We are excited to sing a new song on Easter Sunday called, Rise My Soul The Lord Is Risen. This song celebrates the resurrection and reminds us of the hope it brings. Not only a future hope of our resurrection, but a hope that is alive and powerful as we walk out our faith today. What a hope we have in a Risen Savior!

I hope this song encourages you as we head into Easter Sunday. I cannot wait to gather with our church and sing praises to our Risen Savior!

Link to Listen & Learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq9imtMQ3eU

Lyrics

Verse 1:
Rise, my soul, the Lord is risen
Come, behold the empty grave
See the place where darkness laid Him
Sing for only hope remains
Hallelujah, praise forever
Death defeated and life restored
By that great immortal power
Christ is risen, arise, my soul

Verse 2:
Rest, my soul, the Lord is risen
Love's redeeming work is done
Now the Father sees His children
As He sees His sinless Son
O the wonder, O the glory
That same favour is now my own
Shame behind me, grace before me
Christ is risen, arise, my soul

Verse 3:
Peace, my soul, the Lord is risen
Come and have your hope renewed
For this trial is brief and fleeting
Tears will turn to glory soon
Shout with joy and sound the triumph
Let the music of heaven roar
Let the boast of death be silent
Christ is risen, arise, my soul

Verse 4:
Rise, my soul, for I am risen
Seated now with Christ my Lord
As my life belongs to heaven
Fear shall hold its sway no more
Onward, upward, toward the treasure
Filled with courage and endless hope
For this truth is mine forever
Christ is risen, arise, my soul

Church, we are excited to sing a new song this week from Sovereign Grace Music: The Steadfast Love of Christ. This is a song of hope and assurance that Christ’s love for us will remain steadfast through all things. What a wonderful promise for us to declare with and to one another!

We hope you take some time this week to learn the new song and come eager to sing praises to our Savior on Sunday.

I can’t wait to gather and worship with you!

Link to Listen and Learn: https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/the-steadfast-love-of-christ/

If you’re like me, it's easy to come on Sunday morning with an impoverished view of Christ. No doubt this affects our personal and corporate worship and, like we heard this past Sunday, even affects our witness. Praise be to God that He has given us His Spirit to help us!

This Sunday we are excited to sing a new song from Sovereign Grace Music called “Help Us See Christ”. This song reminds of the very promise of Jesus from John 15:26: The Spirit has come to open our eyes to His glory and majesty.

Consider that amazing promise this coming Sunday as we sing. The Holy Spirit is bearing witness about Christ to us! Oh, may we long to see the glory of our Savior and cry out for the help that is offered to us!

CHORUS:
Open our eyes, help us see Christ
May we behold His majesty
Open our eyes, Spirit we cry
Show us the glory of our King
Help us see Christ

Link to Listen & Learn: https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/help-us-see-christ/

Church, we are excited to sing a new song this week from Sovereign Grace Music called “We Receive”. This song is a grateful response to the willing sacrifice of Christ and the grace He bestows on us, which we celebrate as we share in the Lord’s Supper together. We encourage you to listen and learn so you can join in this Communion Sunday!

Here is a little more about the song from Sovereign Grace Music:

The gospel boldly confronts our deluded thoughts that we can somehow earn or contribute to our salvation. And we're reminded of that truth each time we share the Lord's supper together. It's a feast of grace that points to our inability and Christ's sufficiency, our emptiness and Christ's fullness, our need for forgiveness and Christ's provision. And as J.I. Packer reminds us, Christ himself "intervenes in our interest to ensure that we receive all that he died to procure for us." Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

Links to Listen & Learn: 
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9UqSBxscXw
Lyrics: https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/we-receive/ 

You may have noticed that we have been singing some new songs on Sunday mornings (songs like “Sing” and “All Things”).

These songs were early releases of Sovereign Grace Music’s newest album titled “Knowing God” which was released today! These songs are rich in good theology, but as Bob Kauflin (Leader of Sovereign Grace Music) reminds us, “good theology always leads to glad doxology.” We encourage you to listen and get to know these songs, not simply because we will sing many of them as a church, but so that these truths will lead us to joyful praise and adoration for God and His Gospel. 

Here is a brief description of the album from Sovereign Grace Music:

“2023 marked the 50th anniversary of J.I. Packer’s classic book, Knowing God. What originated as a series of magazine articles has become a tool that God has used to shape, deepen, and ignite the theology of five decades of Christians. 

