Worship Music for Sunday, January 22nd, 2017

"And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew." Exodus 2:24-25

God heard... God saw... God knew... and God remembered His promise. Such wonderful words of encouragement! God has not forgotten, forsaken, abandoned, or betrayed us -- no matter what it seems like from our earthly vantage point. We are in the middle of a Great Story. It's a love story to be sure, but it is set in the midst of a terrible and ferocious battle for the hearts and souls of people. The Author of this Story has already established its ending from the beginning. The ending He has panned is so beautiful and so breathtaking that it should not be considered an ending at all, but rather, a beginning of an even greater Story which, as C. S. Lewis writes, "no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before." (The Last Battle)

As we gather for worship this Sunday, remember that the Story isn't finished yet. Don't give up! There is a glorious future awaiting us, but it is not yet. To give up now is like closing a book in the middle and complaining that the plot hasn't resolved. Trust the Author and Finisher of our faith!

Here are the songs we are singing together at The Ridge this week:

1. Open Up the Heavens by Vertical Church Band (Isaiah 64:1)

 

 

2.  God is Able by Hillsong Live (Ephesians 3:20-21)

 

 

3. One Thing Remains by Passion (featuring Kristian Stanfill) (Lamentations 3:22)

 

 

4. Scandal of Grace by Hillsong United (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

 

5. None Like You by Vertical Church Band (1 Samuel 2:2)

 

 

Worship Music for Sunday, January 15th, 2017

Here are the songs we will be singing together in our gathering this Sunday:

1. Rise by Housefires (John 4:13-14; 7:37-38)

 

 

2. Finally Free by Rend Collective (John 8:36)

 

 

3. Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture (Romans 8:31-39)

 

 

4. Come As You Are by Crowder (Matthew 11:28-30)

 

 

5. It Is Well by Bethel Music (Psalm 16:8-9)  

 

 

Worship Music for Christmas Eve 2016

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:8-14)

It is especially interesting to me that the very first thing the angels did to herald the coming of the Christ was to sing. What is your response this Christmas to the announcement that the Lord is come? Gather with us this Saturday evening at 6:30 PM to sing His praise. Here are the songs we will sing together to celebrate the birth of Jesus:

1. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing by Jeremy Camp

 

 

2. Joy to the World (You Are My Joy) by Rend Collective

 

 

3. O Come, All Ye Faithful by Big Daddy Weave

 

 

4. All is Well by Northpoint Worship

 

 

5. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus by Red Mountain Church

 

 

6. Silent Night (traditional)

Worship Music for Sunday, December 18th, 2016

Here are the songs we will be singing together in our worship gathering this Sunday:

1. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen by MercyMe

 

 

2. My Soul Magnifies the Lord by Chris Tomlin

 

 

3. God With Us by All Sons & Daughters

 

 

4. Anchor by Hillsong Worship

 

 

5. 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus by Andrew Greer & Lindsay McCaul

***There is no lyric video for this particular version of this song, however you can read the lyrics to this classic hymn here.

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)