Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs: Sojourn's Worship Music Set List For Sunday Morning, July 20, 2008

I was out of town this Sunday visiting great brothers and sisters in Christ at The Oaks Community Church, a new Acts 29 fellowship in Middletown, Ohio.   I’ll talk more about that trip in the near future on sojournmusic.com, but below you will find the set list from Sunday the 20th at Sojourn. 

After worship services, the morning band also played a “Takin’ it to the Streets” event at Kingfish, the historic local venue recently named “Best Outdoor Dining” in Louisville.  To see an amazing photo gallery of this event taken by Dan Canales, visit the “Sojourn at Kingfish” photo album on our Facebook fan page.  And now, our worship set list:

1. Absent from Flesh, by worship arts pastoral assistant Jamie Barnes, adapted from the Isaac Watts’ hymn “Absent from Flesh, O Blissful Thought.”  As noted several times here previously, this one will be on our upcoming worship CD project, and has already become a favorite here at Sojourn.

After singing, the congregation recited a Call to Worship together based on Psalm 22:27, 18:49 (For this we come, Lord, from among the nations: to sing to your name …)

2. Oh Church, Arise, by the great contemporary hymn-writing team, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.  I love the use of irony here:

Our call to war, to love the captive soul

but to rage against the captor.

And with the sword that makes the wounded whole

we will fight with faith and valour

We followed this by reciting a corporate confession based on Psalm 139: 23-24 (Search me, O God … see if there is any offensive way in me ...) and then each silently praying to God, asking him to reveal our sins to us and help us to lay them bare before Him.

3. Psalm 51, by our own Rebecca Dennison.  This song is on our upcoming These Things I Remember CD.  You can hear the mp3 and view the chord sheet from that page here on sojournmusic.com.  Incidentally, later this week on sojournmusic.com and our podcast, Sojournmusic.com Radio, I will interview Rebecca on ethnodoxology, a subject that should be of interest to every missionary, worship leader and everyone concerned with racial reconciliation and the study of culture.

Next we heard Words of Assurance based on 1 Timothy 1:15, 17, reading underlined portions aloud together.

4. We are Listening, by our own Jeremy Quillo.  We used this song as a “prayer of illumination” on our liturgically-themed Before the Throne CD, which is how we used it here as well.  You can hear the mp3 and view the chord sheet on the Before the Throne page here at sojournmusic.com.

5. Sovereign Grace, Oer Sin Abounding, hymn text by John Kent, music by Sandra McCracken.  We used this as our communion song following the sermon:

Heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus,

Long ‘ere time its race begun;

To His name, eternal praises;

O what wonders love has done!

One with Jesus,

By eternal union, one.

Following this we listened to a reading of 1 Peter 2:4-10 (He is the living Stone, the source of life …)

6. Solid Rock, hymn text by Edward Mote, music by William Bradbury.  You can hear a live version of this song, recorded by a Sojourn worship band last fall.

7. Fall on the Rock, by Buddy and Julie Miller, a great song to end a service with, looking ahead to the Second Coming:

Jesus is the rock that was rejected and refused

but he is the cornerstone that God Almighty has used

Like a little lamb he came down to the children of men

but he’ll be the king of kings when he comes back again

The only difference of note in our two evening services was the substitution of “Psalm 51″ for “Merciful God” by Tammy Trent, and “Absent from Flesh” for another song that will be on one of our upcoming CDs, “The World Will Know,” written by worship arts pastor Mike Cosper and Brooks Ritter, based on Isaac Watts’ “Psalm 22, part 2,” “At Thy Command Dearest Lord,” and “The Wonderous Cross.”

Worship band for the 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services:

Jamie Barnes — vocals, guitar, banjo

Rebecca Dennison — vocals

Smitty Smith — drums

David Weir — lead guitar

Bryon Shrock — drums

Micah Revell — liturgy readings

Worship band for the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. services:

Brooks Ritter — vocals and guitar

Katie Vaughn — vocals

Mike Cosper — lead guitar

Matt Harris — drums

Derek Holt — bass guitar