This week’s recap of songs is posted in collaboration with other worship leaders on the “Sunday Setlists” blog carnival at fredmckinnon.com

1. Great and Mighty, by Caedmon’s Call.  I love how this song portrays the “already/not yet” tension of our life in the presence of God, from the first verse:

“Hold my heart, O God

Keep me ever in Your will

There is joy within your presence here and now

but better still

Is the day that is to come

when Your full glory is revealed.

I have long endured the trials of the age

and I will sing …”

2. Oh Church, Arise, by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty.  We’ve done this one several times recently, and it is a typically strong modern hymn from the writers of “In Christ Alone.”  It’s a good call to worship as well as a song of dedication/sending:

“So Spirit come, put strength in every stride,

give grace for every hurdle

That we may run with faith to win the prize

of a servant, good and faithful”

3. Psalm 25, by Joe Day of Mars Hill Church (Seattle).  Joe concentrated specifically on verses 8-10 of Psalm 25 and wrote a highly memorable, singable melody.  Singing scripture is a great way to memorize God’s Word to us, and we have fun singing this one together.

4. Hymn of a Changed Heart, by Sojourn’s own Brooks Ritter.  We debuted this song today.  The worship team explained that this is a new one and asked the congregation to sit and listen, meditating on the words. 

Brooks actually began writing this song back in 2006, shortly after joining Sojourn.  I remember sitting in Sunergos Coffee with him and reading his initial lyrics.  Shortly later he performed a couple verses of it at a Sojourn songwriting workshop.  Of course he’s revised and added to it since then and fitted the song with a completely different (and very cool sounding) melody.  In fact, you can check it out for free — we hope it’s a blessing to you:

Hymn of a Changed Heart — free mp3

5. How Deep The Father’s Love For Us, by Stuart Townend.  We sang this one as our communion hymn this week, reflecting as we filed in lines to take the bread and the cup:

“Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished”

6. Be Thou My Vision, the traditional Irish hymn.  I love the transition from “Be thou my vision” in the first verse to “Be thou my wisdom” in the second.  And then in the third verse, we sing the revelation that comes to those who trust Christ as their vision and wisdom — the fact that He is “High King of Heaven.”

7. Our Great God, by Mac Powell of Third Day and Fernando Ortega.  A staple of Sojourn worship services for years, this is a great song of adoration and assurance, and a good song for the sending as well.

Worship band for the 9:30 and 11:15 services:

Robert James — bass guitar

Smitty Smith — drums

Mike Cosper — electric guitar

David Weir — guitar

Brooks Ritter — guitar and vocals

Katie Vaughn — vocals

Scott Slucher — liturgy

          ________________________________________________

Sojourn deacon Aaron Marshall was interviewed for a podcast on godsmac.com about social media, the “iPods for Africa” missionary program, Aaron and his wife Nicole’s mission to South Africa and more.  Aaron is the blogger at churchsmo.com, a site dedicated to helping churches and other Christian ministries learn the principles of social media optimization and ways to spread the gospel through the “Web 2.0”.

Check out this podcast interview with Aaron Monday night on godsmac.com.

• enclosure: http://www.sojournmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/hymn-of-a-changed-heart-brooks-ritter.mp3 5442412 audio/mpeg

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