This blog post is part of the church worship music set list Blog Carnival at fredmckinnon.com.  Photos by Dan Canales, from the evening services.

1. Eyes on the Prize, by legendary American folk singer Pete Seeger.  We did this one as the opener today, just as we did it as the opener of our set at Louisville’s downtown entertainment district Fourth Street Live last year (which was recorded for an episode on WBKI-TV, Louisville’s affiliate for The CW network):

 

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2. King of Glory, written by Chris Tomlin.  This great modern worship song, based on Psalm 24, has been a standard at Sojourn for several years, just as it has become a standard in churches around the world.  We did it today as a song of adoration following a spoken Call to Worship, based

We followed “King of Glory” with a corporate prayer of confession, which led into …

3. Laden with Guilt and Full of Fears, words by Isaac Watts, music and arrangement by Sandra McCracken.  The first verse begins:

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

Verses two and three then given us plenty of imagery from that written Word, as we’re taken through the parable of the pearl of great price, the living water that quenches thirst, the tree of knowledge (stripped of its dangerous power), the eternal Judge, the right hand of God.  As is characteristic of Watts’ hymns, the song is chock-full of Bible teaching.

Following this hymn our liturgical reader led us in words of assurance. 

4. I Have to Believe, by Rita Springer.  The phrase that always turns up in my mind when seeking to describe this song is “stubborn faith.”  It’s a song of assurance, even in the face of heartache, doubt or danger:

I have to sing praise when the hour is midnight

He unlocks the chains that bind up my soul

my sin and my shame, He has forgiven, and made me whole …

We then entered into the giving of the peace portion of our worship liturgy, followed by Pastor Daniel Montgomery’s sermon based on Romans 13:11-14 entitled “Wake Up!”  It was an urgent call for the church to “know the time,” to turn from darkness and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

5. How Deep the Father’s Love For Us, by Stuart Townend.  This contemporary hymn in 87.87D meter was our communion song for the week.  One of the main arguments against taking the Lord’s Supper every week is that doing so will make the event seem less “special,” but we have not felt that to be the case at Sojourn.  This act of remembrance (of what He has done) and assurance (of His return) is a central component of worship here.

6. When the Savior Reached Down for Me, by G.E. Wright.  A good, old gospel quartet song from the 1920s.  This is a singable, simple piece that is ideal for getting the congregation to all join in after partaking of communion:

When the savior reached down for me

when He reached down His hand for me

I was lost and undone without God or His Son

when He reached down His hand for me

Next, the congregation recited a corporate reading from Psalm 84, reinforcing the message of truth contained in our final song:

7. Better is One Day, by Matt Redman.  This song followed our corporate reading .  It’s been awhile since we’ve sang “Better is One Day” together but we picked right up.  Redman’s adaptation of Psalm 84 is a strong choice as a “song for the sending” at the close of service.

Following this one, deacon Michael Morgan spoke a few brief announcements and led us in the benediction before dismissal.

The order of service for the two evening worship gatherings was nearly identical, but the band substituted “Laden with Guilt and Full of Fears” for “Psalm 51” adapted by Sojourn’s own Rebecca Dennison.  Yes, we love singing modern arrangements of psalms here in Louisville.  You can hear the mp3 and view the chord sheet of “Psalm 51” from our These Things I Remember page.

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

Jeremy Quillo - vocals and guitar

Lorie King — vocals

David Weir — lead guitar

Bill Bell — piano

Brian Meurer — bass guitar

David Kidd — drums

Jamie Barnes — liturgical readings

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

Dave Moisan — vocals and keyboard

Rebecca Dennison — vocals

Neil Robins — loead guitar

Jacob Goran — sax

Dony Erwin — bass guitar

Smitty Smith — drums

Dave Richards — liturgical readings

coming tomorrow, another look into the recording of Sojourn’s upcoming worship record based on the hymns of Isaac Watts.  Video from producer Neil Robins’ studio, featuring musicians David Weir, Smitty Smith and Pastor Mike Cosper.