To see the people of Israel walking through the Red Sea, safe on solid ground, was to witness a miracle. Then, imagine their surprise when they turned back to witness the wall of water collapse around the armies of Pharoah.  God performed at least two miracles that day.  In saving His people, He gave them a way of escape and He defeated their enemy.

Quoting Moses’ song in Exodus 15, “The Lord Is My Salvation” uses this imagery to express the miracles of God in spiritual salvation.  In Moses’ song, He declares that the Lord is His salvation and that he will forever praise the Lord. His reason is because God allowed the people to walk safely on solid ground through the midst of the sea.  “The Lord Is My Salvation” expresses that, God in His grace, His pulled us from the raging sea of sin and placed us safely on the solid ground of His forgiveness, His salvation.

“The grace of God has reached for me, and pulled me from the raging sea.
And I am safe on the solid ground. The Lord is my salvation.”

There is no one like our God.  He is faithful and has saved us from our sin:

“Oh, who is like the Lord our God? Strong to save faithful in love.
My debt is paid, and the victory won. The Lord is my salvation.”

One more thought from the song is my love for the trinitarian declaration that forms the bridge:

“Glory be to God, the Father. Glory be to God, the Son.
Glory be to God, the Spirit.  The Lord is our Salvation”

Our God, one God in three persons, deserves all the glory for our salvation -- God the Father for His perfect plan, God the Son for His work at the cross, and God the Spirit for His drawing people unto Himself and His continual work in the life of the believer.  

How grateful I am to sing all those words.  There is no one like our God who has rescued me from sin and placed me safe on the solid ground of His love.  He, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, deserve all the glory and praise for their work in my life and in yours.

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here:

At Calvary (Modern)
https://youtu.be/N7rMH8CGotk?si=zEcGu_MKIw5R_2iW

All Sufficient Merit
https://youtu.be/-Eh-RFCixFw?si=zrivgpt54zcUxSCI 

The Lord Is My Salvation
https://youtu.be/NjOGX5zT8KU?si=NkKHOtteK5Ae_PJG

Have you ever considered the beauty of something as simple as a spiderweb?  By weight, the silk of a spiderweb can be stronger than steel, more flexible than rubber, and stickier than tape.*  Yet to us, spiderwebs often seem like an annoyance, or, if we do take notice of them, we tend to see them as simple structures.

Occasionally, we find a moment in worship that is so simple that it nearly goes unnoticed, and, yet somehow in its simplicity, it conveys something truly beautiful and powerful.  When the choir sings Sunday, I believe our congregation will experience just that – simple words, but words set to music so powerfully that we will reflect on exactly who Jesus really is.  The song asks three questions:

“Isn’t the name of Jesus wonderful?
Isn’t the name of Jesus beautiful?
Isn’t the name of Jesus powerful?”

His name is wonderful because it is the name by which we can come and “have our sins removed.”  His name is beautiful because He is “the Son of God and one of us, the Lover of our souls.”  His name is powerful because “chains are broken” at the name of Jesus and “ever knee must bow.”

“There's freedom in the Name, healing in the Name.
There is Power in the Name, salvation in the Name.
There is Life in the Name. There is no other Name, like Jesus.”

There simply is nothing in this world more wonderful, beautiful, or more powerful than the name of Jesus.  And then, just when you get the sense that the song is over, there is one final surprise.  The composer wants us to consider one last question:

“Isn't the Name of Jesus all we need?
He's the Way, the Truth, the Life and the only way to God.
Isn't the Name of Jesus all we need?”

Isn’t it incredible that the name of Jesus is all that we need?  He is our everything.  Straight from scripture, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one can come to the Father except by Him.  Thanks be to God.  He is all we need. 

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here: 

The Solid Rock (Modern)
https://youtu.be/3EKnDhZBqoQ?si=9MxPmX-ZOK6zAnHH 

Goodness of God
https://youtu.be/-f4MUUMWMV4?si=ZaD7cdEBi1hsqmde 

King of Kings
https://youtu.be/QSnGYGr7sPg?si=z1H_soGL2CiusMK4

* Barbara Taylor, Jen Green, and John Farndon, The Big Bug Book.

Happy Mother’s Day!  We count on mothers and fathers of all kinds, including biological and spiritual parents, to be one of the foundational sources of our faith.  Parents should teach, both in word and in deed, lead by example, and organize their households around the love and admonition of the Lord.  We know that, “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1 ESV)

“I've built up my own name, but the walls couldn't stand.
I've trusted my own strength, but it was sinking sand.
So I put my ruins into Your hands.
And watch You restore them like only You can.

