This week, six of our seven songs came to us either from Sojourn’s latest CD, Before the Throne, or our upcoming worship project — two CDs based on the hymns of Isaac Watts (an interview about this project with worship arts pastor Mike Cosper is coming Tuesday, here on sojournmusic.com).

1. My Maker and My King, hymn text by Anne Steel, music and lyrical adaptation by Mike Cosper.  Check out the mp3 and the chord sheet to this one in our Before the Throne page.  We used this as our “Adoration” song on the liturgically-themed Before the Throne.

2. Before the Throne of God Above, hymn text by Charitee Lees Bancroft, melody by Vikki Cook of Sovereign Grace ministries.  This, of course, is the title cut from our Before the Throne CD, and with good reason — the lyrics are wonderful, and the inter-relation of the lyrics to Ms. Cook’s melody is a seamless garment.  View the chord sheet from that page in our Music section.

3. Psalm 3, by our own Rebecca Dennison (by way of Isaac Watts, by way of King David).  Rebecca really knows her way around a psalm adaptation (hear a short interview where she talks about adapting psalms for contemporary worship music) and this one is no exception.  The pathos of the beginning verse:

My God, how many are my fears

How fast my foes increase

Conspiring my eternal death

They break my fleeting peace

gives way to the triumphant, hope-filled chorus:

Arise, Oh Lord, fulfill Your grace

While I, Your glory sing;

“My God has broke the serpent’s teeth

and death has lost his sting.”

This will be on one of our upcoming worship CDs.  Can’t wait for you to be able to hear it.

4. I Sing the Mighty Power of God, by Isaac Watts, music and arrangement by The BCG, a worship band from our friends and fellow laborers in the Acts 29 network, Mars Hill Church of Seattle.

5. The World Will Know, by our own Mike Cosper and Brooks Ritter.  This song, based on Isaac Watts’ “Psalm 22, part 2,” “At Thy Command, Dearest Lord” and “The Wond’rous Cross,” will be a part of our next worship project.  This is a dynamic, cross-centered tune with lyrics that leave no doubt as to where our hope is found:

Great was the victory of His death,

His throne exalted high;

And all the nations of the earth

Shall worship or shall die.

Shall worship or shall die …

          The world will know the righteousness

          of our incarnate God,

          and nations yet unborn profess

          salvation in His blood.  Salvation in His blood.

6. In the Shadow of the Glorious Cross, by Brooks Ritter and Rebecca Elliott.  Listen to the mp3 and view the chord sheet from the Before the Throne page, and read Will Kotheimer’s interview with Brooks on the writing of this powerful song.

7. Absent from Flesh, by Sojourn worship arts pastoral assistant Jamie Barnes, adapted from the hymn by Isaac Watts.  This too will be recorded as part of our upcoming worship project (again, I’ll publish an interview with pastor Mike Cosper about this project Tuesday here on sojournmusic.com).  Sojourners identified with this hymn and sang along from the moment we debuted it.  Powerful stuff.  Once again, I can’t wait till everyone can hear this one.

So you can tell from this music set list that we Sojourners:

1. Love psalms

2. Love hymns

3. Love spiritual songs

While this week’s morning band left to play Hard Rock Cafe as part of the Takin’ It To The Streets series at 5 pm, our evening band led worship at Sojourn for the 5 pm and 7 pm services, with a mostly different lineup of songs:

1. Our Great God by Fernando Ortega and Mac Powell

2. I Sing the Mighty Power of God (see above)

3. I’m Coming Back, by our our Rebecca Elliott, recorded on Before the Throne.

4. Abide with Me, words by Henry Lyte, music by William Monk, arranged by Jamie Barnes

5. Amen, Amen, by our own Neil and Kate Robins of Dirt Poor Robins, recorded on our Advent Songs CD.

6. Here Is Love, by William Rees and Robert Lowry. Arr. and additional chorus by Matt Redman

7. My Maker and My King (see above)

Worship Band for the 9:30 and 11:15 am services, and 5 pm Hard Rock Cafe appearance:

Brooks Ritter: Vocals and guitar

Rebecca Dennison: Vocals

Robert James: Bass

Sean Brooks: Drums

Mike Cosper: Electric guitar

David Weir: Electric guitar

Worship Band for the 5 pm and 7 pm services:

Jamie Barnes: Vocals, guitar and banjo

Rebecca Elliott: Vocals and keys

Benjamin Barnes: Bass

Jason Tiemann: Drums

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This entry was posted Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 1:09 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed, and you can leave your own response below.