Preparing For Worship: June 29th

Well our second week in our new church is upon us, and I'm looking forward to a great time worshiping with all of you!

Here's what's going on this Sunday, so you can begin preparing to come edify, and participate with, our local body.

We're starting the service with a song that reflects on Pastor Todd's message from last week: "No Other Name." We remember that God has exalted his name and his Word above all, and so it's fitting that as we gather together, we acknowledge his sovereignty and recognize that from him alone comes our salvation.

We'll have a few important items to stay informed on through announcements, including:
-Community Night #2, July 13th at Bridgeport Park
-Women of Faith Conference in September
-Our 2nd, and final, giving Sunday (special offering towards the cost of renovating our new building)

We'll continue in corporate song, and glorify the name and character of God by singing "Everlasting God" which comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 40, then we'll see how God's name is exalted again through the exaltation of his Son in Phillipians 2 with the new song "Ancient of Days." We'll respond to those truths with heart and mind in one accord as we acknowledge that even if all other things fail us, God is the only one we need, for he alone is good, as we sing "You Alone."

Next we'll view a short video that will give us some information about the trip that Crossroads will be taking to Israel next year (followed by a short meeting after the service). I've been to Israel once, and can't wait to go again next year! I felt like seeing all those places that we read about in Scripture really took my faith to a new place! ["Blessed are those who have NOT seen, and yet still believe" right? ;-)]

Pastor Todd will then come and bring us part two of this mini-series within Ecclesiastes: "Significant Lives." Solomon continues to deliver timely and practical advice for living life under the sun in light of who God is.

We'll respond corporately by singing songs that remind us of Solomon's advice to fear God, as we humbly bow "At The Cross" on which our Savior redeemed us and claimed us from the bondage of sin. We'll rejoice and exhort every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord by ending our service with "For You Are The Lord."

Happy preparation!

New Song: Ancient Of Days

Those of you who've grown up in the church may remember this song from Gary Sadler. It was Ron Kenoly who "put it on the map" so to speak. I love the way this song uses end time prophecy from the book of Revelation, as it anticipates the coming of the Lord, and how all creation will bow to his sovereignty.

Here are the lyrics, practice up!

Ancient of Days

Blessing and honor
Glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From ev'ry nation
All of creation
Bow before the Ancient of Days

Ev'ry tongue in heaven and earth
Shall declare Your glory
Ev'ry knee shall bow at Your throne
In worship!
You will be exalted O God
And Your kingdom shall not pass away!
O Ancient of Days!

Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing unto the Ancient of Days!
For none can compare to Your matchless worth
Sing unto the Ancient of Days!



I love the mullets and other 90's era memorabilia in this video! :-)

How Does Music "Work" in Worship

Here's Bob Kauflin and Mars Hill music Pastor Tim Smith talking about music in worship:

Thinking Globally: Christianity's Rapid Rise In China

Here's an article from the Chicago Tribune on the growth of Christianity in the officially atheist, Communist nation.

Here's an encouraging excerpt from the testimony of the pastor of one of the churches there:

For them, Christianity offered an alternative to China's political orthodoxy. To those in search of something new in which to believe, the church promised salvation, moral absolutes and a sense of being part of an enterprise larger than China.

"We [had been] taught not to learn from God, that God is a fake," said Wang Qingying, a 37-year-old member of Jin's church who grew up the daughter of a Communist Party member. "After I started to believe, I realized that everything that happens is a part of God's design."

It's amazing to see how God is moving throughout the world, and that though religion has all but disappeared from Western Europe, and is on the decline in the U.S., there will always be the faithful remnant who keep on proclaiming God's truth to the people.

Worship Matters: What Kind Of Music? (Part 2)

So we're talking about ways that music helps us in worship, and gleaning some wisdom from Bob Kauflin's book "Worship Matters: Leading Others To Encounter The Greatness Of God."

CLICK HERE for the first post to get caught up.

2) Music helps us reflect the glory and activity of the triune God.
God sings! "He will rejoice over us with singing"(Zeph. 3:17), "Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples on the night before he died" (Matt. 26:30), "be filled with the Holy Spirit [who enables you to address] each other with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs..." (Eph. 5:18-19).

We see each member of the trinity involved in the act of singing, and are reminded that music was given to us to "deepen and develop our relationship with him. The Father sings, the Son sings, and the Spirit sings. How can we keep from singing?"

