Here's our set from this weekend: Pre-Service Song- "Your Grace is Enough" (G) [Matt Maher] Call to Worship "Holy is the Lord" (G) [Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio] Welcome/Intro Special Guest Video - Trash Mountain Project, "DR Thank You" Guest - Brett Durbin, President of Trash Mountain Project Announcements/Greeting Time "Glory to God Forever" (A) [Steve Fee, Vicky Beeching] "Our God" (A) [Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin] "Lead Me to the Cross" (D) [Brooke Fraser] Message - "I Believe: God Empowers (Sanctification)" [Brian Tryhus] Response - "Take My Life and Let It Be" (D) [Frances Ridley Havergal and Henri Abraham Cesar Malan]
This weekend we focused on how God empowers believers in the process of sanctification. Brian did a great job unpacking the truth of this doctrine, making it clear and laying all the cards on the table so everyone could understand it. I can honestly say that his message was one of the clearest explanations of sanctification I have heard. It's a beautiful thing. I thought the songs that were planned communicated the same message well, and that the whole was unified and clear that our God is holy, and He is the one who makes us holy.
We also had my close friend, Brett Durbin, in to share about something happening with his missions organization (Trash Mountain Project). They have begun a child sponsorship program in which every dollar goes to feed and educate a child in the Dominican Republic called "Kids With a Hope." Our church's goal this weekend was to sponsor every child they have left to sponsor at the facility, which was somewhere around 140 kids. His organization has taken a risk and has not incorporated any administrative fees into the sponsorship fee, so every dollar goes to the kids. The sponsorship is $34 per month - $28 for food (2 meals and a snack per day) and $6 for education costs. In my family, we have been considering doing a sponsorship for a while, for our daughter to get connected to what God is doing in the rest of the world, so this was a no brainer. We are excited to finally find the right child to support, and we are excited that it is connected with Trash Mountain. Because of my daughter's enthusiasm, I had to fight to hold it together during the last service this weekend. When she found out we were going to be sponsoring a child this morning, she ran upstairs and grabbed her piggy bank and said, "I want to give them all my money!" While it was only a few dollars, her generosity was truly beautiful. I am so proud of her. I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving for what God is doing in her life.
As far as the music part of worship goes, it was a great weekend. A highlight for me was when Sarah Oldberg and the band did a fantastic job on "Lead Me to the Cross," which was a great connection with Brian's message. He emphasized Romans 12:1-2, where Paul calls the church to offer their lives as living sacrifices. I took that and connected it with Jesus' call to take up our cross daily and follow Him before we sung this song. I really love this song and its message, and how it connected with the weekend's focus.
We spent most of the morning on songs that celebrate God's grace, holiness, and greatness. We opened the pre-service time with Matt Maher's "Your Grace Is Enough." This was the first week that I didn't sing the additional choruses from Chris Tomlin's version, because I felt that they were more complicated and would make it more difficult for our people to participate. I think it was a good decision, and I will continue to sing it with just Maher's chorus. After the call to worship, we moved to "Holy is the Lord," which is a great and simple celebration of God's holiness and the fact that His name will go out over all the earth. One day, everyone will understand His holiness.
The rest of the set consisted of "Glory to God Forever" and "Our God," which each have elements of recognizing God's greatness and of challenging us to go in boldness for His kingdom. The bridge of "Glory to God Forever" has become my favorite part of the song, and I consistently call our people to make this our prayer: "Take my life and let it be/ All for You and for Your glory/ Take my life and let it be Yours." The only thing I would have changed would be the key. We tried these again in the key of A, when we have been doing them in the key of G most recently. There are parts of these songs that extend out of most people's reach, so I think we'll return to G in the future with these songs.
We also introduced an arrangement of "Take My Life and Let It Be," which I have taken (and modified slightly) from Andrew Osenga from his days with The Normals. I have always loved this treatment of this great hymn, and it was a perfect opportunity to bring it in, because it really tied in with Brian's message, and where he landed it. It is a great prayer for us to pray, as it focuses on different areas of our lives and how we can give them over to God and His purposes. The writers mention our lives, our hands, our feet, our mouths, our intellect, and our resources as means for worshiping God and building the kingdom of God -
Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee Take my moments and my days Let them flow in ceaseless praise Let them flow in ceaseless praise
Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee Swift and beautiful for Thee
Take my voice and let me sing Always, only, for my King Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee Filled with messages from Thee
Take my silver and my gold Not a mite would I withhold Take my intellect and use Ev’ry power as You choose Ev’ry power as You choose
May this be the prayer of our lives, that every aspect of us would be poured out as an offering of worship to our great God!
In the Son,
Bill p.s. Be sure to check out what other leaders did this weekend at Sunday Set Lists!