Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs: Sojourn’s Worship Music Set List For Sunday, August 17, 2008

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

1. Your Blood Says Everything, by Billy Sommerville for Vineyard/ Mercy Music.  This song got us right into the heart of Christian worship and witness —the cross of Christ:

Hear the word

spoken from the tree

heaven broken open

Your blood says everything

2. Clean (My God Has Rescued Me), by Michael J. Pritzl of The Violet Burning.  This is a long-time staple of Sojourn worship services written by a good friend to the church, Michael Pritzl.  It’s a simple, effective song of praise that begins with a declaration of what God has done: “rescued me,” “made me clean,” “opened my eyes,” and then moves into:

And all I have / I give to You

I lay it at Your feet

3. Laden with Guilt, hymn text by Isaac Watts, arrangement and melody by Sandra McCracken.  Watts wrote an amazing number of hymns in this same meter, each completely different although returning again and again to the theme of the cosmic scope of Christ’s victory at Calvary, and God’s record of this grand story in His written word:

Laden with guilt, and full of fears

I fly to Thee my Lord

and not a glimpse of hope appears

but in Thy written Word.

The volumes of my Father’s grace

does all my griefs assuage.

Here I behold my Savior’s face

in every page.

4. Here is Love, by William Rees and Robert Lowry; arrangement and chorus by Matt Redman.  This is a strong example of a chorus, added by another, that builds naturally and powerfully on the verses.  The use of scripture makes it even more effective, as we sing the evocative verses and know what’s coming:

No love is higher, no love is wider

No love is deeper, no love is truer

No love is higher, no love is wider

No love is like Your love, O Lord

This week was a baptism time at Sojourn — we had seven baptisms spread out over four services, including two at the service I attended — great stories of transformed lives. 

After we’d finished singing “Here is Love,” we entered into our “extending the peace” portion of the liturgy.  Following that, Pastor Chad Lewis (also the singer-songwriter behind our Fading Grass CD) preached on baptism from 1 Peter 3:18-21.  Our baptism candidates then came forward.  They’d each written testimonies beforehand, one of which was read by worship leader Lorie King and the other by a sister in Christ from a nearby church.  Then Pastor Chad baptized the candidates and we celebrated.   

Following this, we took communion and sang:

5. The Wonderful Cross, often known as “When I Survey the Wond’rous Cross,” by Isaac Watts.  We used the Chris Tomlin arrangement, reflecting and singing about “the wond’rous cross on which the Prince of Glory died” as we partook of communion.

6. Awake My Soul, by Sandra McCracken.  A lot of people think this is an old hymn, but Sandra wrote both lyrics and melody of this modern classic that has been recorded by Caedmon’s Call, Derek Webb, as well as Sandra herself on The Builder and the Architect.  I love every aspect and line of this song, but verse two stands out for me the most as I type this now:

I trust no other source or name —

nowhere else can I hide.

This grace gives me fear, and this grace draws me near

and all that it asks, it provides.

The third line reminds me of “‘twas grace that taught my heart to fear / and grace my fears relieved” from “Amazing Grace.”  And line four — one could draw a sermon out of those seven words.

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

Joel Gerdis: vocals and guitar

Lorie King: vocals

Brian Meurer: bass

David Weir: lead guitar

David Kidd: drums

Lachlan Coffey: liturgy readings

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

Brooks Ritter: vocals and guitar

Laura Beth O’Nan: vocals

Michael Morgan: lead guitar

Michael Butterworth: keys

Robert James: bass

Alex O’Nan: drums

Micah Revell: liturgy readings