Initial Review of Risen: So far, so good

As I mentioned before, Sovereign Grace just released a new album entitled Risen. As the title indicates, it is a CD proclaiming that Christ has conquered the grave, which is relevant ALWAYS, but especially with Easter coming up in a couple of weeks. You can check out the album here. And, it is still just $5 if you download a digital copy until April 15. Another cool bonus feature for you Iphone/Ipod users. It displays the lyrics to each song as it plays. So you can do a little karaoke, just not while you're driving.

My favorite song on the album music-wise is "You Have Been Raised" (track 3). This song asks the simple, yet all-important question: How can we know that we are saved? How do we know for sure that our sins are forgiven, that we are accepted by God? The chorus answers that in this way:

You have been raised, the tomb has been opened
Nothing can take away our hope in You
You have been raised.
You have been raised, the work is completed
Hell and its powers have been defeated
You have been raised.

The bridge adds:

The price You paid for us has fully been accepted
Because of Your shed blood we cannot be rejected

Beautiful stuff. Check out the album if you haven't yet. Each song is filled with lyrics that will encourage any believer with the freedom from sin, the newness of life in Christ, the victory we have in Christ, the hope of heaven, amongst other things. And if you're so inclined, get a copy.

Uh oh...the praise leader messed up...what should we do?

It happens. In fact, it happens more often than you think. I've had my fair share of mistakes. On my part, I want to be practicing and getting better to be as little of a distraction as possible, to get out of the way and point others to Christ. Worship should always be a response to the immensity of who God is, the mind-blowing truth that God's grace and mercy have covered all of our sins in Christ, and the beauty of our Lord and Savior. The gospel should propel us to worship. It should drive out any sense of pride and put us in our place. Worship should never be about men.

Too often, when we see/hear a mistake, we focus too much on that, whether it's a cracked voice, a missed note, a wrong key, a wrong word, a funky strum/beat...whatever it may be. I probably do this more than most, so this is really for me first. I want to encourage each of us with this reminder: when we gather corporately, we are here to worship God. We (most definitely including myself) ought to be so enthralled with who God is, so amazed that we know the perfectly holy God who created all that is in the universe, so in love with the one who first loved us and gave his only Son to die for our sins, so filled with gratitude that we just want to worship God with our lives because our lives doubly belong to him. Oh, and just as a reminder: worship is a life devoted to Christ, not just singing a song or coming to church on Sundays. To God be the glory!