So the Sovereign Grace Music songwriters set out to write and record an album of songs based on Packer’s book. First, it would be an opportunity to highlight how God has used Knowing God to make theology not only accessible but delightful. Second, we knew Packer’s book would be a rich resource for songs that connect the head and the heart. Third, we hoped it would cause those who have never read it to do so, and stir those who have already read it to read it again! Finally, good theology always leads to glad doxology. Knowing God isn’t simply a book to read. It’s songs waiting to be sung.

…in early 2022, we began writing them. It would be an overwhelming task to try to write a song for each of the twenty-two chapters, and it would also make for an excessively long album. Instead, we based our songs on sentences, paragraphs, or chapters that inspired us. Sometimes the connection was obvious. Other times, Packer’s words served as a springboard for articulating related themes.”

Links to Listen or Download
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYdnaVTk3ydFMs7Sb46QNoDadRsHWkYdj
Bandcamp: https://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/album/knowing-god
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6kFQYERknrmQg2N7cnGpKg

To stay up to date on album releases and more, you can follow Sovereign Grace Music on Instagram @sovgracemusic.

Throughout our study in the book of Judges, we have been reminded that God is faithful and sovereign over all things. This Sunday, we are excited to sing a new song by Sovereign Grace Music called “All Things” which reminds us that God is working all things for His glory and our good.

Here is an excerpt on why this song was written by Sovereign Grace Music: 

“In the midst of tragedy, loss, and defeat, it’s not uncommon to question the power, goodness, and wisdom of God. But Scripture affirms both good and evil are under the control of a sovereign God who holds us in his loving and almighty hands. J.I. Packer said it this way: “All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Not just some things, note, but all things! Every single thing that happens to us expresses God’s love to us, and comes to us for the furthering of God’s purpose for us.” This song reminds us of those precious truths, and assures us that God has ordained everything in our past, present, and future for his endless glory and our eternal joy.”

In the midst of our own tragedy, loss, and defeat, we need to be reminded of this truth. Join us this Sunday as we sing and remind one another of this incredible hope!

I can’t wait to gather and sing with you!
Link to Listen & Learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYNy0MSJnsA&t=1s

Have you ever come to the Gathering on Sunday morning and not really felt like singing? If you are like me, then your answer is yes. I’ve been leading worship for over 14 years (meaning I probably enjoy and think about singing more often than most), and yet I can often come on Sundays and be far less excited about singing than I should be. 

The reality is that we should be far more anticipatory about singing together when we gather. But too often, we aren’t. We approach those precious 25 minutes more informed by our feelings than the God who created us, redeemed us, and offers this incredible means of grace called singing. 

Have you ever thought (or said) something like this on a Sunday morning?
It’s been a tough week, I’m not really in the mood to sing.
My morning has been chaotic with the kids... I need a break. 
I’m weary from sin or trial in my life… I don’t feel like singing… I don’t feel worthy to sing.
Singing isn’t really my thing… I worship God in other ways.
I have a horrible voice… I don’t want people to hear me sing.
These songs aren’t really my preference…. so I’m not going to sing.
The band doesn’t sound very good today… so I’m not singing. 

Because sin still exists in the world, it is not uncommon for us to experience these struggles on any given Sunday morning. None of us are immune. But the question is, what do we do when we don’t feel like singing? 

I want to encourage us to do something radical: Sing! 

Not because you feel like it.
Not because you like the song selection.
Not even simply because God commands it in His word.

Sing because it reminds you (and others) of the Gospel truths we so easily forget (Colossians 3:16) 
Sing because He is sustaining you in that very moment (Psalm 55:22)
Sing because He offers you an unending well of grace in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16)
Sing because He has triumphed over sin and redeemed you (Psalm 71:23)
Sing because He will come back again and bring you safely home (John 14:1-3)
Sing because it’s what we are going to get to do for an eternity together (Revelation 15:3-4)

You’ll be amazed at what the Lord will do when we trust Him, obey Him, and sing. 

As you head to the Gathering this Sunday, consider the following from Bob Kauflin (Leader of Sovereign Grace Music). 

“Confess your weakness, confess your inability, ask God to reveal his glory to you in Jesus Christ, and start singing the truths of God’s word. Most likely, it won’t be too long before your perspective changes, and you’re not thinking about whether you feel like singing anymore. You’ll be thinking about how worthy Jesus is to receive the praises of his people.”

