Songs of Faith - Come in All Shapes & Sizes

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"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." Psalm 100:1-2

Quite often you will find me standing in the back of the sanctuary on a Sunday morning as the worship hour begins. I rarely am in the same place. Some Sundays I'm able to be in the sanctuary for all of the musical portion of worship, other Sundays I get a song here or there as the demands of the morning beg for my attention. Even with that semi-distracted worship, I usually have a few moments to really connect to a song or two - in at least one of our worship hours. 

Now, however, as we adapt and reinvent what corporate worship (aka virtual worship) looks like, I've missed being able to sing with my church family - live and in person! As each week passes by, I'm missing that element of worship more and more. (Plus, my car radio hasn't worked for several months!) Thankfully, I got a simple text from one of my daughters this past Sunday morning. In it was a link to check out. I clicked on it and found a man I'd never heard of. A man I'll likely never meet - except in glory. But, we have a lot in common. Things I haven't thought about for years. Our faith journeys had paralleled, and I was about to enjoy that journey once again!

The link led me to a time of worship with songs that bridged the gap of time for several generations. It spanned the course of time from anyone who is a baby boomer to those who raised a baby boomer. It even reaches, on the other end of the spectrum, to those kids and grandkids who were then raised by baby boomers. Amazingly, that time frame spreads from the 1920's up until today! You'd think these songs are likely hymns, but they're not. However, they do have a common link.

If you've ever been a part of a youth group, church camp, Bible School or Children's Church, they are likely all songs you've grown to love - or at least know. Many bring back major moments of nostalgia. Singing with friends. Singing around campfires. Singing on the church bus. Singing to Jesus.

Do any of these titles sound familiar?

Pass It On - Classic 70's!
Do Lord - Totally Children's Church for me!
His Sheep Am I - Wow! I hadn't heard of this song for decades!
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus - A classic for many generations!
They'll Know We Are Christians - Gotta sing this one in a round!
I Wish We'd All Been Ready - My first grasp of the end times!
Reach Out to Jesus - My earliest memory of youth group!

What's amazing to me is that these songs were just as meaningful to my 30-year old daughter as they were to me. They touched a spot in both of our hearts and uplifted our souls this past Sunday morning - while sitting in our own houses beginning a new 'Day of Worship' together. If you could use a few moments of worship with 'an old friend,' I'd encourage you to take about 30 minutes of quiet time to enjoy some great piano playing and some wonderful songs of the faith - some that may even take you down a sweet memory lane and into a time of worship. 

https://www.facebook.com/larry.shackley/videos/10158113517356420

What a privilege and an honor we have to ‘sing for joy to the Lord’ with all those who have gone before us and with all those who will come behind us – and carry His name. Let us continue to rejoice in the Lord from now and through eternity!

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp…shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord,” Psalm 95:1-2; 96:1-2, 11-13; 97:12; 98:1, 4-9a







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