Friends, I’m so excited to let you know about the release of a live concert recording that our young organist, Chelsea Chen, performed last year on our 7,000-pipe Ruffatti organ. There’s a lot of off thinking out there when it comes to musical style in the church these days. One of those skewed ideas is that the pipe organ has no place in the modern church music paradigm. A year ago I engaged an experimental thought project about what the … Read More
One Subversive Worship Songwriter You May Not Know
Re-gifting Worship I once heard David Gungor (of The Brilliance…fabulous) talk about his charismatic past meeting his liturgical present as coalescing around a “ninja liturgy”–a stealth liturgical narrative quietly creeping into and taking over the modern worship song set. I’ve been thinking more about this kind of subversion (especially as I’ve been writing The Worship Pastor), maybe arriving at the conclusion that it’s less subversion and more just great contextualization… re-gifting in the best possible light. When it comes to … Read More
In Search of the Emotionally Persuasive Liturgy
Over at Reformed Worship, I wouldn’t want you to miss an important post of mine that posits some very current questions I am asking. Once again, my investigation of Thomas Cranmer has proven a helpful launchpad into current worship issues and reflections. The questions I’m seeking Cranmer’s help in answering actually have a lot to do with yesterday’s post on my journey in listening better to the charismatic tradition. Maybe to encourage you to go check out the post, here … Read More
Infiltrating Bad Worship Practices by Hijacking Forms
Sounds sinister, doesn’t it? Sounds like something that Christians…especially worship leaders…shouldn’t be a part of. Sounds like the work of terrorists, not pastors. I would tell you, though, that the practice of hijacking and retooling old worship forms has been a part of Christianity for quite some time. Semper Reformanda Every era of Christian worship is always in need of reform. Every era has its highs and lows, its blessings and blind spots. Almost five hundred years ago, Christians like … Read More
Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols at Coral Ridge (2014)
I always value seeing and hearing what others are doing in worship services, especially around “unifying” times of year when much of the Church focuses on pinnacle, earth-altering events like the incarnation of the Son of God. (That’s one of the reasons I love being a part of the best, most thoughtful, most collaborative worship leader group on Facebook, Liturgy Fellowship.) One of the things I LOVE about being at Coral Ridge is their strong heritage of pouring resources into … Read More
Advent as God’s Gracious Declaration of War
When we think of Advent (if we have any thoughts), we are usually drawn to the comforting images of Christmas–Jesus as a baby, peace on earth, good will toward men, etc. If we’ve gone deeper into Advent, perhaps we recognize it as a season of pain, longing, unmet expectations, and hopeful waiting. But have we ever thought of Advent as God’s declaration of war? Ancient Christians passed to us a formula to describe this war, formalized especially in the vows … Read More
Luther’s Case for Psalm-Singing
Ligonier on Luther and the PsalmsWorship leaders and thinkers who stand in the Reformed worship tradition emphasize the importance and necessity of Psalm-singing. In fact, there are several smaller Reformed denominations who are chiefly known as “psalms-only” worshipers, meaning that the only songs they sing in worship are tuned translations and versifications of the Psalms. John Calvin, the father of the Reformed tradition of Protestant Christianity, was an outspoken champion of the supremacy of Psalms in worship. He encouraged Psalm-singing … Read More
Are Churches Trending Back Toward One Worship Style?
Rainer’s 6 Reasons I hope Thom Rainer’s post travels. He offers six reasons why some churches are moving back to one worship style, not willing to call it a full-blown trend or prophesy that the tides are turning…but one can hope. Here are his reasons: 1. Multiple worship styles created an “us vs. them” mentality.2. The church did not have the resources to do multiple styles with quality.3. The church moved from multiple services to one service.4. The Millennial generation … Read More
Behind the Song “Wake Up Sleeper” and Album Giveaway Contest
His Be the Victor’s Name (EP) released this week. Here’s my post about it. I will be sharing a little about each song, and the first one up is “Wake Up Sleeper.” Listen to it: His Be the Victor's Name by Zac Hicks & Coral Ridge Worship Resources lyrics | lead sheet | chord chart | buy it Behind the Words “Wake Up Sleeper” is the only song whose words are 100% original. My readership knows that I’m a big fan of … Read More
His Be the Victor’s Name EP – Releases Today!
Coral Ridge Music and I are proud to announce the release of His Be the Victor’s Name, a small collection of worship songs dedicated to the themes God’s two words of Law and Gospel. It consists of four re-tuned hymns, a confession song based on the Book of Common Prayer, and one full original. With the exception of “From the Depths of Woe” (Indelible Grace / Christopher Miner), all the tunes and additional texts were written by me in collaboration with … Read More