3) Music helps us remember truth about God
God initiated this method of memorization with his people in the Old Testament. The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, when God told Moses to teach them a song so that "when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring)" (Deut. 31:21)

This goes back to singing in spirit and in truth. Singing with an actively engaged spirit often produces worshipful emotions, but when the experience and the emotions fade, the living and active Word of God will continue "working in our hearts, renewing our minds, and strengthening our faith."

4) Music helps us express our unity in the gospel
Most references to singing in the Bible are talking about the corporate gathering. The people are singing together. Passages that specifically refer to singing include "addressing one another" and "teaching one another" (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16). When we sing of the gospel, it glorifies God as the collective voices of the redeemed magnify his name. This unity can sometimes be overlooked when churches offer different "style-based" services (you know, the "traditional" and "contemporary" ones...), as this tends to lean more towards the "church consumer mindset."

As a worship leader, I try to incorporate many different styles of songs, including "traditional" and "contemporary" songs, but maintaining a certain balance of "preference" based songs isn't my primary concern. My primary concern is leading God's people in songs that glorify GOD, and aren't primarily intended to make us feel good, although that often is a welcomed by-product!

There is sure to be a song or two, or ten, that aren't going to be every person's favorites, as far as "style" goes. This is the beauty of diversity of our tastes, and of the span of different songs and styles that glorify God, and try to reflect his own creativity and complexity back to him. We minister to each other in showing deference for the tastes of others, and seeking to appreciate all the different styles as a palette of colors with which to paint our portrait of praise to God!

Purpose In Pain

I wrote about this on my other blog, and thought it would be appropriate to share here...

I was listening to the only radio station I get out here in Valencia, 89.9 KCRW, the other day. They did a segment on a symphony from German composer Robert Schumann, in which they had a guest musicologist in to talk about the piece, it's origin, it's movements, and different musical themes that paralleled what was going on in the life of the composer.

She mentioned that Robert Schumann endured several bouts with extremely severe depression throughout his life, and that eventually, he would attempt suicide and end up in an asylum towards the end of his life.

It was interesting to hear her, and the radio host, both talking about how the music clearly narrates a time in Schumann's life when he had just recently overcome a depressed period, and how shifts in the music represent his depressed state being conquered, and the joy that followed.

They both considered the question: Would it have been possible for Schumann's symphony to exhibit the same depth of character, the same passion of overcoming extreme hardship, without his horrific battle with depression?

So many people are critical of a God who "lets bad things happen to good people," and while it's easy spout out the "well none of us is really 'good' according to God..." answer, it is fascinating that even in a completely secular context, people can choose to see the "good" in pain, and a purpose in suffering.

It's generally agreed upon that the quality of endurance is a positive characteristic. What's interesting is that endurance is ONLY EVER produced through trial of some kind. When I think of endurance, I think of a long distance runner, or cyclist. What kind of pain do they put their bodies through to develop the physical endurance to run a race? Immense.

Romans 5 says that we have peace with God because we've been justified by faith, and that we have obtained access to his grace, and the hope of the glory of God...

But MORE THAT THAT, we rejoice in our SUFFERINGS, knowing that suffering produces ENDURANCE, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Sometimes evil and suffering in the world bring confusion, and the temptation to doubt God, but in the same way that we saw purpose in the suffering of Robert Schumann, without which he could never have composed the depth of music he did, we can know God has a purpose with a more beautiful and perfect result than any symphony: his glory.

Reflections On Our First Sunday In The New Building

Wow.

Does anyone share that sentiment?

Sharing our first service together in our new building was definitely a morning to remember. We shared in some wonderful music and singing together, Pastor Todd reminded us of the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, and we prayed that God would glorify his name in whatever takes place in our new home.

We had a ton of visitors who came to show their support, and celebrate with us, which was tremendous; thanks to those who visited!

I just want to echo Todd's thanks to John (our contractor), Keith (basically put in ALL things media; a humongous job!), and Ken (pretty much EVERYTHING ELSE). These guys sacrificed a LOT of hours to help us get in by our go date. Praise the Lord for their gifts and their servants' hearts!!!

I want us also to remember that without each and every one of us who comes into that building on a Sunday morning, the building would remain just that: a building. It's the gathering of we who profess Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father, that makes it a church. So thank you, all of you for helping to turn that little building on Avenue Stanford into the body of Christ; into Crossroads Community Church.