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!

The Three R's

Thank you to Bob Kauflin. Seriously. So grateful to the Lord for this man and his ministry. He has written a brief post on Desiring God called "The Three R's: Why Christians Sing." He explains these three R's so clearly and succinctly: Remember, Respond, and Reflect. It's a short but good read, so go check it out.

His post gets to the heart of why I'm writing on this blog. What a wonderful gift music and singing is, amen? Oh, and thanks for the link, Christine.

Why we sing of Christ

I think CJ sums it up much more eloquently than I ever could.

While I think it's good to sing songs of God's character (since it is from his character that he acts...and it is from his character of holiness, justice, mercy, compassion, grace and love that he sent Christ), we should never stray too far from the cross. Ever. I love what CJ says about how we are in constant need of the mediator, Jesus Christ. I think (A)as we grow in our understanding of our utter need for Christ, we'll (B)subsequently grow in our love for and gratefulness for Christ. This will (C)subsequently cause us to savor him all the more. It's your basic transitive property. If "A" then "B". And if "B" then "C". Therefore, if "A" then "C".

Anyways, if you were wondering why we sing of the "Glories of Calvary" or the "Wonderful Cross", or we "Glory in our Redeemer," it's because Christ is central to who we are is Christians. He is our identity. We exist by, through and for him. Echoing what CJ said about how heaven is fixated on Christ and the cross, we will be singing of how worthy and amazing Christ is for all eternity. So let's warm up those vocal cords, eh?

Interesting...

Skilled for sure, but a tad bit distracting for corporate worship...

Winner of the contest...

Congratulations to Caleb! Be sure to claim your prize at church tomorrow. Thanks for everyone's comments. I enjoyed seeing who people like to listen to. For those who didn't win, Lord willing, this will be a monthly thing, so check back again in the future.

Worship God Conference 2011

This is like the Shepherds' Conference, but for praise leaders. One day I would love to go. Maybe after Mateo is a litte older, then we can go as a family. This year's focus is on making sure the true gospel is clearly presented each time we gather to worship. A good thing to keep in mind, eh?