We had a pretty good day yesterday. Numerically, we seemed to be about the same as the last few weeks, which is slightly up from previous months. What I felt was a wonderful thing is a partial answer to a specific prayer I’ve had for quite a while—that our members would make a concerted effort each week to invite friends/family/neighbors to church with them. We had groups of visitors yesterday who had been invited by others and would not have come if they had not been invited.
That’s one of the ways that church should work.
Musically, things went well, but you could really tell we had no drums. Finding the usual level of energy was harder, and I had to work a little more than usual on the rhythm guitar. Most of the music for yesterday was tied to the theme of being lead by God, as we have entered into a month-long series entitled “The Lord is My Shepherd.”
In some ways, this is a HUGE change for how we do things around here. Except for our long iLife series earlier in the year, we have never done a thematic set of worship/teaching before (and iLife doesn’t count because of it actually being 12 different “topics” grouped together). I’ve been amazed over the years how, when I know nothing about the upcoming sermon topic for Sunday, the music I was led to choose tied directly to what would be preached moments later.
In looking for a “theme song” for the month, I was listening to Tomlin’s newest album “Hello Love,” and found the perfect fit. I know some of you out there don’t like Tomlin’s stuff because you think it’s not cutting-edge enough, or just more the same, predictable. To this I have the reaction of a teenage girl, “Whatever.” Maybe it makes me a boring person, but quite honestly some of the more cutting-edge stuff that is labeled as more creative is actually unmusical to my ears. There, I said it.
Being a blended church with many folks who don’t have an appreciation for more contemporary music, Tomlin is a Godsend. Tomlin’s stuff is a safe bridge from traditional hymns to comtemporary stylings, and is by-and-large (but for key) more singable than most stuff out there.
So, I introduced “All the Way My Savior Leads Me” as a solo yesterday, and we will sing the song congregationally every Sunday for the rest of the month. How do I know I made the right choice for a theme song? First, I had members who usually don’t like the more contemporary stuff come up to me and say they liked/loved/enjoyed the song. I also had the contemporary folks say the same. That was a musical bridge built within the congregation. Second, and really more importantly, it fit with the message from the Word like a glove. Look at the chorus lyric and then compare it with Scripture used during the sermon.
You lead me, You keep me from falling. You carry me close to your heart. And surely your goodness and mercy will follow me.
Psalm 23:2b = “He leads me beside quiet waters.”
Psalm 23:3b = “He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:6a = “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life.”
Isaiah 40:11 = “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.”
That’s pretty awesome if you ask me. Here’s the set list.
- Thy Loving Kindness // Hugh Mitchell
- I Will Call Upon the Lord // Michael O’Shields (a blended worship favorite)
- All the Way My Savior Leads Me // Fanny J. Crosby, Chris Tomlin
- Come to the Holy One // David Crain
- Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us // Dorothy Trupp, William Bradbury
This is a part of Sunday Setlists at FredMcKinnon[dot]com.
