Songs We Sing, 12/08 - 12/09/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week we continued in our second week of Advent and our series, "Simple Christmas." Pastor Joe Hishmeh shared about how God uses simple people to accomplish His purposes here on earth--people who are simple in faith, obedience, and worship. It was a great message, and a perspective on Mary that I had not seen before. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Salvation's Chorus" (G) [Todd Fields] "Joyful (The One Who Saves)" (C) [traditional, w/ chorus & bridge by Brenton Brown, Jason Ingram] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Simple People" [Joe Hishmeh] "Jesus Messiah" (A) [Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves, Chris Tomlin] "Let Me Sing" (A) [Todd Fields] "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. by The Modern Post] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a great weekend. Joe's message was a refreshing perspective on the life and faith of Mary, specifically when she received the news that she would give birth to the Son of God, the Savior of humanity! It was a challenging reminder to simply believe God, obey what He calls us to do, and to worship Him for who He is and what He has done.

The band did a great job this weekend. We continued teaching Todd Fields' (of North Point) "Salvation's Chorus" this weekend, which is a song that I have wanted to teach for a while. We also brought back "Joyful (The One Who Saves)," which we introduced last year at Advent. I love the added chorus and bridge by Brenton Brown and Jason Ingram, which are simple declarations of Jesus' power to save. We responded to the message with "Jesus Messiah" because I believe the gospel is the single-most powerful motivator for our worship of the Lord. It is truly the greatest thing that He has done for us, or could have done for us! We continued with "Let Me Sing" to tie together the gospel with our response of obedience and worship. The chorus sings "Let me sing/ Louder than creation to You/ For the pain You bore in Your body/ To bring my soul." I love this song. We finished the weekend with "Before The Throne," which is a powerful new rendition of the traditional hymn. This is probably my favorite song right now, and it helps us declare our confidence in the saving work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. It is finished, and it is all because of Him! It was a great weekend. I love celebrating Advent, especially when I'm part of a church that points it continually to the gospel, because that is what the first advent of Jesus was really all about!

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience this weekend?

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!