Menu

worship music

Everyone Working…

, , , , 0

Our worship service on the 12th of February was kind of cool – because all three of us were involved! Yes, it happens sometimes.

Nathanael at worship music practice
Music practice, David leading

Shari was leading the kids’ teaching time, with a lesson about Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27:1-46; Romans 9:13). Nathanael grabbed his trusty ukulele and helped with the worship music. And I led the service.

We’re keeping busy, but there are a lot of other people working hard too! We’re still trying to get the “shade” just right, with some new mesh tarps. This Sunday will be attempt #3, but things are improving each week. It’s partly a matter of making things easier to set up, and partly a matter of covering what needs to be covered.

Sunday morning in February 2023
A Sunday morning in February 2023

Last Sunday we had another practical problem, however – we ran out of chairs. Two men rushed out to get some stools so that everyone could sit down under our nice shade.

So… I’ll be buying some more this week. However, finding a place to store them all is becoming a problem. Good problems, but problems.

As God continues to work in our local church, the world, the flesh and the devil attack. So we would appreciate your prayers for people in our church who are struggling with health issues, family problems, and bereavement. It’s a challenging time.

We’re also looking forward to starting up a couple of Bible studies – a general one starting this Friday, and in the near future a new study for the women. Please do pray that people will come and that God’s Word will be applied to their hearts.

Thanks for your prayers!

Service Interrupted, and “this grace in which we stand”

, , 0

It’s amazing the things that go through your mind when you’re leading music in a church service.

Leading the worship music

Is that speaker working now? Maybe we need to replace the cord. Are the musicians together? What in the world is that kid over there doing? How did that dog get in here?

… and hopefully you’re actually singing to the Lord, and thinking about the message of the songs!

This past Sunday our theme was grace. It’s surprising that we don’t sing more songs with this theme, but we did squeeze in some oldies on Sunday such as Amazing Grace, I Know Whom I Have Believed, and Wonderful Grace of Jesus (one of the first songs Shari and I learned in Spanish, actually).

The way I was facing I could see the door to the property, and I noticed that a woman (that I didn’t recognize) was standing there. The logical thing to do would be to catch the eye of the woman who owns the property, but the speaker was blocking my view of her. I made a couple of lame attempts to catch someone else’s eye, but I was in the middle of a song and it just wasn’t happening.

When the song (and actually the music set) was done, I was relieved to see that someone was already back there talking to her.

It wasn’t until after the service that I found out that she wanted to talk to me. Well, not me specifically, but “the pastor”.

She was long gone by then, so I never spoke to her, but from what I ascertained she wanted to talk to someone because she was concerned about her son, who was suicidal.

Out of the three countries in North America, if I recall correctly, Mexico has had the lowest suicide rate. But it’s been rising, even before last year. No doubt, as in all three countries, it’s been rising more quickly over the past few months.

And so this young man (who you could pray for) represents so many others!

This woman was invited to come back next Sunday, but unfortunately we don’t know who she is or where she’s from. But we are talking about getting a sign up so that people know we’re there every Sunday, and that they’re welcome. (Yes, rather basic, I realize – but remember, we still think of this location in some ways as “temporary” because we can’t meet in the place we were renting a year ago.)

We are thankful for our Lord Jesus Christ. “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2) That is the hope that so many need!

I am reminded of this again as I prepare for the second part of our biblical anthropology series this Sunday. The gospel is so precious. Please pray that we would share it freely.

“Though the Mountains Be Moved” (lockdown songs?)

, 0

A while ago I read an article about songs that had been commonly sung in churches during the COVID-19 lockdown. So I wondered – what are our “lockdown songs”?

Dios con Nosotros - God with Us

As it turns out, we don’t have many. Apparently we sing a lot of variety! There was, in fact, only one song we had sung more than twice.

And I think that we’re probably planning our music more based on the Bible text we’re meditating on that day. Either in Daniel, or in one of the Psalms.

But hey – in case you’re interested, here are some of the most common ones. If I know an English version, I have the English title – otherwise it’s just a translation of the Spanish.

  • Crown Him with Many Crowns
  • Psalm 5 (Give Ear to My Words…)
  • Abba Father (We are here…)
  • Here I Am
  • Because He Lives
  • It’s Jesus (Romans 8:35)

I especially associated that first one with Daniel, which is why it made the list.

But the one that we’ve sung most of all is a brand new song, written in 2020, based on Psalm 46 – Dios con Nosotros (God with Us). I’m going to post a rough translation of the words for you, and then if you like you can watch the video. The song is by Gerson Arvelo.

