Sunday, April 6 - The Weight of Words: "This is My body"
Possible worship focuses:
Jesus, our Salvation / Jesus, our Redeemer / Jesus, the Lamb
Possible calls to worship:
John 1:29: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!." (Worship Leader: Jesus comes toward us today in our gathering, and in these moments of singing and worship—let's behold His glory, the glory of the Lamb!)
Psalm 113:1-5: "Praise. the Lord. Praise the Lord, you His servants; praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord be praised. The Lord is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high?" (Worship Leader: This is a rhetorical question, isn't it. As believers, as His children, we know the answer to be "no one!" The Lord is exalted over all, and His glory is above all. Why? Because He—and only He—is our Salvation. Let's profess this truth together now in song).
The Lord Is Our Salvation - Getty (listen here, purchase here)
The grace of God has reached for me, and pulled me from the raging sea.
And I am safe on this solid ground: The Lord is my salvation.
Who is like the Lord, our God? Strong to save, faithful in love?
My debt is paid and the victory won: The Lord is my salvation.
H510 / Crown Him with Many Crowns
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heav'nly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.
Worship leader:
consider using the "Sing His Praise" worship sequence from the Celebration Hymnal, #19-21.
CH20-21 / Let There Be Glory and Honor and Praises; O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Let there be glory and honor and praises; Glory and honor to Jesus.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.
CH 111/ Glory to the Lamb
For He is glorious and worthy to be praised, the Lamb upon the trone;
And unto Him we lift our voice in praise...
We Receive - Sovereign Grace (listen and download for free here)
You laid Your life on the table; broken like bread, poured out like wine.
We sing what a wonderful Savior; Jesus our King, all that You give we receive.
H75 / Blessed Assurance (consider singing verses 1 and 2 for opening and verse 3 for closing)
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long!
CH12 / Praise Him! Praise Him! (response/acceptance option)
Praise him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed redeemer! For our sins he suffered, and bled and died.
He our rock our hope of eternal salvation. Hail him! Hail Him! Jesus, the crucified.
Sound his praises Jesus who bore our sorrows; Love unbounded wonderful deep and strong!
CH351 / I Will Remember Thee (repentance option)
Thy body, broken for my sake, my bread from heav'n shall be...
CH302 / Lamb of God (repentance option)
O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God; I love the holy Lamb of God.
O wash me in His precious blood. My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Behold, the Lamb (The Communion Hymn) - Getty (listen here, purchase here)
The body of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, torn for you: eat and remember
The wounds that heal, the death that brings us life, paid the price to make us one.
So we share in this Bread of Life, and we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of love around the table of the King.
CH461 / In Remembrance (communion option)
Take, eat, and be comforted; Drink and remember, too, that this is My body and precious blood shed for you.
CH461 / In Remembrance (communion option)
Take, eat, and be comforted; Drink and remember, too, that this is My body and precious blood shed for you.
H242 / Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer (closing option)
Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty; hold me with Thy pow'rful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore...
Sunday, April 13 - The Weight of Words: "Who is this?" (PALM SUNDAY)
In the moments of worship, through music and Scripture, we should answer the question, "Who is this?": This is Jesus, the King!
Possible call to worship:
Psalm 97:1: "The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice!" (NLT translation)
Rejoice, the Lord Is King! - organ/piano solo (see piano solo arrangement here)
Rejoice - Getty and Rend Collective (listen here, purchase here)
Rejoice in the Lord, now and always; sing it again, we rejoice.
Delight in the love He has shown us, gratefully lift up your voice.
His gentleness among us will join our hearts with praise.
We gather in His goodness, a family of grace.
CH300 / All Glory, Laud and Honor (would work well in worship or as opening hymn)
All glory, laud, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.
Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David's royal Son,
Who in the Lord's name comest, the King and Blessed One.
There Is a King - Elevation Worship (listen here, purchase here)
There is a King seated among us. Let ev'ry heart receive Him now.
Where there is praise, He will inhabit, there will be grace and mercy all around.
Ev'ry burden will be lifted in His presence. Ev'ry trophy will be laid down at His feet.
There is a Name that reigns above all others—Jesus Christ, the King above all kings.
CH15 / No Other Name
No other name but the name of Jesus is worthy of glory, and worthy of honor, and worthy of power and all praise...
H13, CH36 / He Is Exalted
He is exalted, the King is exalted on high; I will praise Him.
He is exalted, forever exalted, and I will praise His name!
Jesus, Only Jesus - Matt Redman (listen here, purchase here)
Who can command the highest praise, who has the name above all names?
You stand alone, I stand amazed. Jesus, only Jesus.
H528 / O How Shall I Receive You (opening option)
Your Zion strews before You a palm branch fresh and fair.
My heart in joy would bring You a psalm of beauty rare.
My heart would sing Your praises, Your glory would proclaim;
In joyful song it raises all honor to Your name!
