Songs for Sunday, March 10 @ Christ Community Church

Tomorrow is Sunday, and I am excited!

There is something about the approach of Easter — of Resurrection Sunday — that stirs something within me. There is hope in the emptiness of the borrowed tomb that is unlike anything this world has to offer. Well, the world cannot exactly offer empty or borrowed tombs, can it?

I think about Israel around that time. They had experienced Babylonian (and Mede-Persian) exile because of their sin. Their return home never quite met the luster or glory of the former days. But there was a promise — a Promised One, in fact, who would come and rescue them. They sought rescue from worldly oppression and wicked rulers and regimes, but this Promised One would rescue them from the wicked idolatry and sin that reigned in their own hearts. They would just have to wait for that rescue.

And they waited.

And waited.

In the silence of no more “Thus saith the Lord”, they waited about 400 years for this Promised One. Empires changed. The Persians were displaced by the Greeks, the Greeks inevitably by the Romans. They waited until the silence was broken by the cry of an infant.

God had promised that the Messiah (Promised One/Anointed One/Greek: Christ) would come — that He Himself would come. Emmanuel, translated God-with-us, would be born of a virgin. This child, this Son, would be given to bring Light and rescue to God’s people. They were desperate. They were helpless. They had no way to save themselves.

It is not hard to empathize with that kind of desperation. The effects of the Fall, sin and death, are all around us. Wickedness is rampant. Death is rampant. Idolatry is rampant. Hope seems to be in small supply. But we do not have to wait in silence! Emmanuel has already come, and He is coming again! His Spirit is with His people! His Word has and is and will continue to speak hope of rescue and salvation — of grace and mercy — of the good news of Jesus!

That’s what we are singing about tomorrow.

We are going to pour out our hearts and long for the return of Emmanuel, God-with-us. We are going to praise God for the finished work of Jesus. We are going to praise God for His steadfast love. And we are going to cry out — through the pain and sorrow and fear and longing — “Come, Lord Jesus”!

Won’t you join us?

Here are our Scriptures & songs:

Scripture | Isaiah 9:2-7 —

²The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has Light shone.
³You have multiplied the nation; You have increased its joy; they rejoice before You as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
⁴For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Song | O Come, O Come Emmanuel —
Scripture Inspiration: Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 49:24-25, Isaiah 61:1, Micah 5:2, Malachi 4:2, Isaiah 9:2-7, Isaiah 60:2, Isaiah 25:8, Deuteronomy 18:15, Acts 3:22, Revelation 3:7, John 14:1-6, John 14:16-17, Psalm 119:105, John 1:1-5, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 7:24-25, Hebrews 9:12, 1 John 2:2, Romans 8:1-2, John 5:24, Ephesians 2:13-14, Hebrews 10:19, 1 John 4:18, Hebrews 2:14-15, Jeremiah 10:7, Revelation 19:16, Revelation 21:3-4, Psalm 34:18

Song | Born to Die —
Scripture Inspiration: John 1:1-5, John 1:14, Luke 2:6-15, Matthew 1:21, Romans 6:23, Luke 19:10, Revelation 7:9-10, Revelation 5:13

Scripture | 1 John 4:9-10 —

⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. _¹⁰In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Song | How Deep the Father’s Love for Us —

Song | Jesus Paid It All (O Praise the One) —
Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 11:28-30, Colossians 2:13-14, 2 Corinthians 4:15, Hebrews 12:28-29, Isaiah 1:18, Jeremiah 13:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 11:19, Revelation 4:10-11, Revelation 5:9-10

Invitation | ~~Reckless~~ Steadfast Love —
Scripture References / Inspiration: Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 13:6, Psalm 23:6, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 145:9, Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13, Romans 2:4, Philippians 1:6, 1 Peter 2:1-3, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 44:24, Jeremiah 1:5, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 17:7, Psalm 36:5-7, John 3:16, John 13:34, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 8:37-39, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:4-5, Ephesians 5:25, Titus 3:4, 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16-19, Luke 15, Matthew 18:1-14, Philippians 2:6-11, Hebrews 2:5-8, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, 2 Corinthians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 53, Hebrews 9:22, Titus 2:11-14, 1 John 3:16, Revelation 5:9, Leviticus 17:11, Matthew 20:28, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 John 1:7-2:2, Romans 8:38-39

***NOTE: We are revising the lyrics of this song to better reflect the love of God — that which we read about all through Scripture, that which was “made manifest” as we read in the verses above. Many might be familiar with the Greek word agape that describes the unique love of God; the Hebrew word for that type of never-ending, never-failing, never-stopping, never-giving-up love is chesed. It is often translated “steadfast love” in the Old Testament. This is a word God uses to describe Him and His love over 500 times!

This is an opportunity for the theology of what we sing to more specifically reflect the Scriptures, and therefore more accurately reflect the love of God as He shares it with us in His Word. The word “reckless” in the original lyrics was meant to show that God lavishly pours out His love for us. He does! He has poured out His love on us and made it manifest through the gift of Jesus Christ for our sins. Let’s praise God for and sing about His steadfast love!