'Cause if the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down.
If the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down.
When it's built on His name, there's nothing gonna shake this ground.
If the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down.”

We cannot trust in our own strength, or the foundation will simply be shifting sand.  We dare not build the walls on the reputation of our own names because they will not stand.  But if the Lord builds the house, the house is strong, built on the rock, and nothing can tear it down.

On a day like Mother’s Day, we commit to strong households and strong churches.  We promise to pray for and support one another.  We commit to the Lord, just as Joshua did, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15).

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here:

If the Lord Builds the House
https://youtu.be/22j4e3n6t3g?si=E4gtrmjMIRdaWcU7

Lord, I Need You
https://youtu.be/LuvfMDhTyMA?si=3ZeJbgp8b3-8OpsK

Because He Lives (modern)
https://youtu.be/ukg2YRIsHWA?si=yNVLwAF2Urb4izjS

Did you know there are songs throughout the scriptures?  Many people know that the Psalms were intended to be sung, but there many more songs scattered throughout the entire Bible.  Most translations will show you that there is a poetic, metrical section of scripture by changing the text from being written in paragraphs to being written in individual lines, much like a book of poetry.  That indicates that this text is metrical and is likely intended to be sung.

 One such song occurs in Exodus 15.  The people of God have just been rescued from the Egyptians.  The Israelites passed safely through the Red Sea while the armies of Pharoah were destroyed by those same waters.  The last verse of Exodus 14 says that, “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”  Their response begins in chapter 15 -- they sing of the awesome, mighty power of God.

     “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
             Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
             awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
     --Exodus 15:11

Sunday’s choir anthem, “Such an Awesome God,” attempts to capture this same sense of power, might, beauty, and awe:

“You call the sun to rise, and You lay it down to rest.
You hold this heart of mine, and You hold my every breath.

Such an awesome God! So mighty, So holy, So wonderful.
Such an awesome God! So selfless, So generous, So faithful, You are!”

And it’s so much more than simply the beauty of creation – it is the beauty of God’s design in salvation:

“And nothing comes close to the Lord Almighty. Nothing as sweet as His love and mercy
Nothing comes close to the Lord Almighty. And nothing as sweet as Your love and mercy”

There is no one like our God.  His beauty can be found in creation and salvation.  He is mighty, holy, wonderful, selfless, generous, and faithful.  Nothing in life is as amazing as His grace, love and mercy.  He is awesome!

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing this Sunday?  Check them out here: 

The Lion and the Lamb
https://youtu.be/C9ujBoud26k?si=G0Uux5mo3Xft7rV4 

God So Loved
https://youtu.be/PK9pljv_s-A?si=6fQkPM36i53hgf3a

Christ Be Magnified
https://youtu.be/jjGMlYywK9M?si=8NKjY_FeghDkCkOl

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
     -Psalm 122:1

Transformation!  The work of grace in us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  We are transformed, made new.

“We were the beggars
Now we're royalty
We were the prisoners
Now we're running free
We are forgiven, accepted
Redeemed by His grace
Let the house of the Lord sing praise.”

Every phase is a parallel of the previous one.  We were once beggars, but, by the transforming power of Jesus, we are royalty.  We were once prisoners, bound in our sin, but through the victory of Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection, we are free.  And we’re not just free.  We’re forgiven of our sin, accepted and adopted as His children, and redeemed and reconciled unto God.  How can we do anything but give Him praise! 

“There's joy in the house of the Lord
Our God is surely in this place
And we won't be quiet
We shout out Your praise”

Be glad when you come tomorrow to the house of the Lord.  Don’t be quiet.  Sing and shout the praise of God for His transforming power and grace.  Let the house of the Lord sing praise!

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here: 

House of the Lord
https://youtu.be/IqfV0zeEvT8?si=agIjyyPbS1KO_qEX

Ancient of Days
https://youtu.be/cJUtAw21qAM?si=jtMRdIlKyD5Uz8pX

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
https://youtu.be/De2eO3XzCVw?si=jDTp7A8Y_W_dRYzq

7 billion!  That’s likely the number of Bibles that have been printed since the invention of the printing press.  Even more striking, 6-7 new Bibles are purchased every 10 seconds.  Thanks be to God for an invention that allowed every household, and eventually every person, to have their own copy of God’s Word.  I take for granted that I have dozens of paper copies of the Bible and unlimited access to electronic resources.  Anything I could ever want to know about God and His Word is available to me.  It’s truly miraculous to realize that, even just a few generations ago, families would be fortunate to have even one Bible for everyone to share.

