Palm Sunday Worship Set List: Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs at Sojourn, 4-17-2011

Welcome to sojournmusic.com’s weekly worship music set list review on this Palm Sunday/ Passion Sunday edition of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. This set list is from Sunday’s worship service here in Louisville’s Sojourn Church. You’ll not only read a list of the songs we led following the Call To Worship, but also the readings and prayers from our liturgy.

You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week in the Worship Blog Carnival at theworshipcommunity.com. And 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 Thursday at Sojourn’s online journal, TravelBlog. Photos this week from our J-Town Campus, by Tom Branch.

Call To Worship
Today is the Palm Sunday – the day we remember what’s called Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. When Jesus came into the city, about a week before he died, the whole city came out, waving palm branches and hailing him as their King. A week later, they would call for his death as a criminal.
We can celebrate this day because we see the whole story. Though those who would hail him as king would later call for his death, God the Father used their betrayal to raise Jesus to the highest possible throne. It’s because of Jesus’ death – his ultimate act of humility – that God raises him up as King of Kings. Stand with me and hear these words from Philippians:

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:6-11

Song: King of Glory written by Chris Tomlin and James Reeves — a good response to the Call To Worship anytime, and particularly Palm Sunday.
Song: Hosanna ( Palm Sunday Version ) – written by Sojourn’s Jeremy Quillo. This song is on our Advent Songs album (hear it in full at this link). Jeremy modified the lyrics slightly for this version, appropriate for Palm Sunday.

Confession/Assurance
Christ our King did what no one earthly leader could do. Let’s recite the good news of the Gospel together:

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Rom 4:25-5:1

Song: Alas, And Did My Savior Bleed by Isaac Watts, melody by Annie Quick, based on an Irish folk melody.

Was it for crimes that I had done,

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! Grace unknown!

And love beyond degree.

Peace
Let’s take time to welcome each other hear today.

Giving:
Hear God’s Word:
As God’s dear children, then, take him as your pattern, and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up for us as an offering and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God.
—Ephesians 5:1-2

We respond to God in worship because of His goodness and mercy toward us. We now give of our physical means to honor God and to continue the mission He has called His Church to. Let’s pray:

Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—
our selves, our time, and our possessions—signs of your gracious love.
Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us—
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Song: Blest Be the Lamb written by East Campus Worship Director Jamie Barnes and worship leader Rebecca Dennison. Rebecca was one of Sojourn’s first songwriters, and Jamie has been writing compelling songs for years — first on his own and recently as part of the Sojourn Community on Advent Songs and Jamie’s EP The Mercy Seat.

Blest Be The Lamb is one of twelve new songs on The Water And The Blood: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Volume Two, which releases world-wide next Tuesday, April 26.

Then our pastor preached the penultimate sermon in our Romans 8 series, which we’ve journeyed through during this season of Lent. You can download Sojourn sermons from our Sojourn Church podcast on iTunes, or hear them in the Sermon library of sojournchurch.com.

Song: Let Your Blood Plead For Me written by me (Bobby Gilles), Jeremy Quillo and Mike Cosper, our communion hymn for the week. This modern hymn was inspired by the Isaac Watts song “Lord How Secure My Conscience Was.” It’s always fun to write with new people; and I was especially honored to finally write something with Jeremy, Sojourn’s first worship songwriter, and Mike, our pastor.

You’ll be able to hear “Let Your Blood Plead For Me” in its entirety soon on our new album The Water And The Blood: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Volume Two. If you’re in Louisville, we hope you’ll join us for the CD Release this Friday at Memorial Auditorium, as part of our Good Friday worship.

Song: Beautiful Savior written by Stuart Townend. Stuart is the lyric writer who has collaborated with composer Keith Getty on many famous modern hymns. Tomorrow here at sojournmusic.com I’ll share my notes on a Keith Getty songwriting seminar that I attended last week in Chicago at the Gospel Coalition 2011 National Conference.

Reading
One Day, Jesus our King will return to judge the living and the dead. John was given this vision of that day:

…I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.” – Revelation 7:9-12

Song: Let the Seventh Angel Sound yet another song you’ll be able to hear soon on our new album The Water And The Blood. And this is another Jamie Barnes song, adapted from Isaac Watts and taken from the Book of Revelation. I can’t wait until you can all hear each of these new songs.

Benediction:
Follow Your Shepherd King to the cross and there you will find life. Go now in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.