Bought
Words by Joseph Hart
Music by Matthew S. Welch, 2004
Arrangement by Vintage21 Church, 2009
I’ve been a fan of Red Mountain Church music for several years, and this is one of the first songs that jumped out at me. I’m drawn towards energy and passion, and long for the church not only to sing beautiful melodies but to sing their hearts out in anthem-style choruses. By that I don’t mean U2-in-a-stadium choruses, but Avett Brothers-yelling-in-a-club. The chorus of this song should be something we sing with passion, and I believe it would please God if we really believed it: “Dearly we’re bought, highly esteemed. Redeemed, with Jesus’ blood redeemed.”
Several weeks ago we met as a band to discuss our sound, and the direction we’d like to go. In rehearsal, as we re-worked the arrangement, it was a good chance for all of us to work on a song together. The end result seems to be a good picture of our sound, and I’m pleased with the feel of it.

Sermon: The Gospel Is Biblical

Dearly We’re Bought
Words by Joseph Hart
Music by Matthew S. Welch, 2004
Arrangement by Vintage21 Church, 2009
We repeat new songs in the second set.

How Deep The Father’s Love For Us
Words and Music by Stuart Townend
We run three services on Sunday mornings, leaving us with just enough time to sing three songs. On September 27 and this Sunday as well, we’ve dropped down drastically for the second song in Set #2, hoping this allows for a reflective moment in our worship, where the instruments take a backseat to the voices.

By Thy Mercy (Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory)
Words by James Cummins, 1839
Music by Greg Thompson, 2004
Additional Music and Lyrics by Matt Stevens, 2008
We’ve found our groove on this one. It reminds me of the difficulty of church music – every “gig” is a big one, and without repeating songs regularly, it takes much longer to settle into a song. With my outside band, we play the same songs at each show, only slightly varying the set list. Thus we work out the kinks much more quickly.

All in all, a beautiful Sunday. I was taken back by how loud the congregation sang. Let’s do this, church. Let’s sing our hearts out together – he’s worth it.

Band
Sound: Matt “The Fourth Musketeer” Nickerson
Bass: Jerry “On Fire With Blind Jokes” Updyke
Drums: Daniel “I Got Your Groove Right Here” Deese
Backing Vocals: Tiffany “Nearly Killed Doc Watson” Ashford
Keys: Scott “Sugar Sweet” Andrews
Lead Guitar: Steven “Riff Factory” Suits
Guitar, Vocals: Matt “Baby Daddy” Stevens

Today’s Sunday Review is posted in collaboration with other church music ministries at Fred McKinnon’s Sunday Setlists.