May the Peoples Praise You - January 2020

In the battle against selfishness, it’s often said, “Tis better to give than receive.” While I get the heart behind this statement, I’d like to argue for a Biblical reframing. I think the overwhelming testimony of Scripture is that it’s best to receive and then give. Recognizing that we have nothing in and of ourselves to offer except what’s been given to us from God, Scripture calls us to joyfully share it with others.

From the start, God’s people have been recipients of God’s rich blessing. But it was never to be hoarded or hidden. Instead, God blessed his people for the purpose of blessing more. Think about the call of Abraham in Gen, 12:2-3: “I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing... in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” At this monumental milestone in Covenant history, God has the nations in mind.

Or think about Christ’s call in Matt. 28:18–19: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” He’d continue to be with them spiritually as God’s grace overflowed in them and through them to the nations.

And consider how Paul encouraged the church in 2 Cor. 9:11: “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.” God is truly merciful and gracious in giving eternal life to any of us through Christ His Son. And the heart of the Gospel must be our foremost focus in reaching our community, our own country, and every nation on earth. Still, in God’s wisdom and purposes, He blesses some with material blessing so that they can in turn be a material blessing to others.

During our time in Australia, I had the pleasure of seeing this wonderful piece of original artwork by my friend Jahmayne Coolwell. May all the nations praise the name of Jesus!

Based on Psalm 67, this modern hymn is a call to worship and a call to mission. It helps us celebrate our standing in Christ and orient our lives to the purpose of God’s blessing. This blessing culminates in the ultimate worship service where every tribe, tongue, and nation gathers around the throne praising the Lamb who was slain, singing “Holy, Holy, Holy!” 

- Jonathan

May the Peoples Praise You

Written by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, David Zimmer, Stuart Townend, and Ed Cash,

Lyrics: 

Verse 1
You have called us out of darkest night
Into Your glorious light
That we may sing the wonders of
The risen Christ

Verse 2
May our every breath retell the grace
That broke into our strife
With boundless love and deepest joy
With endless life

CHORUS
May the peoples praise You
Let the nations be glad
All Your blessing comes
That we may praise
May praise the Name of Jesus

Verse 3
All the earth is Yours and all within
Each harvest is Your own
And from Your hand we give to You
To make Christ known

Verse 4
May the seeds of mercy grow in us
For those who have not heard
May songs of praise build lives of grace
To spread Your Word

Verse 5
This our holy privilege to declare
Your praises and Your name
To every nation, tribe and tongue,
Your church proclaims

Bridge
Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
Worthy, worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
All creation praise Your glorious Name

©2016 Getty Music Publishing (BMI) / Townend Songs (PRS) / Alletrop Music (BMI)

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Hark! the Herald Angels Sing - December 2019

Despite the lack of any direct reference to angels “singing” in the Bible, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing has become a classic and essential Christmas carol throughout the years. It was Wesley’s friend George Whitfield who rephrased the original line “Hark, how all the welkin rings” to what it is today. We might all thank him for updating welkin, an old English term for “vault of heaven”! To Whitfield’s credit, the overall sense of Luke 2:13-14 is great rejoicing as the heavenly angelic host praise God in celebration of the Savior’s birth! So, it’s probably not much of a stretch to imagine these angels singing “Glory to God in the Highest!” Oh, to hear that sound!

What I find interesting and somewhat perplexing is that year after year, it’s not just the church who sings these rich Christmas hymns celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. For about a month (or more, for the pre-Thanksgiving types!), our culture at large just can’t help but to sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come”, “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth”, “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord”, or as in this hymn, “Hail the Incarnate Deity!” The hymns we sing at Christmas are some of the most Gospel centered and doctrinally rich songs we sing all year! So each year I pray for Christians and non-Christians alike to just take a moment to consider what we’re singing.

Consider the phrase “peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Peace on earth? Really? Come on Charles, have you read the headlines? We wake up every day bombarded with conflict and tragedy. But what did the angels say exactly? “On earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” First and foremost, this is peace with God. Thanks to God’s common grace, there’s no doubt that Christ’s Kingdom ushers in a physical peace to cultural and international relations among the earth, especially as He builds His Kingdom through His people, the ambassadors of peace. But primarily, the angels were referring to a much greater and more pressing peace: reconciliation between God and man.

If you only had 6 words to explain the Gospel, you can’t do much better than “God and sinners reconciled through Christ” This simple line is the heart of the Gospel! It's the kind of peace we can experience now on earth and for all eternity. It’s the kind of peace we did nothing to deserve and can do nothing to lose! It’s the kind of peace that is freely given to all God’s children in Christ.