So, brothers and sisters, sing because our Savior is worthy to receive the praises of His blood-bought church.  

We have the joy of singing a new song this Sunday called (you guessed it) Sing! It reminds us of this truth: Sinners, redeemed by a faithful God have every reason to sing. In fact, we must sing. Listen below!

I can’t wait to see you at the Gathering this Sunday and SING.

“It is finished.” 

Over 2,000 years ago our Savior spoke those precious words as He died on a cross (John 19:30). Today, we rejoice in His victory over sin and death and we live in the goodness of that promise: “It is finished.” As we journey toward heaven, this truth brings us unfathomable hope and assurance. 

Join us this Sunday as we sing a new song that celebrates this amazing truth.

Below is a link to listen and learn so you can join in on the celebration of our great Savior this Sunday!

Title: It Was Finished Upon That Cross
Link to Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUGQNYm44hk

Lyrics to Verse 1
How I love the voice of Jesus
On the cross of Calvary
He declares His work is finished
He has spoken this hope to me
Though the sun had ceased its shining
Though the war appeared as lost
Christ had triumphed over evil
It was finished upon that cross

At our Prayer Night this past Sunday we prayed together as a church, confessing our anxieties and casting them upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). We do this not only because it is a command from God’s Word, but because scriptures like Psalm 93 remind us that God is ruling and reigning on His throne and is worthy of our trust. As we ended the evening, we sang a song called The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93) which proclaims that very truth. 

As God’s people, we need to sing this song together. Why? Because it is so easy for us to forget: As we encounter trial and sorrows, as we fight the sin of anxiety, and especially in the midst of the chaos and busyness of life, we need to be reminded that God is ruling and reigning on His throne. 

We often come on Sunday mornings distracted by the chaos of life. What a joy to be able to gather together as God’s Church and remind one another of this truth as we sing. In the Lord’s kindness, He often works to encourage His saints this way when we gather to sing. I encourage you to listen and learn this song as we look forward to singing it throughout our Judges Series (Christ in the Chaos). 

God’s people needed this reminder in the Book of Judges and we need it today. 

Title: The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)
Album: Unchanging God - Songs from the Book of Psalms, Vol. 1
Link to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfG0Efz49VU

Chorus:
Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrow, sing with faith
Oh praise the God of every grace

We were reminded last Sunday that, like David, we have every reason to sing praises to God even when we walk through difficult suffering. Like Psalm 138, this song reminds us that we can walk through suffering with faith and hope because of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do!

Church, join us in singing God of Every Grace this Sunday. Whatever difficulty you are facing this week, it does not change who God is! We can’t wait to sing with you on Sunday. 

Title: God of Every Grace
Link to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5SARNm0M8A
To learn more about the story behind this song, visit this link: https://www.gettymusic.com/godofeverygrace

Verse 3 from "God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)"

We have known Your mercy and Your love as in the past
If days be few or many You will guide us to the last
You have said it, we believe it, every promise holding fast
For we know that You are good

Truths like these remind us of the faithfulness of God toward His people. From Old Testament saints to the New Testament church, including us today: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES!

Join us in a noisy celebration this Sunday as we sing together of the faithfulness of God!

Title: God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Album: Unchanging God - Songs from the Book of Psalms, Vol. 2
Link to listen HERE.

I will extol you my God and King and bless your name forever and ever. 
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.
(Psalm 145:1-3)

God’s word is full of God’s people lifting their voices to praise His name and declare His greatness. We get to do this every Sunday, TOGETHER! Join us this Sunday as we sing a new song from Sovereign Grace Music that declares His greatness. 

Church, may we never grow tired of singing of the glory and greatness of our God and Redeemer!

Title: How Great (Psalm 145)
Album: Unchanging God - Songs from the Book of Psalms
Link to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNSoydKOXQo

Chorus:
Sing with joy now, our God is for us
The Father’s love is a strong and mighty fortress
Raise your voice now, no love is greater
Who can stand against us if our God is for us?

We are excited to sing a new song together as church called God Is For Us. This song reminds us of the faithfulness of God and encourages us to SING as we place our confidence in Him: His presence with us and His promises to us. 

We hope you’ll learn it this week and SING with us on Sunday!

Title: God Is For Us
Link to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OlOGbe1n8M
CityAlight - 2018