1. Shelter Me, by Buddy and Julie Miller, a great song for troubled times and timid hearts:

Dark waters rise and thunders pound

the wheels of war are going ‘round

and all the walls are crumbling

shelter me Lord, underneath Your wings.

2. Our Great God, by Fernando Ortega and Third Day’s Mac Powell.  This song has been a staple of Sojourn services for several years, and is a solid statement of adoration and trust in God’s provision:

Lord we are weak and frail, helpless in the storm

Surround us with your angels; hold us in Your arms

our cold and ruthless enemy’s pleasure is our harm

Rise up, O Lord, and he will flee before our sovereign God.

3. My Rock and My Redeemer, by Sojourn’s own Rebecca Dennison.  Check out the chord sheet from our These Things I Remember page.  By the way, all original Sojourn songs are licensed with CCLI so if you’re a church group affiliated with that organization, feel free to reproduce any of our chord sheets and lyrics for your corporate worship.

As soon as I saw the liturgy for this week I’d noticed the “storm” metaphors running through the first three songs.  I’ve quoted some “storm” passaged from the first two; Rebecca’s chorus is:

You are my rock and my redeemer, a refuge sure and strong

My faithful loving father; You are my shelter in the storm.

Of course the Bible itself is filled with these images.  It’s comforting to know that in the midst of wars, economic uncertainty, political elections, and even the very real storms and disasters that nature throws our way, faithful writers down through the centuries and in our current day can all agree that God is our shelter.

4. Majesty (Here I Am), by Martin Smith and Stuart Garrard.  The writers begin lines one and four of each verse with “Here I am,” followed by, in turn, “humbled by Your majesty,” then “Knowing I’m a sinful man,” then “humbled by the love that you give,” and finally, after a slight turn of the initial phrase into “Here I stand,” ending with “knowing that I’m Your desire — sanctified by glory and fire.”  This thought, that we humbled, sinful creatures could be God’s desire, through His grace, explodes into the final chorus:

Majesty!  Majesty!

Forever I am changed by Your love,

In the presence of your majesty!”

5. Throne of Grace, by John Barnett.  We talk a lot about living life “before the throne of God above” at Sojourn.  This classic Vineyard song shows how this is possible:

It’s Your kindness that leads to repentance

It’s Your blood that brings forgiveness.

It’s Your mercy that leads me here

to Your throne of grace.

6. When the Savior Reached Down to Me, by G.E. Wright, a stand-out song from the 1920’s “quartet” era, when gospel quartets would travel circuits throughout the southern United States, singing songs such as this one and selling songbooks and hymnals.  We love the gospel teaching in this southern gospel tune: “I was lost and undone, without God or His Son, when He reached down His hand for me.”

7. I Boast No More, hymn text by Isaac Watts, music by Sandra McCracken.  One of my favorite hymns, without question, and a great song to sing together before going home:

Now, for the loss I bear His name,

What was my gain, I count my loss;

my former pride I call my shame,

and nail my glory to His cross.

Worship band for 9 am and 11:15 am services:

Simon Groce — bass guitar

Jamie Barnes — lead guitar

Sean Brooks — drums

Joel Gerdis — vocals and guitar

Rebecca Elliott — vocals and keys

Scott Slucher — Liturgy readings

Worship band for 5 pm and 7 pm services:

Matt Harris — drums

Phillip Miller — lead guitar

Bryon Shrock — bass

Katie Vaughn — vocals

Dave Moisan — vocals and guitar

Scott Daniel — liturgy readings

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