Very appropriate in times of COVID-19, confusion, and even earthquake (yes, we had an earthquake today – we’re all fine).

Our refuge in trouble
Is Jesus Christ, the Victor
Even in storms and tempest
Christ gives us His perfect peace
Though the mountains be moved into the sea
God will always be with us.

If fear dominates everywhere
And there is confusion in the nations
His voice is heard as a roar
That brings comfort in grief.
We trust Him until the end
God will always be with us.

The Lord has done glorious works
By His righteousness and His love
We give glory and honour to the King
Who never fails and is always faithful.
We will sing to Him for eternity
God will always be with us.

Upon Returning to Mexico…

, , 0

Yes, I am back in Mexico, and still trying to get my balance after being gone for several weeks. I really only know a fraction of what is going on and what’s coming up, but I think I know enough to let you know a bit about what we’re preparing for right now.

The Rocky Mountains from the air
A view of the Rockies from the airplane

This Sunday I’ll be continuing my study on the “10 Words” (10 Commandments). We’re on the last commandment, and then we have one more study on the use of the law. I’m also getting ready to lead the music on Sunday. This is actually the study I was planning to do on the 25th of August, when I ended up on a plane to Canada. So it’s about time!

This Sunday is actually special because we’re also celebrating the 15th birthday of one of the teens in our church! So we’ll be celebrating with her family and most likely sharing God’s Word with a wider audience.

We will manage to avoid normality for one more Sunday after that – on the 6th of October is the annual Mega Service, where we get together will all the Bible churches in the area. With impeccable timing I’ve managed to miss out on almost all discussion about this service, so there are a lot of gaps in my brain about it at the moment. However, I do know that I’m playing keyboard for the music time. I’ve missed a practice or two, so it looks like we’ll be having a Mega Practice the night before the service – so — we’ll see how that works! Quite a few of the songs are new to me.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’m still organizing a few things from my time in Canada, and also trying to catch up on a variety of things here. Like I said, I’m only slowly becoming aware of what all is coming up, so we’re all a little bogged down with work at the moment – but at least I found a moment to stop by to chat with you! 🙂

Please Pray For: “The Wedding”

, , 0

Yes, it’s pretty much become a legend around here – just “the wedding” (or the way Spanglish works in our casa, more often “the boda”). We’re very excited about tomorrow (Saturday, the 1st of June) – the wedding of our friends Oscar and Viri!

Oscar, Viri, Jim and Shari - painting

Weddings are great – a wonderful opportunity to celebrate love and see a small glimpse of the love that God has for us. But this couple wants to take a step further – really making their wedding a testimony to what God has done and is doing in their lives.

So we’re EXTRA excited about that.

Anyway, Shari and I do have a small part in the wedding. We’ll be leading a time of worship music, and also singing a duet. So we would very much appreciate your prayers – for our part, and for the bride and groom, and for Rod who is giving the “charge to the couple” and marrying them, and for all others involved.

May God’s Spirit truly work on this special day for the new couple!

59 Ideas for a Sunday Worship Music Time

1

It’s hard to know what to write about when you’re doing a hundred different little things. Sometimes life is full of the big projects – right now it seems to be more full of the many little ones.

One bit of recent news is that I finished a six-part Bible study with the music team at the church in Jesús María. On the last day, as a bit of an “addendum”, I gave them a list of somewhat random ideas for worship services (focused on the music part).Worship music

So, for your interest, here it is. There are entire branches of other ideas – you could probably come up with another hundred fairly quickly, more suited to your context.

Remember, though, that these came in the context of a Bible study. If your purpose is to be “novel” or “memorable”, you’ll miss the whole point. The actual point is to point people to the Lord and His truth. To “wake them up” to actually worship!

