Welcome to Sunday Setlists, a part of Fred McKinnon’s Blog Carnival! This week, we had a special guest to lead us in worship. Jeremy Casella is a big member of the New Hymns movement and recently spent a tour with Caedmon’s Call. All instrumentals this week were minimal: Acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, percussion and vocals. 1 – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Robert Robinson, 1758 / John Wyth’s Repository of Sacred Music, 1817Again with the Irish! While … Read More
Should Worship Songs Correspond to the Sermon? Maybe Not.
Worship Leader Magazine’s latest issue (a GREAT issue, by the way) featured an interview with Hughes Oliphant Old (worship leaders should know this name) by Reggie Kidd. In a brief, two-page span, Kidd probed Old’s brain on the subject of what Paul means in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 when he refers to “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” This is an ongoing and important exegetical dialogue that should be entered into by every worship leader. One of the questions and answers hit the subject that haunts every worship leader…whether or not songs should tie to the sermon. This is a perennial struggle
Worship Recap 3-14-10
Welcome to an overdue installment of Sunday Setlists, sponsored by Fred McKinnon’s Blog Carnival. This week was Youth Sunday, so the entire service was led by our youth group. 1 – How Firm A Foundation – John Rippon, 1787 / Zac Hicks 2009This song was rewritten for the New Hymns Movement by Zac Hicks upon request from the Cherry Creek Pres. Youth Ministry. The main instruments are two guitars, electric and acoustic, which, while the acoustic plays a palm-muted … Read More
Review of Passion’s New Worship Album, Awakening
Passion, Awakening (2010, Various Artists) In my opinion, the Passion folks have drawn the clearest line of demarcation between the stylistic eras of “contemporary worship” (80s and 90s) and “modern worship” (late 90s to the present). I remember when Passion ’98 hit the scene. The songs felt fresh, youthful, and different from its predecessors, and from that time forward, we watched the blossoming of the solo careers of these Passion artists (Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, etc.) … Read More
The Importance of Design and Layout in an Order of Worship
As all the evangelical pointers continue to signal a continued shift toward worship expressions which are more rooted and liturgical, I’ve noticed an increased re-engagement with that archaic piece of print material known as the “order of worship.” Others call it an “order of service,” a “printed liturgy,” or simply a “bulletin.” Screens in worship have served well many functions, but one thing they cannot get away from is that the words and ideas they project are fleeting. You can’t (usually) know what’s coming next in a worship service with screens. You can’t meditate on any portion of the worship service when the screens constantly change text before you. You can’t take a screen home with you for reflection.
Emerging, Traditional, or Deep? A Review of Jim Belcher’s “Deep Worship”
Review of Jim Belcher, Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional (Downers Grove, IVP: 2009)Chapter 7, “Deep Worship” Our pastoral team has been reading through Deep Church, by Jim Belcher. We were intrigued by the subtitle, because we felt it captured our vision for our local church: “A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional.” Most of us had the opportunity to personally meet Jim a few weeks ago when he spoke at St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal … Read More