Archive for Worship
Worship Week: A Short Series
There is a ton going on in the life of 2 Pillars Church from a worship and music stand-point. In order to draw attention to the great work that God is doing through this body musically, we’re going to post a short series of posts highlighting it all.
Below is a video shot from the back of our space this past Sunday to put you in the mood.
Preparing for Worship 7.18.2010
(Post by Matt Grant, 2 Pillars Worship Leader)
At 2 Pillars Church, we strive for transparency in our worship services. No magical fog machines, fancy lighting, or cool moving images behind the lyrics on the screen. We try not to dilute Jesus with fluffy songs that don’t really say anything or move us spiritually. We develop each worship gathering as a continual movement from beginning to end, from first song to sermon, from communion to final prayer. This is done, sometimes with difficulty, to evoke a response from the heart. A response that cuts. A response that breaks down walls and tears through sin and allows us to see Jesus as our Savior and Healer. Jesus is the reason we sing. Jesus is the reason we sweat it out in our surprisingly hot building and listen with intention to the teachings each Sunday. Without Him, we are lost. Jesus is our Hope and Promise.
We look forward to worshiping Jesus together with you this Sunday. In order to serve you, below is the list of songs we’ll be singing together.
- “Everything Glorious“ – a song of praise and amazement in Jesus
- “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us“ - a song of redemption
- “The Solid Rock” – a song of boldness in Christ
- “We Will Run To You“ – a song of repentance
- “I Surrender All” – a song of complete surrender
- “All Creatures of our God and King“ – a song of God’s Glory
Preparing for Worship – 7.4.2010
(Post by Matt Grant, 2 Pillars Worship Leader)
This week I wanted to send everyone this Sundays complete music set list with links to videos so you can spend time on your own listening and growing in the songs we sing at 2 Pillars. Our goal is not perfection in worship, for which I know our earthly bodies can’t attain. Nor is it so we can film a super sweet worship video and post on our site so everyone knows how much more awesome-er we are then them at worshiping. Even though, we may be pretty rad, that’s just not the case. It could be that we just want you to fall in love with Jesus and sing your hearts out in your homes and at church on Sundays. That just might be it……
Included below are videos of the songs we’ll be doing this Sunday and the names of the artist involved. At the end of the post, there is also a PDF linked with the lyrics to each of the songs. I do this in case you want to find more music from the artist. There are tons of great songwriters and bands out there once you get passed the “Christian Top 40″ found on K-LOVE.
And…without further adieu…..
“The Earth is Yours” – Gungor
“What Wondrous Love is this” – Ex Nihilo
“Jesus, You are Worthy” – Benton Brown
“Death in his Grave” – John Mark McMillan
“My Jesus, I Love Thee” by Page CXVI
No video for this one, but you can click over to the Page CXVI MySpace page and give it a listen.
“Skeleton Bones” by John Mark McMillan
Skeleton Bones
(Post by Matt Grant, Worship Leader at 2 Pillars Church)
New things start our shiny and they smell good and usually they aren’t broken. Usually. We all like new things. Sometimes we get a box in the mail or a present from someone and somehow, the item inside is cracked, torn, or busted in some way. We see the smashed RC car or broken Victorian-era vase we bought off Ebay in pieces and we see what it could’ve been or once was. Disappointment sets in and we become discouraged. Ugh….
I sometimes feel that’s the risk we run with presenting new music in the church. There’s is always huge chance a new song is going to bomb on Sunday morning. More often than not, you the congregation is standing there confused or disengaged because it’s new or you don’t understand the context behind the song or maybe the slides aren’t rolling exactly the way we are singing it. It can be any number of things that throws us off. It’s easy for us to write a song off if it doesn’t jive with us from the get go. We look at it in the same way as we look at the busted toy in the box and say “Well, it was a nice try”.
Since we are a very young church with a very decided idea to be different with our music this is going to happen a lot. But Jesus has given us our voices and it is our intention to use them in ways that maybe we haven’t tried before. I know this can be uncomfortable for some, but our hope is that, with help from Jesus, you will find that new voice and you will sing out with gladness.
Sooo…….in an effort to make things easier, we are writing this post on a new song we’re going to do this week and including lyrics and links to a video and an mp3 to better serve the church in finding our voice.
This week our new song is “Skeleton Bones” from a song writer named John Mark McMillan. He wrote another song that we’ve done a few times (including this last Sunday) called “How He Loves”. Please spend some time reading the lyrics and watching the video this week. I think if you do, you will fall in love with the simple melodies and imagery that the song puts forth. My interpretation of the lyrics form a picture of stripping back all the worldly clutter that washes over our eyes and veils them from seeing Christ. The chorus of the song is a beautiful call to praise the Son of Glory set to a simple melody that only deepens the impact of the words. All in all its a wonderful song that, while at first may seem unconventional, soon becomes hard set in your heart after only a few listens.
Psalm 25
One of the songs we are going to be singing tonight comes from Psalm 25. Psalm 25 shows us shows us many of the characteristics of God that David praised. We should praise his faithfulness (v. 1-3), his guidance (v. 4-5), his mercy (v. 6-7), his goodness (v. 8-11), his friendship (v.12-15), his grace (v. 16-18) and finally his protection (v.19-21). These seven characteristics of God show up throughout the Bible, but are picked out especially for us in this passage. Keeping these things in mind, we invite you to learn the words below so we can meditate on them and praise God more fully as we gather this evening.
Psalm 25 (ESV)
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. Remember you mercy, O Lord, and you steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with that violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his trouble
As we sing we will focus on verses 8-10. We realize that this song will be new for many and so we are posting the lyrics and flow of it below.
Psalm 25
Verse 1
Good and upright are you Lord,
You teach us sinners in your ways.
Good and upright are you Lord,
You teach us sinners in your ways.
Chorus 1
You guide the humble in what is right
And instruct them in your ways.
You guide the humble in what is right
And instruct them in your ways.
Verse 2
All your ways are loving, faithful
Lord, to those who seek your face
All your ways are loving, faithful
Lord, to those who seek your face
Chorus 2
You give grace to the humble hearted
And instruct them in your ways
You give grace to the humble hearted
And instruct them in your ways
Verse 1
Chorus 1
Chorus 2
