Sunday Set List: May 12

| Sing to the King

| Build My Life

| O Praise the Name 

| Seek Ye First

| Nothing But the Blood

| Be Thou My Vision

…Anticipatory Reflections of Sunday…

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ []…your heavenly Father knows that you need them all…. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ~ Matthew 6:31-33 abridged

When I think about this Sunday, my heart does the math: Mother’s Day + Wedding/Graduation season + [Insert Your Circumstance] = The perfect week for Worry Series Message Pt. 3.

I am pumped for the message. It’s going to reach to a lot of areas where we need to let God speak/move in us. Sing to the King is a fitting, to-the-point song. Musically, even, it is simple. God is the King. He will reign. In the end, evil will be vanquished. Let’s live like it. 

Build My Life is entirely consumed in the focus of Jesus, His worth, and our response to center ourselves on Him. I think this is why it is striking a chord with us, both at Village and in the church worldwide.

O Praise the Name is a sweet melody of salvation, and response. We have grafted in the bridge from the song The Way in sheer opposition to the strongholds of worry. At Village, it has been commonly said “do not leave your worries at the door–bring them in! Let’s deal with them!” It could not be more important, because worry is not something to tune-out, but to take direct action in response. I sometimes wonder if it’s a passive-aggressive trait of us, to try to ignore all the problems we have, but this song–anchored in the decision to focus on Jesus, and to respond to His love in praise–brings the power of God to the forefront of our attention, and gives us room for response in praise.

Seek Ye First is a sweet Bible-verse put to song. It is the exact verse of focus. When we are seeking God’s desires first, and abandoning other ambitions, we are promised the blessing of hope and peace. Not, we remember, a promise of ease or even justice on earth. Rather, we are promised the redemption of our souls, and justice (now that we are on the opposite side of it, hallelujah) into eternity. 

Nothing But the Blood may seem a bit strange here. Honestly, after choosing it, I looked back and asked “why did this fit again?” But after we are offered the joy of freedom from worry and anxiety, it seems only fitting to rejoice and sing to the glory of the one who bought that freedom for us! Through Jesus’ redemption of us, our sin for His shed blood on the cross, we have total access–complete freedom to be worry-free!!

Be Thou My Vision I think the beauty of this song, the serenity of conviction, has stood the test of time, and leads us into our week. The Irish hymn of steadfast focus has a graceful “amen” to our time. Focusing on Jesus, as many of these songs center around, is a powerful antidote effective to shield, defending the Christian from the attack of worry and anxiety. 

I leave you with this, in preparation for gathering on Sunday. We have a calling, a powerful foe, a sovereign, all-powerful God, and a tried-and-true path, paved for us, to follow Him into victory: 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Peter 5:6-11

                                          ~                                        ~                                             ~

Happy Mother’s Day to my sweet Bride, Karis — I don’t know if you’ll get a chance to read this particular blog, amidst all the hard work of parenting, nursing, cleaning, diapers, laundry, walks with our kiddos, and a zillion other things. I’m still amazed by all you do, and each Sunday that you single-handedly bring Eddie and Ivy to church, by yourself, while I leave early to rehearse with our team. You are one amazing mom, and I love to do this life, and this adventure of parenting with you <3