Prior to widespread availability of the Bible, the church had to be creative in its methods to teach the basics of the faith.  One of the more common ways to teach basic theology was a process of memorization, known as catechism, which often takes the form of question and response.  Christ Our Hope in Life and Death is loosely based on the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563.  The first line of the song is nearly identical to the first line of the catechism.

Question: What is your only comfort in life and in death?

Answer: That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.  He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood….

The Getty’s and Matt Papa have captured it so beautifully in song.

“What is our hope in life and death?  Christ alone, Christ alone.
What is our only confidence?  That our souls to him belong.

What truth can calm the troubled soul?  God is good, God is good.
Where is his grace and goodness known?  In our great Redeemer's blood.

O sing hallelujah!  Our hope springs eternal.
O sing hallelujah!  Now and ever we confess, Christ our hope in life and death!”

What is our only hope?  It is only Jesus Christ and His shed blood for us!  Hallelujah!

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing this Sunday?  Check them out here:

Christ Our Hope in Life and Death
https://youtu.be/OibIi1rz7mw?si=4227ADYwgVZ-2Y_u

Jesus Saves
https://youtu.be/WFgAnhHhesk?si=ENpInMuTm2zBEk4q

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Modern)
https://youtu.be/WvtaGtTeMpI?si=KyL9HZJ2rDDl2WKl

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!   Praise the Lord!
     -Psalm 150:6

Many years ago, (more years ago than I care to recount) as a young pastor, I stood at the hospital bedside of one of the most amazing Christian women I had ever known.  I had been with families many times before as they prepared to say their goodbyes, but this was a first for me.  They weren’t preparing their goodbyes.  These were the actual goodbyes.  Her pulse and breath rate were slowing. Her blood pressure was falling.  She was drifting in and out of consciousness.  Someone in the room began softly singing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” and the entire room began to sing.  Through tears, I looked down and saw something unexpected – though barely mouthing the words, she was singing too.

In that moment, the words of so many of the psalms became real.  From our first to our last breath, let us praise the lord!  Within moments of finishing our song, she passed from this life to the next and, with her very last breath, she did indeed praise the Lord.  I never want to take for granted that God has both commanded us to praise and given us the privilege of praising Him with absolutely all that we are.

“Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.”

Let this be our prayer as we worship this Sunday.  Lord, I give you everything I have in adoration of You.  As your church, with all our life and with all our breath, we come to offer You praise once again.  We will praise you forever and ever.  Amen.”

Let the Amen sound forth from us, Your people, this Sunday and always!

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here:

Your Grace Is Enough
https://youtu.be/FCGRMJF4rJw?si=4_RMCEYIoWbXcj0J 

The Lord Almighty Reigns
https://youtu.be/2TdEZXPuKOo?si=xuqnX3aXAEqf6_em 

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Modern)
https://youtu.be/gYqXK4suezQ?si=iGs83tjS7WtqsXFy

Death in vain forbids Him rise!  Leave it to Charles Wesley to say it so eloquently.  My translation would simply be, death never had a chance.  The author of life could never be defeated by death.

Fought the fight the battle won.  While every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection, Easter Sunday is the day that we remember it specifically.  Jesus won the victory over sin and death.  He fought the fight and won the battle, but not just for himself -- He won the battle for all of those who call Him Savior and Lord.

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

                                    -1 Corinthians 15: 54b-56

Love’s redeeming work is done.  The temple veil tore in two.  Mankind offered redemption through the shed blood of Jesus.  Jesus’ work on the cross was a labor of love.  He said it simply as tetelestai, it is finished, paid in full.

Christ has opened paradise.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.  Cry out to Him as did the thief on the cross, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." 

Love's redeeming work is done
     Mankind offered redemption through Jesus’ labor of love at the cross

Fought the fight, the battle won
     Defeated sin and death for you and me

Death in vain forbids him rise
     Death didn’t stand a chance

Christ has opened paradise
     The door has been opened to commune with God forever in heaven

Alleluia!  Praise be to God! 

