This weekend, we focused on the first chapter of the gospel of John. Joe shared about Jesus, the Light of the World, and what is the proper response to who He is. We can be one of three things: wise, foolish, or evil in our response to Jesus. We are wise if we receive the truth and adjust our lives to match the truth. We are foolish if we try to adjust the truth to our lives. We are evil if we completely reject and resist the truth, and try to destroy it and others for our own gain. Each of us can shift between these responses when we are in different situations. I was really challenged to be more of a wise man (not wise guy...) and to leave foolishness behind. Because we are reading through the Gospel of John together, and we read through John 1 this week, we focused on songs that emphasized the incarnation, Christ’s deity, Christ as the Light of the World, Here's our set from this weekend:

Preparation Time - "Here I Am To Worship" (Verses and Chorus only) (E) [Tim Hughes]
Welcome/Greeting Time
Call To Worship - Psalm 95:1-3
"Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" (G) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown]
"Joyous Light" (G) [Unknown/John H. Gower, chorus by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Louie Giglio]
"Son of God" (G) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash]
"Jesus Messiah" (G) [Daniel Carson, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves]
Message - "The Light Of The World (Reconnected, Redeemed, Received, Respond)" [Joe Hishmeh]
Offering/Announcements
Response - "Here I Am To Worship" (E) [Tim Hughes]
Dismissal

“Here I Am To Worship” – Over the past few weeks, we have introduced a time of preparation into our services. We used this song for that time. We played through it with a simple instrumental, and then sang through it quietly. I think it functioned very well in that space, and was a solid song to help us focus on the reason we were gathered for worship. I am enjoying having this element as part of our services. We also used it as the response and closing for the services.

“Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)” – After our call to worship, we prayed together for the family and friends who lost loved ones in the tragedy of 9/11. We also prayed for our servicemen and women who are in harms way because of the events of that day. We followed that by singing the pre-chorus of this song: “When we see You/ We find strength to face the day/ In Your presence/ All our fears are washed away.” I felt this was the right way to respond, with trust and confidence in the ability and power of our Lord rather than fear and doubt.

“Joyous Light” – This was the second time we have sung this song since I came to Fellowship. I love the fact that this song focuses on Jesus as the Light of the World, and on the entire Trinity as well. It ties very well with the first section of John 1, which speaks of Jesus as the true Light shining in the darkness, and who was unrecognized by His own. I think the only question most people have when they sing this song is from the chorus, which sings, “We hymn the Father, we hymn the Son/ We hymn the Spirit, wholly divine/ No one more worthy of songs to be sung/ To the giver of life, all glory is Thine.” The question that will probably arise is: “Can the word ‘hymn’ be used as a verb?” Well, the noun “hymn” is a song of praise, and as a verb, “hymn” means “to praise.” There you have it. “Hymn” can refer to a song of praise or can be used as a verb. It is part of what makes this song unique, and helps us remember it, I think.

“Son of God” – This song has become part of our vocabulary at Fellowship, and I am thankful because it is a strong declaration of praise for who Jesus is and what He has done. It focuses on His deity, His fulfillment of prophecy, His power, His work of redemption and forgiveness, His sacrifice for us, and His unique worth and beauty as the perfect Son of God.

“Jesus Messiah” – We finished the set of music with this song, because I believe it speaks very clearly about who Jesus is. It speaks of Him as Emmanuel (God with us), our Redeemer, our Rescue, our Ransom, our Hope, and Lord of all. I believe it was very appropriate for the focus of this weekend.

It was good to be back with our congregation after our vacation to Florida to see family and friends. I love our church, and I love how we are growing in worship together. Jesus is worthy. May He receive more and more of our praise.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship together wherever you were.

Be sure to check out Sunday Set Lists to see what other leaders experienced this weekend in their congregations.

Have a great week!

In the Son,

Bill