This set list is one of many that you can find at the worship music set list blog carnival at fredmckinnon.com, featuring many different kinds of churches. You can learn about some of the songs we sing at Sojourn Gathered each week in advance of the Sunday service by reading my “Getting Ready For Sunday” post each Friday at Sojourn’s online journal, TravelBlog. Photos this week taken by Dan Canales, at the 9 a.m. service.
1. Come Ye Sinners by Joseph Hart, new melody by Sojourn’s Brooks Ritter. Brooks came into my office a few weeks ago with this hymn text. He was excited about using it, and was in the process of trying out some arrangement ideas. I think he and Pastor Mike played with it some — perhaps Jamie Barnes as well. I had an idea for one of the lines. Other than that it was all Brooks.
He’s a gifted songwriter as well as a dynamic singer. Hopefully, readers in Louisville will be able to see Brooks Ritter perform with ex-Nickel Creek singer-fiddler Sara Watson at the Kentucky Center For The Arts this Thursday.
2. Invitacion Fountain written by Michael J. Pritzl. This is a good Call To Worship song:
Let all who are weak
All who are weary
Come to the Rock
Come to the Fountain
Let all who have climbed
The mountains of heartache
Reach to the sky
Come on, give your life
Following these lines from God’s perspective, we sing the chorus from our own perspective:
If You lead me, Lord, I will follow/ If You lead me, Lord, I will go …
3. Merciful God by Keith Getty, Kristy Getty and Stuart Townend. This is a gentle but plaintive cry:
Merciful God, O abounding in love,
Faithful to keep us from falling;
Guiding our ways with Your fatherly heart,
Growing our faith with each testing.
God speed the day struggles will end;
Faultless we’ll gaze on Your glory.
Then we will stand overwhelmed by the mercy of God.
4. Before The Throne Of God Above by Charitie Lees Bancroft, with contemporary melody by Vikki Lee Cook of Sovereign Grace Ministries. We recorded this song for our Before The Throne album. You can view the chord sheet from the Before The Throne page here at sojournmusic.com. This is one of my favorite hymns. I particularly love the final verse:
Behold Him there! The risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I AM
The King of glory and of grace
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
5. Behold The Lamb by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend. This modern hymn is subtitled “Communion Song,” and it definitely fits that purpose. It’s rich in communion theology:
And so with thankfulness and faith, we rise
To respond and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ
As His body here on earth
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again
And we’ll join in the feast of heaven
Around the table of the King
6. God Of This City by the band Bluetree. Many artists and worship teams have recorded this song. Hear Bluetree’s own version on their Myspace page. “God Of This City” worked very well with our sermon on “Engaging The Culture” this week, from Jeremiah 28-29:
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
7. O Church, Arise by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. This was certainly a Getty/Townend worship service. Modern hymn-writing doesn’t get any better than the songs they’ve been churning out over the last decade, including this one, our “song for the Sending.”
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies
An army bold whose battle-cry is Love
Reaching out to those in darkness
Worship band for the 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services (Germantown):
Lorie King — vocals
Brooks Ritter — vocals and guitar
Kristen Smith — vocals and keyboard
Brittany Jarboe — cello
Worship band for the 10 a.m. service (St. Matthews):
Chandi Plummer — vocals
Joel Gerdis — vocals and guitar
Steve McLean — keyboard
David Weir — lead guitar
Bryon Shrock — bass guitar
Buck Buchanan — drums
Worship band for the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. services (Germantown):
Anna Young — vocals
Chad Watson — vocals and guitar
Michael Butterworth — keyboard
Phillip Miller — lead guitar
Charlie Lucas — bass guitar
Andy Meyers — drums
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Can’t wait to introduce Invitacion Fountain to our church. Beautiful call to worship and surrender