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here:

Christ the Lord is Risen Today (He Is Not Dead) – Modern
https://youtu.be/xNrV2fX5Qb4?si=fnC6732pWJckcY0C

Living Hope
https://youtu.be/9f2FXxDVO6w?si=TqVFMNrgXGbjonYE

In Christ Alone
https://youtu.be/16KYvfIc2bE?si=dxeyqtyjtHFnJSRL

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.”

Seems a strange ending to a pericope that began “Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The Triumphal Entry, as it’s known, was a grand celebration, filled with symbolism.  It begins with Jesus commandeering a donkey for His ride into Jerusalem.  Leaders would often ride horses into a city as a sign of strength for war, but riding a donkey meant that He was coming to bring peace.  The people cast down their cloaks and cut palm branches to lay at Jesus’ feet, a practice used to indicate the highest of honor to the person who would walk on the cloaks.  The symbolism of the Triumphal Entry mirrors that of Solomon’s ride into Jerusalem as David was pronouncing that, his son, Solomon, would be the new king.  By all accounts, the Triumphal Entry was the processional of a royal coronation – Jesus was to be crowned King!

And then it happens.  Only Luke records it, but it is a dramatic change in Jesus’ demeanor even as the celebration continues around Him.  Jesus wept at the site of Jerusalem.  The spiritual condition of the city and His foreknowledge of the week that was ahead of Him had to weigh heavily on Jesus in that moment.  His coronation would end, not with a crown of gold, but with a crown of thorns. Jesus is indeed King, for He is the King of kings, but this victory was going to come at the cost of His own life.

To Thee before Thy Passion, they sang their hymns of praise;
To Thee now high exalted, our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises; Accept the praise we bring,
Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King.

Our humble King rode in on a symbol of peace and laid down the crown of the Almighty in exchange for a shameful crown of thorns.  And it did it all for you and me.  Thank you, God, for your unmeasurable sacrifice.

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here:

Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)
https://youtu.be/VMBDWG9tseU?si=i6Tn4cPVKbyk3T0Q

All Glory, Laud, and Honor (Modern)
https://youtu.be/FgLt7jyBhc8?si=2eGvdeVFYpjI6iTx

Goodness of God
https://youtu.be/n0FBb6hnwTo?si=p4kIV3ZDglStGUR8

Did you know that there’s a current, popular trend known as a Happiness Jar?  No?  Me either.  But it’s a thing.  Daily, the goal is to write down one good moment from the day and put it into a jar for safekeeping.  The routine encourages your brain to become more attuned to the good things that happen each day instead of the bad ones.  It’s simply our natural, we would even say, fleshly, inclination to see and remember what is bad instead of what is good.  In these articles that I stumbled across while researching the topic of joy, there were numerous claims about the benefits of a Happiness Jar including an improvement in our mental health, physical health, and even interpersonal relationships.

As a Christian, I’m not surprised to see the secular world confirm what we already know from the sacred world.  There are few commands in scripture repeated more often than rejoice – there are around 430 instances of the command in scripture.  Scripture tells us that rejoicing helps us to remember the good words of the Lord, to tell others of the miracles God has done, to rest in the Lord’s provision in times of trouble, and more…the benefits are too numerous to name.

Dare I confess that, I too, am prone to focus on the negative, particularly when I recount my day?  It’s human nature.  Does this mean you’ll find me at Hobby Lobby later today purchasing my Happiness Jar?  Probably not.  But, studying joy and happiness has been my reminder that I need to practice the discipline of rejoicing – it doesn’t come naturally.  As our new song says:

“Rejoice in the Lord now and always, tell of the good he has done.
Worship the Lord to remember all of the joy yet to come.

The hope that burns within us, the dark cannot destroy.
With praise that's never ending, we say again rejoice.

With each breath he's given, praise the Lord!
In these times we live in, we will praise the Lord.
Throughout every season, I am sure.
We have every reason to praise the Lord!”

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
--Philippians 4:4

Chris

Don’t know one of the songs we’re singing?  Check them out here:

Rejoice
https://youtu.be/t19ISSmBQ-Q?si=bKwA8g8cRTmyUTyP 

It Was Finished upon That Cross
https://youtu.be/PUGQNYm44hk?si=H8hPs4Gcze5CHOQl

Because He Lives (modern)
https://youtu.be/ukg2YRIsHWA?si=yNVLwAF2Urb4izjS