Worship Music for Sunday, December 11th, 2016

 

One of the Advent stories I love most is the story of Simeon in the Gospel of Matthew. We don;t hear about this one much around Christmas but it's a beautiful story of a faithful man who believed the promise that God would deliver Israel in his lifetime. God had promised Simeon that he would see the Savior with his own eyes before he died, and Simeon had been waiting a long time to see that promise fulfilled. Little did he know, that day when he walked into the temple to worship like so many days before, that his wait would finally come to an end...

 

And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel." (Matthew 9:27-32)

As we celebrate the Advent season together as a church, rest in the peace that comes from knowing we worship a faithful God who keeps His promises, even if it means waiting a lifetime to see it. And if He kept His promise to come the first time, we can know with all certainty that He will come again and make all things new in His Kingdom!

Here are the songs we will sing in worship to our faithful God this week:

1. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing by Jeremy Camp (Luke 2:8-14)

 

 

2. I Offer Myself by the RidgeWorship Band (Romans 12:1)

 

 

3. I Will Follow by Jon Guerra (Luke 9:23)

 

 

4. No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music (Romans 8:15-17)

 

 

5. Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus by Red Mountain Church Worship (Matthew 1:22-23)

 

 

Worship Music for Sunday, November 20th, 2016

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name! 

 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)

We have more reason to be thankful than any other people alive! As we gather this Sunday to sing our praises to our faithful God, let the full weight of His goodness and mercy fuel your worship and allow gratitude to well up inside you to the point of overflowing in exuberant praise!

Here are the songs we will sing together this Sunday in our corporate worship gathering...

1. Forever Reign by Hillsong Worship (Exodus 15:18)

 

 

2. Christ Be All Around Me by All Sons & Daughters (Psalm 139:5)

 

 

3. None Like You by Vertical Church Band (Jeremiah 10:6)

4. Good Good Father by Housefires (Matthew 7:11)

Worship Music for Sunday, November 13th, 2016

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:23-24)

There is a kind of worship that God hates. Regardless of the style of music, regardless of the presentation or production, regardless of the excellence of its execution... He will not listen. You can have the the most reverent traditional services with suits and ties, organists, choirs, and sing only hymns, only from actual hymnals. You can have the most exciting, professional sound and lighting designed to engage the audience. You can sing all the best new contemporary worship songs with the best musicians and singers available, and everyone in the building can be singing along enthusiastically at the top of their voices with all the sincerity they can muster. He will not listen or regard it.... IF your heart is not right before Him.

When we get caught up in the trappings of worship -- no matter which side of the debate you find yourself on -- and disregard the things that are important to the heart of God, then we would be better unplugging the amps and putting away the hymnals. Burn the drums AND the choir robes. God is not interested in what style of worship you prefer; He is interested in what kind of person you have become at the heart level.

I often wonder what the underground church in China would think about our hang-ups about worship styles, about sound systems, and whether the lighting is right. I wonder if the persecuted believers in Sudan, Iraq, Iran, or Syria would shake their heads in disbelief at the time and energy we waste arguing about the form our worship takes rather than serving the God we are supposed to be worshiping no matter the style of expression!

Here are the songs we will be singing together in our gathering this week. Listen to the lyrics and the truths expressed in each song, even if you don't like the music. Ask God to give you a heart of worship that transcends the material and taps into the eternal. You'd be amazed at what might happen if we came together around a common confession of faith and ignored the differences of opinion.

1. Oh Our Lord by All Sons & Daughters (Psalm 8:1)

 

 

2. Lay Me Down by Chris Tomlin (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

 

 

3. It Is Well by Todd Fields (Philippians 4:11-13)

 

 

4. Come Thou Fount (I will Sing) by Chris Tomlin (Psalm 89:1)

 

 

5. Always Have by Vertical Church Band (Ephesians 1:3-6)

 

 

Worship Music for Sunday, October 30, 2016

Here are the songs we will be singing together this week in our worship gathering...

