How Deep the Father’s Love

This hymn we played at church tonight really struck me.  I’m in awe of the juxtaposition of our total sinful guilt and our total redemption through Christ’s merit.

I’m also inspired that this hymn was written only fifteen years ago.  I had feared that we forgot how to write eloquent, deep, theologically complex songs a century or more ago.

How deep the Father’s love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give his only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished;

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no pow’r, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer.

But this I know with all my heart-

His wounds have paid my ransom.

Words and Music © 1995 Stuart Townend

The Hope That Is In You

Yesterday at Sunday Night Fellowship McKay said something really interesting.  He said “You shouldn’t have to walk around and preach the Gospel to people.  They should be trying to get it out of you.”   Our lives should be so full of the joy and peace that the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us that people are begging to know what we’ve got going on that they don’t.  We should always be preaching the Gospel, but words aren’t always necessary.

"Psst, check out what I've got here."

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear[.] 1 Peter 3:15

Divinely Arranged

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Tonight I had the privilege again of playing with Creekstone’s worship team.  I can’t believe how powerfully God is working with that ministry.  What began as one guy with a guitar has- in a month- blossomed into a full band, with piano, mandolins, harmonica, guitars, banjo, violin and drums.  And none of us were recruited- everyone was just drawn to the church and more specifically to music, and God’s been taking care of the rest.  Everyone can play.  Not just strum some chords, everyone can really play.  And people can improvise and change keys at the drop of a hat.  All the vocalists somehow know their place in the 3-or 4-part harmonies that appeared out of thin air.  Everybody’s on the same page and can sense when we’re going to repeat a chorus or crescendo.

The weird thing is, today’s only the second time we’ve ever played together.  Both weeks we’ve gotten the song list together on Friday or Saturday, and only rehearsed for about an hour before we played .

I’m not writing this to boast, except to boast in Christ, who’s drawn together a talented and eclectic group of musicians, and is using our weakness to show his strength: Something like this could never have come together by man’s effort.  God is clearly in charge, he’s clearly at work, and he’s very clearly using the worship team and the whole church to glorify himself.  Let us be empty vessels for filling.

(This isn’t an official part of the service yet, just fellowship music, so don’t freak out.  We’ll eventually get real rehearsals and arrangements together, but God’s not waiting on our schedule.)

for more pictures see http://mckaycaston.com/pictures-of-creekstones-snf-11809 and also (last week’s gathering) http://mckaycaston.com/pics-from-creekstones-first-snf-in-the-commun

Our song list, for anyone interested:

Blessed Be Your Name

The Wonderful Cross

Give Us Clean Hands

Thy Mercy, My God

How Great Is Our God