Set List

October 3: Liturgy + Set List

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  • BEFORE THE THRONE

Call to worship:

To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of

His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the

Friend of sinners, welcome.

  • GRACE ALONE

  • I LOVE YOU LORD

Sermon: Romans 12:3-8

We love because God has first loved us. We serve because God has first served us in and through Christ. We belong to the family of God because we have been adopted by God. We belong to the Body of Christ where Christ Himself is the Head. The entirety of our lives is lived in response to God. Let’s respond together:

  • MY JESUS I LOVE THEE

BAPTISMS

COMMUNION

  • HIS MERCY IS MORE

BENEDICTION: Ephesians 3:20-21

September 19: Liturgy + Set List

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  • REVIVE US AGAIN

Call to worship:

To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of

His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the

Friend of sinners, welcome.

  • GREAT ARE YOU LORD

  • PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY-GOOD GOOD FATHER

Sermon: Ephesians 2:18-22

There is a passage in Isaiah, where God, speaking of His people, Israel says, ‘This people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.’ I am struck every time I read that passage, every time I think of that passage how easy it is to do the right things, to think the right things, to say the right things, to behave in the right way, all the while having a heart that is far from God. Having a heart that is hardened and calloused toward God. If you and I are to display the invisible power of the Gospel to a watching world, that will never occur when we simply do or say or act the right way. We must be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to look more like Christ, the One who has welcomed us to God the Father. We’re going to sing a song now that is a reminder of the new identity that we have in and through Christ. And what I hope this does for you, and for me is fuel in us a desire to walk in a manner worthy of the call of God. Walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

  • Who You Say I Am

If you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, every word that we just sung is true of You. Not because you have earned it, deserved it, or accomplished anything, but simply because God is kind, gracious and merciful to give you a new identity in and through Christ. We’re going to read responsively a passage of Scripture that we have referenced throughout our morning, a passage that reminds us who we were, who we are, and Who God has always been.

Responsive Reading:

LEADER:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you

once walked, following the course of this world,

following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is

now at work in the sons of disobedience—

ALL:

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,

carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were

by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But

God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with

which he loved us, even when we were dead in our

trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—

LEADER:

by grace you have been saved—

ALL:

and raised us up with him and seated us with Him in the

heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages

he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace

in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

LEADER:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this

is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of

works, so that no one may boast.

ALL:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for

good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we

should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

  • Raise Up The Crown (All Hail The Power)

September 5: Set List + Liturgy

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  • DOXOLOGY (AMEN)

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 16

  • KING OF KINGS

  • BE THOU MY VISION

Read and Pray in Response: Psalm 119:1-8

Sermon: Psalm 134

Worship is always costly. And the cost is always your life. Worship does not turn on and off but is the continuous outpouring of your life - all your affection, all your attention. And because worship is the continuous outpouring of your life, sin does not stop your worship, it redirects your worship to created things rather than the Creator. The cost of this worship always leads to death. But worship that is rightly aimed at God will still cost you your life, but for the follower of Jesus, dying to self always leads to life in Christ. We gather as people who can echo the hymn writer - that we are prone to wander, and we feel it. We gather to say to God and remind one another, here is our heart - our rightly ordered, rightly aimed worship - take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above. We are going to respond in songs of worship, that will fuel lives of worship. Let’s sing.

  • COME THOU FOUNT

  • LIVING HOPE

August 29: Set List + Liturgy

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  • THIS IS AMAZING GRACE

Call To Worship: Psalm 40:9-10

Part of the reason we gather is to remind one another about the saving work, the great deliverance of God, His steadfast love and faithfulness. We know these things in our minds, but often our lives do not reflect that we recognize these things are true. So when we sing, we sing to God, yes, but we also sing to one another reminding each other about the heart and character of our God. So lets sing to Him, and sing to one another.

  • HIS MERCY IS MORE

  • NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD

Read + Pray in Response: Psalm 106:47

SERMON: Psalm 133

Relationships are hard work. We never drift toward unity or oneness - it is always hard fought. But the unity we see displayed in this passage, unity which commands a blessing, is not anything you and I can summon in our own strength and power. This unity is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in us, through us and among us. And I think part of walking with the Holy Spirit toward unity and oneness with one another is recognizing God has already crossed the greater divide to reconcile, to redeem, to unify sinful people to Himself - a Holy God. Maybe one of the reasons we see such division among Christ-followers is because we don’t actually believe that is true - we look at others and think ‘Yeah, God had to cross the greater divide for those sinners over there, but He didn’t really have to cross too great of a divide to reconcile this sinner right here.’ Brothers and sisters, that is a lie. We all stand in great need of the redeeming, reconciling, unifying work of God. And if God can be reconciled to sinful people, who are we to not work toward unity and oneness with our brothers and sisters. Let’s use the words of this song to recognize the redeeming, reconciling, unifying work of Christ on our behalf.

