Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs: Sojourn’s Mothers’ Day Worship Service, 2009

You can find the music set lists of many other churches who participate, as we do, in the worship music blog carnival at fredmckinnon.com.  Photos here by Dan Canales.  For any locals who get confused by my commentary: I’m reporting on the evening set list, although the photos were taken during morning services.  We had a greater than usual variance in morning/evening set lists this week:

1.Remember Me (Prayer of Hannah) by Sojourn’s own Jamie Barnes.  Last year on sojournmusic.com we gave away Jamie’s mp3 to this modern Christian Mother’s Day song, based on Hannah’s Old Testament prayer.  Check it out if you missed it — the post contains Jamie’s chord sheet as well.  Jamie is not only a gifted songwriter and worship leader but is the Sojourn worship arts pastoral assistant, and has been working hard towards our goal of launching Sunday services at a second Sojourn campus later this summer.

Our liturgist then introduced us to the Sojourn Gathered service on this Mother’s Day with these timely words:

Happy Mothers Day!  There’s a temptation for today to distort what we’ve gathered for. We want to celebrate Mothers as a wonderful gift from God, but we want to be certain that we recognize mothers - and likewise, families in general - as a gift from the God who has created all things. So today, as we are called to worship by the scriptures, we’re called to worship a God who loves us and welcomes us into his family. We’re called to worship the giver of the gift, not the gift itself.

After then hearing the Call to Worship, based on Ephesians 1:3-18, we sang:

2. All Creatures Of Our God And King, by Francis of Asissi (evening service).  The morning worship band did the modern adaptation of this song, “Sing Alleluia.”  Also, I believe this was their first song of the evening, rather than the Prayer of Hannah.

We followed this with a special Mother’s Day Prayer of Lament:

We recognize on a day like today, that everything in God’s creation isn’t as it should be. Sin has broken families and caused deep pain and heartache, and suffering in creation has led to suffering in the flesh - some who long to be parents are unable to experience that joy. Let’s pray together

Lord, on this Mother’s Day
we lift up the aching hearts
of all those
who long to be mothers, but mourn the absence of new life within them
who have conceived, but suffered loss through miscarriage or abortion
who have given birth, but endured the tragedy of burying a child.

Their grief is often hidden from us
or neglected on this day of celebration of motherhood.
We pray that they may experience healing in this church family.

How long, O Lord, must death get its way at the outset of new life?
How long must joy be deferred or interrupted by such cruel sorrow?

Risen Lord of life, grant them comfort and peace,
breathe in us all the breath of new life.

Through Jesus Christ, who defeated death,

Amen.

You can read this prayer and many other corporate worship readings at theopensourcebook.org.  All readings are freely available for church and ministry use — simply type an attribution to theopensourcebook.org in your slide or bulletin.

3. May Your Power Rest On Me, written by Sojourn’s own Joel Gerdis and Neil Robins.  You’ll be able to hear this song in just about three weeks, on our brand new Over The Grave: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Volume One:

May Your power rest on me — You are strong when I am weak

I can bear all things when temptation springs — for You sustain me all my days …

Reading of assurance from Revelation 21:5-6

4. There is a Peace, by Sojourn’s own Charlie Richardson.  You can view the chord sheet from our Before The Throne page, and hear this song of assurance on our Facebook page.

After the Passing the Peace we did an informally recognized the mothers in attendance.  We’d also set up a photo booth where families could get free Mother’s Day photos before and after the service.

Teaching Pastor Daniel Montgomery then preached a fitting Mother’s Day sermon from the book of Ruth, as we continued with our Old Testament sermon series.  As always, you can read continued reflections on this area of scripture our our B.C. Blog, the part of our online journal TravelBlog where we delve deeper into the current sermon series.

5. Sovereign Grace O’er Sin Abounding, by John Kent, with music by Sandra McCracken. This was our hymn for the Lord’s Supper this week:

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.

6. Begone Unbelief, by John Newton, with new melody by Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace.  This is a beautiful song of assurance as well as commitment:

Why should I complain, Of want or distress
Temptation or pain? He told me no less
The heirs of salvation, I know from his word
Through much tribulation Must follow their Lord
Through much tribulation Must follow their Lord

The morning band substituted “Begone Unbelief” for “Only Your Blood Is Enough” from our soon-to-be-released Over The Grave: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Volume One. I can’t wait to you can all hear it.

Next we engaged in a corporate reading based on Isaiah 54:8; 43:25; 44:22, in the NIV.

7. It Is Well With My Soul, by Horatio G. Spafford and Philip Paul Bliss.  One of the most famous gospel hymns of all, and it’s a great reminder, as we prepared to be sent from the gathered body into the world, that time will cease and Christ will prevail:

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight.
The clouds be rolled back, as a scroll.
The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

The morning band substituted this song for “Clean (My God Has Rescued Me)”.

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

Neil Robins — vocals, guitar

Kate Robins — vocals

Mike Cosper — guitar

Daniel LaChance - keyboard

Smitty Smith — drums

Lachlan Coffey — liturgical readings

Worship band for the 5 pm and 7 pm services:

Jamie Barnes — vocals and guitar

Rebecca Dennison — vocals

Raphael Starr — clarinet/oboe

Christi Osterday — cello

Bryon Shrock — bass guitar

Andy Meyers — drums

Scott Daniel — liturgy readings