Jesus said in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” So how can we be good stewards of this peace? First, we must be sure we have this peace. It is our most pressing need. Have you received peace with God in Christ? To be among those whom He is pleased is not to finally do enough to earn God’s pleasure, but it’s simply to be counted among His children in Christ.  John 1:12 says “To all who did receive Him [Christ], who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” If you are in Christ, you have the pleasure of God.

Second, we must share this peace. Let us encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ that no matter what valleys the Lord calls us to walk through in this life, our deepest need is already met in Christ. Let us also take advantage of perhaps the most fertile season for proclaiming the Gospel to the lost world. There’s no doubt you’ll catch non-Christian friends and family singing Silent Night, Noel, or many others this year. These songs might be just the right tool to explain the Gospel to someone this Christmas. It’s as simple as asking, “Have you ever considered the truth behind what you’re singing?”

- Jonathan

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Text by Charles Wesley  (1739, 1753 alt), Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1840)

Lyrics:

Verse 1

Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Verse 2

Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Verse 3

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

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Sovereign Over Us - November 2019

God’s sovereignty is simultaneously one of the most difficult and comforting doctrines. It leaves us with unanswered questions, unexplained emotions, and yet seeks to form us with unwavering assurance of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Though our “Why’s” don’t always get a detailed answer, we have a King who both “rules over all” (Ps 103:19) and loves us and knows us intimately. In fact, we have a God who loves us so much that sometimes He calls us to walk through various “valleys” for our own good!

Of course, this doesn’t always feel good, which is what the song “Sovereign Over Us” holds in tension and helps us express. Not to be suppressed, our God-given emotions may be just the very vehicle God uses for communicating His love to us in the midst of trying, or even tragic, circumstances. For His strength is sufficient to sustain us in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9-11).

Maybe you’re in a valley right now? As seen in our recent “Living Without” series, the Psalms provide us with gut-wrenching examples of crying out to our good, faithful, and sovereign God, who is the “lifter of the lowly” (Ps 145:14). He sees you. Loves you. Upholds you. Though His ways and His timing don’t always make sense to us (Is 55:8-9), perhaps He’s stirring within us a greater trust and dependence on Him that can only be learned through such trials. And perhaps our Father is drawing you, His child, closer and closer to Himself in intimate communion.

Whether we’ve been through valleys recently or not, Jesus promised that at some point we all will (Jn 16:33). How are you preparing now? How are you preparing to praise God in valley? It’s our hope that Biblically packed songs like this will help us cry out to God, and prepare us to trust and look to Him, even when the world seems to be caving in on us.

- Jonathan

Sovereign Over Us

Written by Aaron Keyes, Bryan Brown, Jack Mooring

Lyrics: 

Verse 1:

There is strength within the sorrow (Ps 46:1, 2Co 12:9)
There is beauty in our tears (Ps 42:1-4, 126:5)
And You meet us in our mourning (Ps 30:11-12, Is 41:10)
With a love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18)

You are working in our waiting (Ps 27:14, Rom 8:25)
Sanctifying us (Rom 5:3-5, Phil 2:13, Ja 1:2-4)
When beyond our understanding (Deut 29:29)
You're teaching us to trust (Phil 4:19)

Chorus:

Your plans are still to prosper (Jer 29:11, Ps 35:27)
You've not forgotten us (Deut 31:6, Ps 94:14-15, Mt 28:20)
You're with us in the fire and the flood (Is 43:2, Dan 3:25)
Faithful forever, perfect in love (Ps 146:6, 1 Pet 4:19)
You are sovereign over us (Is 46:9-10, Ps 115:3, Eph 1:3-14)

Verse 3

You are wisdom unimagined (Rom 11:33-34)
Who could understand Your ways? (Is 55:8-9)
Reigning high above the heavens (Ps 103:19)
Reaching down in endless grace (Ps 57:3, Jn 1:16)

You're the lifter of the lowly (Ps 30:1-3, 145:14)
Compassionate and kind (Ps 94:18-19, Is 49:13)
You surround and You uphold me (Ps 5:11-12)
And Your promises are my delight (Ps 37:4, 2 Cor 1:20)

Bridge

Even what the enemy means for evil (Rom 9:17)
You *mean it for our good (Gen 50:20)
And for Your glory (Ex 14:4, Is 42:8)

Even in the valley You are faithful (Ps 23:4, 86:15)
You're working for our good (Lam 3:22-23, Rom 8:28)
And for Your glory (Is 48:9-11, Rom 11:36)

© 2011 Jack Mooring Music, Meaux Jeaux Music, Thankyou Music, worshiptogether.com songs

*Original lyric is “turn”, but we sing “mean” with written permission from the songwriter.

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