Worship Service Set list & Recap: April 26, 2009

He is risen!  He is risen indeed! I always like to share that exclamation and response on a Sunday service after Easter just to remind all that we must celebrate the resurrection each and every day, not just on Easter!  On with the details…

The set list:

• Opener: We Will Glorify [Paris (greatworshipsongs.com version)]
• You Are Holy (Prince of Peace) [Imboden/Thoton]
• Blessed Be Your Name [Redman - x2!]
• We Fall Down [Tomlin (Kutless version)]
• Closer: Center [Hall/Redman]

The Recap:

Let me just start by lovin’ on the worship team servants at EVC!  They truly exhibit Psalm 33:3 each week; but specifically this week as I threw two new arrangements of familiar songs at them during rehearsal: We Will Glorify and We Fall Down.  Without a groan (OK, maybe some “Dennis is at it again!” looks) and with one listen from my iPhone – they jumped all over both songs.  God has truly blessed our church – I’m just tickled pink to serve with them each week!

We Will Glorify. I am HUGE on lyrics – the tune has got to be good/memorable/easy-to-sing, but a good tune without bible-based or inspired lyrics, well…  If you haven’t heard the greatworshipsongs.com version of this song, check it out at their website.  This was a new arrangement for us this week and it went pretty good (see my comments above).  A great call to worship!

You Are Holy (Prince of Peace). I just love this song – proclamation driven and response oriented!  Although, I’m jealous of the ladies…they get to sing all the names of God!  Two funny stories on this song: (1) I first heard it on a road trip from Cali to Montana with my wife.  We heard it once and kept hitting the replay for what seemed like 100s of miles!  Each time the song ended, we’d look at each other, smile, and say, “One more time!”  When we got to MT (OK, we did listen to other stuff), my brother-in-law (who is the worship leader at his church) did the song that Sunday!  (2) So of course, I had to bring it to my church!  The first time we did it, we did as Michael W. Smith does on his Worship Again CD.  EVC is musically a blended worship church (which is a good thing!), but the “Here we go!” and “Whoa, oh’s” garnered some stunned looks and stares!  We stripped off those parts the next time we did the song…its all good now!  Every time I listen to the CD now, I just crack up when those parts come on!

Blessed Be Your Name. What can I say about this song – it just drips of the characteristics of a life of complete and total worship of our awesome God – when I sing this song, I think about Paul’s example from his own life in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.  I just love looking into the faces of my fellow EVC Christ-worshippers as we sing this song to God…knowing the place many are singing it from.  It ministers to and encourages me in a massive way!

We Fall Down. I’ve always liked this song.  I love if because we are actually saying to God that we lay down our crowns…the “stuff” that is important of value (in our eyes)…at His feet – the place where we find mercy and love.  This week, the aspect of the three-fold “holy” was on my heart.  If you’re not familiar with this, in Hebrew, repeating something three times was a way of stressing or emphasizing the superlative or highest importance of it.  I read somewhere where this was equivalent to our bold, italic, and underlining of something to call attention.  We sang half the song, went in to an interlude where I explained this to the congregation, and let them know that when we got to the chorus, we were going to sing it slightly different – tying in what we had sung previously to the Lord: Glory (We Will Glorify), Blessed (Blessed be Your Name), and Holy (You are Holy):

And we cry Glory, Glory, Glory
And we cry Blessed, Blessed, Blessed
And we cry holy, holy, holy is the Lamb

I think it went pretty well and hopefully people appreciated the significance.  I know I do.

Center. Let me just say that I really, really really like Charlie Hall’s music.  It speaks to my heart and I regularly put his music on shuffle/repeat at work for the afternoon…that said, worship at EVC is not about me and my fav’s.  I really feel people connected with this song when we first introduced it.  The action of singing to the Lord that we want Him to be the center of our life and where our eyes are fixed is HUGE.  Add on the words that everything…EVERYTHING is held together by Him – wow.  Finishing with “Turn Your Eyes” is the icing!

AMEN, AMEN, and AMEN!

If you’re reading this and don’t come to East Valley, hope your Sunday was blessed!  If you’re in San Jose on a Sunday and don’t have a specific place to worship…stop on by!

This post is part of Fred McKinnon’s “Sunday Setlist” community.