  • COME BEHOLD THE WONDROUS MYSTERY

  • YES AND AMEN

22 August: Set List + Liturgy

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  • ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

Our world is not as it should be. Sin has warped and distorted and broken everyone and everything. Even creation itself groans under the weight of sin. Maybe you have experienced that first hand this week, or maybe you are aware of it as you have seen the devastation of another earthquake in Haiti and the chaos of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Maybe you are thinking, ‘those things are sad, but I don’t live in Haiti or Afghanistan…’. One of the reasons we gather as the people of God is to be reminded that we belong together. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have not been saved just to be an individual, but have been saved to be a part of a family, a part of a Body of Christ, His Church. And if you are a member of this church, you belong to this local expression of the Body of Christ, but every follower of Jesus is also a member of the Global, Universal Church - the Body of Christ made up of followers of Jesus from every tribe, every tongue, every language and every nation on the planet throughout time, and history, even now. And right now, we have brothers and sisters, members of our family who we will never meet this side of eternity in Haiti and Afghanistan who are experiencing the weight and the brokenness of sin in a very acute way - and that should grieve us. But as followers of Jesus, we are people that hold tensions. We hold the tension of acknowledging that there is sin and brokenness in the world, and at the same time acknowledging that there is a firm foundation, a solid rock which is Christ - the One who will return to set all things right and make all things new. That is lament - grief and hope, grief with expectation, grief with anticipation of what God will do. We will continue in worship praying this prayer of lament particularly on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Haiti and Afghanistan.

PRAYER OF LAMENT:

LEADER:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?

    Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

ALL:

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand;

    forget not the afflicted.

LEADER:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

    How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul

    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

ALL:

But I have trusted in Your steadfast love;

    my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

ALL:

Deliver us, O Lord, from evil men;

    preserve us from violent men, 

who plan evil things in their heart

    and stir up wars continually.

We know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,

    and will execute justice for the needy.

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;

    the upright shall dwell in Your presence.

(Psalm 10:1-2, 12, Psalm 13:1-2,5-6, from Psalm 140:1-2, 12-13)

  • GRACE ALONE

  • BUILD MY LIFE

Sermon: Psalm 132

  • EVER BE

Communion

  • RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)

Songs of Devotion, Songs of Corporate Worship

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Corporate worship is an industry. With worship leaders, songwriters, and churches releasing new music to radio, going on tour, and selling tens of thousands of records. With the rise of an industry, there is also something of a hybrid - the worship artist. A blend of contemporary christian music sensibilities, corporate worship production, and singer-songwriter confessionals. For me, artists such as United, Maverick City Music, and several Bethel artists would fall into this category. Much of this music I enjoy, and find personally beneficial. But something that gives me pause is how undiscerning worship leaders can be about introducing - what I would call - songs of personal devotion - into the corporate worship space.

I do not believe that there is anything wrong or heretical about singing songs of personal devotion in the corporate gathering. Songs of personal devotion like, ‘I Love You Lord,’ and, ‘Give Me Jesus,’ have their place in the life of the Church. And clearly we see in the Psalms (the song and prayer book of the people of God) very personal pleas, confessions, prayers and celebrations from the Psalmist - intended for corporate use. What I am primarily contending for here is best practice - bringing songs to the congregation that will serve the people well in the corporate gathering and daily life.

Here are some filters for consideration when a song connects with you personally, or is being suggested by someone in the congregation, as to whether it may fall into a category of corporate worship, or personal devotion:

True.

Everything we put in the mouths of our congregations should be true. Not just truth adjacent, but true true. Can you trace every concept, idea, and even lyric back to Scripture? The lyrics should reveal what God has first revealed to be true of Himself - His heart, and His character. The content of the song should also be universally true for the life of every believer - not just telling a story of personal experience. An example of this kind of song of personal devotion is a song like ‘Talking to Jesus’ from Brandon Lake - ‘Grandma used to pray out loud by her bed every night. To me it sounded like mumbling like she was out of her mind. She said, ‘Boy, this kind of praying is what saved my life you outta try it sometime,’ and now I know she was right.’ - Clearly, this is a lyric that is personally meaningfully, but not necessarily universally true.

We Over Me.

Corporate sung worship is corporate. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of changing all personal pronouns in corporate worship songs to plural pronouns (I have known of churches who have done this), but our corporate worship songs should be filled with more ‘we’s than ‘me’s.

Accessible.

Melodies and lyrics should be accessible to the congregation. Songs that contain multiple parts lyrically or melodically can make learning and ‘entering into that song’ difficult for the average congregation. Choose lyrics that are poetic, thoughtful, unique and unfold with meaning the more they are sung, absolutely! But will what you are singing make sense without any explanation, or if someone walks in halfway through a song? Songs of personal devotion can often have compelling melodies, that change from verse to verse, or never come back to repeat specific parts - this can be especially difficult to teach, let alone grasp in the corporate worship gathering.

Regardless of whether a song leans more corporate worship, or personal devotion, choosing songs for your congregation should be something done with a critical ear, and a discerning heart. One that is familiar with your congregation specifically - what do they need to sing right now? What will we need to sing a year from now? What songs will they need to sing over their crying baby in the evening? What songs will they need to sing in celebration of the care and provision of God? What songs will they need to sing around the gravesite? Whatever songs we choose, may they be ones that are good, beautiful and true.