1. Wild Heart by Urban Rescue (Luke 9:23)

 

 

2. Yes & Amen by Housefires (2 Corinthians 1:20)

 

 

3. No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music (Romans 8:15)

 

 

4. Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher (Isaiah 40:31)

 

 

5. Great Are You, Lord by All Sons & Daughters (Psalm 145:3)

 

Worship Music for Sunday, October 23, 2016

"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." (1 Peter 1:8)

I came across this verse reading through Peter's first letter to Jewish believers scattered in the Dispersion in the early days of the church. Like modern believers, many of them never saw Jesus in person, and would not see Him until He returns at the end of the age. In spite of that, and in spite of the difficulties and persecution they endured for this Jesus they had never seen yet believed in and loved more dearly than their own lives, they had "joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory"! Think about those words describing their joy: inexpressible (too great and deep and rich to ever be adequately summed up in any language a human could utter) and filled with glory (overflowing with the greatness of who God is and His manifest presence in their lives). Wow! Does that describe our joy? Is that the kind of worship we bring to our gathering on Sunday morning? It can be... if we take the time today to set aside a moment to drop everything and just worship Him!

Here are some songs we will sing together in our gathering Sunday. Begin praising Him now with these songs of adoration and praise...

1. Rise by Housefires (John 7:38)

 

 

2. The Lord Our God by Passion (1 Corinthians 1:9)

 

 

3. No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music (Romans 8:15)

 

 

4. His Name by Urban Rescue (Philippians 2:9-10)

 

 

5. All the Poor & Powerless by All Sons & Daughters (Luke 6:21)

 

 

Worship Music for Sunday, October 16, 2016

“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
    and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.And my people shall never again be put to shame." -- Joel 2:26-27 (ESV)

The Lord's presence is all we ever need to satisfy every desire. Think about that. Everything you have ever sent your heart after in its search for life and happiness and peace -- it's all found in Jesus! As you listen to the worship music for this week and read the attending scriptures, will you meditate on that truth? Will you allow your heart to settle on Christ and be satisfied by Him? Will you stop your restless quest for love in the things this world offers and "know that He is the Lord your God and there is none else"?

Here are the songs we will be singing together this week in our gathering at The Ridge:

1. Christ is Risen by Matt Maher (Luke 24:5-6)

 

 

2. God's Great Dance Floor by Passion featuring Chris Tomlin (Luke 15:22-24)

 

 

3. I Offer Myself by the RidgeWorship Band (Romans 12:1-2) 

 

NOTE: There is no lyric video for this song as of yet. This video was taken during one of our recent worship gatherings.

 

4. Come As You Are by Crowder (Matthew 11:28)  

 

 

5. Always Have by Vertical Church Band (Ephesians 1:3-6)

 

For more information about Church at the Ridge or any of the music you heard here, please contact pastor Jerry Davison.

Worship Music for Sunday, October 9, 2016

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” (Genesis 22:5)

In the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, there is an overlooked element that modern worshipers would do well to notice: Abraham's faith. When Abraham tells his servants, "We are going to worship," he doesn't mean he and Isaac are going to sing a few songs, hear a nice sermonette about how to be the best Abraham he could be, and then go home and watch football and fall asleep on the couch. All true worship involves sacrifice, a laying down of something we value greatly, a death towards anything that competes with total devotion to God in the affections of our hearts. Because God knows something about us most of us don't even realize: we are what we love most. Abraham was worshiping God by proclaiming there was nothing he loved more, no greater affection or devotion, than YHWH.

What our hearts chases after most passionately defines us more than any other single aspect of our being. There is no room in the presence of God for any lesser loves, even family. Yet many of us come casually into the presence of the Most High, dragging along a suitcase full of idols that have captured our hearts. Oh, we want Jesus, but not at the expense of all these other gods. Some of us just want Him to validate and bless all the other lovers we have given our hearts to. But some of us come ready to worship, ready to put to death anything that threatens to steal our devotion from God, dead to any lesser loves.

Which worshiper will you be this Sunday?

Here are the songs we will be singing together in praise to our great God and King...

1. Spirit of the Living God by Vertical Church Band (Ezekiel 36:27)

 

 

 

2. Found in You by Vertical Church Band (2 Peter 1:3)

 

 

 

3. In Wonder by Newsboys (Colossians 1:16)

 

 

 

4. Even When It Hurts (Praise Song) by Hillsong United (Psalm 62:5-8)

 

 

 

5. Boldly I Approach (The Art of Celebration) by Rend Collective (Hebrews 4:16)