  1. Go through a passage of Scripture with your songs (and words).
  2. Base your songs on the main theme of the sermon.
  3. Use times of complete silence for prayer and reflection.
  4. Hand out the words of one of the songs. People can put a copy in their Bible and reflect on the words during the week.
  5. Put the first verse of the song on the screen for a few moments before you start singing, so that people can meditate on the words and prepare their hearts.
  6. Sing a song a capella.
  7. Sing part of a song a capella.
  8. Have one part of the song when just the men sing, or just the women, or just the children, or . . .
  9. Hand out the words and music to one of the songs and challenge people to learn parts. Use the song 6 weeks in a row – the worship leaders can teach the harmony.
  10. Choose people from the congregation to read Scripture between the songs.
  11. Read a passage of Scripture together, or alternate between the leader and the congregation, or the men and the women, or . . .
  12. Someone could come to the front and share a testimony related to the next song.
  13. Have a theme-of-the-week that goes through truths about the gospel. For example: Week 1 “Our Great God”, Week 2 “Sin/Repentance”, Week 3 “Jesus and His death/resurrection for us”, Week 4 “Salvation/Forgiveness”, Week 5 “Growing in Holiness”.
  14. Celebrate Christmas in July – all Christmas carols.
  15. Celebrate Christmas/Easter together halfway between Christmas and Easter (around the middle of February). Remember the incarnation, why Jesus came – sing songs of Christmas, the cross, the resurrection. (Thanks to my Dad for this idea)
  16. Write a new song, and teach it.
  17. Write music for a verse/passage of Scripture and teach it.
  18. Worship is much more than music. For example, the high point of worship in the Sunday service is the sermon. What are other ways in which we can worship God together on a Sunday? Write your own list, and try something un-musical.
  19. Sing a song in response to (after) the sermon.
  20. Sing a children’s song and teach the actions (to everyone!).
  21. Try a new song in a completely different style than what you’re used to.
  22. Challenge people to worship every day (every moment). What are some ways they can worship? Special moments? Remembering God in times of work/play?
  23. For those who know hymns, do a survey of their favourites and teach the three most popular next month.
  24. Invite a missionary to teach a song or hymn in another language, then teach it in English as well.
  25. Have people say out loud some of the names of God, or attributes of God.
  26. Unplug: no mics or amplification during the whole service.
  27. Have a complete service a capella.
  28. Have the worship team split up and sit all throughout the congregation. Or, when you’re called to the front, don’t go! Start the time of music from your seats with your instruments there (where possible).
  29. Put the seats for the congregation in a circle, or semi-circle.
  30. Share an object lesson.
  31. Instead of singing along, ask the congregation to just listen to a song/part of a song and meditate on the words.
  32. Stop and explain the meaning of a word/song (don’t assume that everyone knows!).
  33. Explain why you chose a specific song to sing this week.
  34. Have a “theme of the week”. It will give you more time to develop a biblical idea.
  35. Help everyone to memorize a passage of Scripture over 5 weeks, while singing songs related to the theme.
  36. Play a new instrument.
  37. Make a note of the flow of ideas that you want to follow throughout the service. For example, first we sing about God’s greatness, then we humble ourselves before Him in repentance, next we give thanks for His mercy and forgiveness. Or, sing about Gethsemane, then the suffering of the cross, and the tomb, and finally the resurrection.
  38. Plan to read every single Psalm, in order, one each Sunday (for 150+ Sundays).
  39. Do nothing except read Scripture and sing word-for-word Scripture songs.
  40. What is your unique goal this week? What do you want people to feel or believe or do as a result of this time of worship?
  41. Spend half of the time in corporate/personal prayer.
  42. Have your service outside.
  43. Buy one copy of a good hymnbook and use ideas from it.
  44. Have everyone change seats and sit beside someone they don’t usually sit beside.
  45. Ask the preacher to choose the song that comes before and/or after the service.
  46. Have the sermon halfway through the worship time.
  47. Show the words on the screen, play the instruments, but have no one sing. Just meditate on the words.
  48. Simply remind people to think about what they’re singing.
  49. Remind people to pray what they are singing.
  50. Tell people to try to apply this thought/song to something in the past week. For example, what was your greatest fear? Your greatest joy?
  51. Sing a song once at the beginning of the music time, and then sing the same song at the end.
  52. Look through the Psalms to find themes and emotions that we don’t usually express in our songs – find new songs to express them.
  53. Take a moment to explain something about worship in the Bible. Which passages tell us that God sings? What instruments were used in Bible times?
  54. Take a moment to explain something about music, so that we can worship with excellence. How can we improve our singing? Why is the melody of this song the way it is?
  55. During the service, record a message and special song for someone who cannot attend due to illness. Pray for them.
  56. Sing a hymn every week for a month to learn it well (and for a while afterward, once a month).
  57. Could you have a whole service based on the theme of Heaven?
  58. If someone in the congregation has been a believer for 50+ years, ask that person what christian song/hymn/chorus has meant a lot to them in their life. Learn it (if it’s a good song!). That person could share a story from their life in the service.
  59. Every Psalm has been put to music, many times! Learn a one, or write your own music for a Psalm.
1 2
Back To Top
All content at CottrillCompass.com is © J. Cottrill 2002-2024. If you quote any material, please be courteous and provide a link.