Hymns

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I am not a cook, but I do love cooking shows. One of the most interesting things to me is the part that time plays in creating a dish. Time strengthens a dish by melding individual ingredients into something cohesive. There is a depth of flavor that is created by time, that no other process can create. I think songs are the same. As a worship leader, I am often surprised how few hymns are included in the regular rotation of the life of a church. Or how familiar worship leaders are with the newest songs of particular writers, worship leaders, churches, or movements, but how little time they spend seeking to understand the songs that have laid a foundation for our faith through the generations.

Maybe you are thinking, but the Bible tells us to sing a new song, why bother with old songs? Here are some reasons to consider hymns:

Depth.

Just like time on my cooking shows, there is a depth to hymns that have been passed down through the generations. Chances are, if hymns have made it through different centuries, various languages, assorted denominations and are still standing, there is probably a reason we still know them and should sing them today. The depth of flavor that hymns offer brings balance to your master song list, and weekly setlists.

Topics and content.

In the wake of September 11th, Matt Redman talked about how many churches were at a loss as to what to sing to give people the space to know how to grieve, lament, and worship. It was in that space that many churches turned to hymns… and where Matt and his wife, Beth, wrote the song ‘Blessed Be Your Name.’ Perhaps less so now than in 2001, but many of our modern songs simply do not have the variety and breadth of subject matter that we can tap into from hymns. If being a disciple of Jesus is about ultimately preparing for our death, what are the kinds of songs that represent the full spectrum of life in a fallen world that we can give our people to both comfort and convict, instruct and equip them for this journey?

Thinking and feeling.

A fellow worship leader once told me that we need thinking songs and feeling songs. We need songs that help form our theology, and songs that allow us to respond to that beautiful truths. One of the things that I appreciate about hymns is the poetic, sometimes archaic language. When we sing words that we do not use in our everyday vocabulary, words that require us to slow down, think, and engage our minds (not just our emotions), hymns begin to slowly reveal more meaning over time.

Connection to the Church.

In the West, we are a people who value individualism like almost nothing else. But when we sing hymns, we are reminded that we are a part of God’s global church that exists throughout time, history, and place. The Church was here long before us, it will be here long after we are gone, and will continue on into eternity. When we sing these songs, we join in their song.

Our culture is obsessed with instant gratification, the latest and the greatest. And praise the Lord for the new songs that are being written for the Church to sing in response to the beauty of our Savior. But often I wonder when someone says, ‘Wow, have you heard the latest <fill in the blank> song?’ if the Church will still be singing that song 100 years from now… or even three years from now. Perhaps there are better markers by which we evaluate what songs we put into our people’s mouths each weekend.

Building A Set List

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There is a temptation in leading corporate sung worship to imitate form and flow without understanding intention. Too often we can believe that choosing the correct combination of songs, dynamics, and production will create the desired result. Although I do believe there are best practice principles to leading worship regardless of your particular context, these things do not follow a static formula. If your worship setlists feel more like a string of songs than intentionally shaping the morning to form the people, here are some things to consider:

Start with the Text. What is the primary text in the teaching for the weekend? What does it tell us about God? What does it tell us about mankind? How may God be calling your people to respond this weekend? What themes can you pull from the text in not only your song choice, but in the way you pray, choose Scripture, and plan musical dynamics?

Prayer. Before, during, and after - I am convinced and convicted by how easily I can default to intuition, and experience to determine elements for the gathering. In an earlier post, I wrote about three prayers of preparation, you can read that here.

Follow a framework. This is why I like the Gospel Song Liturgy, intention laid in the foundation of your liturgy when you use a framework, rather than reinventing the wheel every time you plan a service.

Consider the team. Who are the musicians and vocalists serving this weekend? How can you accentuate the strengths of those individuals and the team as a whole, and minimize weakness? Do you need to begin communicating parts or specific pieces further in advance?

This week, this month, this year. Our weekend services stand-alone, but build one on another week after week, month after month, year after year. Are you holding the bigger picture of where your people are, and where you’re leading as you plan the service this weekend?

Find the gaps. Songs don’t always communicate or give the language needed for every aspect of our time. What other aspects are needed to fully connect and ground your time? Scripture, liturgical elements like readings, prayers, confessions, silence, and response, as well as verbal transitions, can all be used to direct and focus the flow of the morning.

When your elements for the service are gathered, consider the flow of the story you are telling in your lead through the liturgy. We can inadvertently create a disconnected story when we do things like sing about the resurrection and then sing about our sin and need for a Savior. Songs, rhythm, and keys should move in a structure flowing naturally one to the next as you move the people through your setlist, the morning, and the vision of where you are headed.

July 28: Set List

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WELCOME/CALL TO WORSHIP:

To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners, welcome. [From 10th Presbyterian Church]

GRACE ALONE

THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

Sermon: Luke 11:29-35

RESPONSIVE READING:

LEADER:
The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

ALL:
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD

and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

LEADER:
Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory?

ALL:
The LORD, strong and mighty,

the LORD, mighty in battle!

LEADER:

Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

ALL:
The LORD of hosts,

he is the King of glory!

I STAND AMAZED

LIGHT