Music Blog

Psalm 100 says:

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, I read that Psalm and nothing really happens...I'm numb to the things that are being said, and I don't feel any sense of urgency nor do I feel compelled to respond.  And at other times, it strikes a chord in my heart and mind, sparking gratefulness and a desire to respond.

 

If you're like me, there are times when you read about the faithfulness and generosity of God, of his goodness and steadfast love, and your response is pretty dull and flatline.  There are many times when you wake up on a Sunday and your prevailing thought is more tied to the temperature outside the covers than the faithfulness of God sustaining you through another night and week.

 

But God is not like us. He is steadfast in his love toward us. He is faithfulness never fails or wanes. His unlimited and unmerited love toward us, demonstrated in provision and protection and correction and mercy and grace upon grace, is an always and forever kind of love. He doesn't have off days. He doesn't have times where his eyes gloss over and his affection toward us isn't stirred. He is always looking on us and acting toward us with love.

 

May our hearts be stirred this weekend as we gather. May He remind us as we go to bed on Saturday and as we wake on Sunday that his faithfulness is to all generations and his steadfast love never fails. As we bring our pledges for our Generations Fund as an act of worship, may the Lord help us to do so in response to the Always and Forever Love of God that He shows toward us every moment of every week.  And may our offerings be used to allow the Gospel of our steadfast God to reach many in our families, in our city, and in other cities for generations to come.

 

Here are the Scriptures and Songs that will be part of our service this week:

 

Call to Worship from Psalm 100

How Great Is Your Faithfulness

O Praise the Name

Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery

All I Have Is Christ

For the Cause

Sermon from Matthew 5:17-20

 

Here's a Spotify List of the songs.

As we heard last week, in Jesus' upside-down Kingdom, those who are meek and who mourn their sin and who are not impressed with their own accomplishments are blessed. They're not blessed because self-deprecation is cool.  They're not blessed because God prefers his people to be sad and downtrodden.  They're not blessed because the Christian life is intended to be lived in a constant state of low-grade guilt.

 

They're blessed because unless we understand our need, grace is not sweet. They're blessed because unless we appreciate our weakness, the strength that God provides us through the Gospel is not amazing.  They're blessed because unless we come from a place of dependence, we never get to taste the sweetness and joy of resting in the finished work of Jesus. 

 

Ephesians 1:3-6 says:

True blessing comes from God and God alone. True happiness is only to be found in a place of dependence on the eternally planned and totally undeserved adoption by God into his family that all of his children share. We must come to the Lord aware of our dependence on Him! We must come to the Lord amazed by his grace. That's what we're going to focus on this week as we sing.  Here are the songs and Scriptures that will form our service this week.  We look forward to gathering with you as the blessed children of God, dependent on and celebrating in the grace of Jesus Christ.

 

Call to Worship from Ephesians 1:3-6

Grace Alone

Nothing But the Blood

Behold Our God

Sermon from Matthew 5

O Great God

 

Here's a Spotify List of the songs we'll be singing this week.