H517 / Rejoice, the Lord Is King (opening option)
Rejoice, the Lord is King: Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
CH105-106 / We Will Glorify; Worthy, You Are Worthy (response/acceptance options)
We will glorify the King of kings; We will glorify the Lamb.
We will glorify the Lord of lords, Who is the great I AM.
Worthy, You are worthy; King of kings, Lord of lords, You are worthy.
The King in All His Beauty - Matt Boswell (listen here, purchase here; repentance/communion option)
O lift your eyes to heaven, see, the Holy One eternal.
Come worship, fall before His grace—The King in all His beauty.
How worthy, How worthy: The King in all His beauty.
H197 / Lead On, O King Eternal (closing option)
Lead on, O King eternal; we follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning, where'er Your face appears.
Your cross is lifted o'er us, we journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O King of might.
Friday, April 18 - The Weight of Words: "Why have You forsaken Me?" (GOOD FRIDAY)
Possible song call to worship:
Sing to Jesus - Fernando Ortega (listen here, purchase here)
Sing to Jesus, Lord of our shame, Lord of our sinful hearts, He is our great Redeemer....
Worship Leader:
Possible scripture - Isaiah 53:3-5
H497, CH316 / O Sacred Head (see piano arrangements here)
O sacred Head, now wounded with grief and shame weighed down.
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown.
To See the King of Heaven Fall - Getty (listen here, purchase here)
To see the King of heaven fall in anguish to His knees;
The Light and Hope of all the world now overwhelmed with grief.
Worship Leader:
Possible scripture - 1 Peter 2:24 or Galatians 6:14
H503, CH324 / When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
At the Cross (Love Ran Red) - Chris Tomlin (vocal solo - listen here, purchase here; see choral arrangement here)
At the cross I surrender my life, I'm in awe of You.
Where Your love ran red and my sin washed white, I owe all to You.
CH317 / O Mighty Cross
O mighty cross, Love lifted high, the Lord of life raised there to die;
His sacrifice on Calvary has made the mighty cross a tree of life for me.
All Sufficient Merit - Shane & Shane (listen here, purchase here)
All sufficient merit shining like the sun, a fortune I inherit by no work I have done.
My righteousness I forfeit at my Savior's cross, where all sufficient merit did what I could not.
H376 / I Praise God's Love in Adoration (consider singing verses 1-3 for opening and verse 4 for closing; verse 3 could also work for repentance)
I praise God's love in adoration which is by Jesus Christ revealed.
Myself yield to its inspiration, this love that first my pardon sealed.
All thoughts of self from me I'll banish into the gulf of love to vanish.
My heart is Thine, in earth and heaven, Redeemer, Thou my greatest good.
Thou hast in love Thy pure life given for my salvation through Thy blood.
From greatest sin didst Thou deliver: I give my heart to Thee forever.
O Jesus, may Thy name forever be deeply in my heart impressed.
May thy great love, O Jesus, ever be both by heart and mind confessed.
In word and deed, in all my nature, may Thou, Lord be in ev'ry feature.
Son of Suffering - Bethel (listen here, purchase here; response/acceptance option)
Oh blood and tears, how can it be that there's a God who weeps, there's a God who bleeds?
Oh praise the One who would reach for me. Hallelujah to the Son of suffering.
CH351 / Amazing Love (response/acceptance option)
Amazing love, O what sacrifice, the Son of God giv'n for me;
My debt He pays and my death He dies, that I might live.
CH344 / Grace Greater Than Our Sin (see piano solo arrangement here; repentance/communion option)
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
We Receive - Sovereign Grace (listen and download for free here; communion option)
You laid Your life on the table; broken like bread, poured out like wine.
We sing what a wonderful Savior; Jesus our King, all that You give we receive.
The Power of the Cross - Getty (listen here, purchase here; powerful closer)
O to see the dawn of the darkest day; Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then nailed to a cross of wood.
This the pow'r of the cross: Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath; We stand forgiven at the cross.
Sunday, April 20 - The Weight of Words: "He is risen!" (EASTER)
H508, CH367 / Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (our hymn of the month!)
Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia! Earth and heav’n in chorus say: “Alleluia!”
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing ye heavn’s, and earth reply: “Alleluia!”
Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, o death, now is thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where’s thy vict’ry, boasting grave? Alleluia!
Possible call to worship (consider reading this aloud with congregation):
1 Peter 1:3 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (NIV translation)
Christ, Our Hope in Life and Death - Getty, Matt Papa (listen here, purchase here)
What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone.
What is our only confidence? That our souls to Him belong.
Who holds our days within His hand? What comes, apart from His command?
And what will keep us to the end? The love of Christ, in which we stand.
O sing hallelujah! Our hope springs eternal; O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death.
Living Hope - Phil Wickham (listen here, purchase here)
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free! Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me!
Rise My Soul, the Lord Is Risen - CityAlight (listen here, purchase here)
Rise my soul the Lord is risen, come behold the empty grave.
See the place where darkness laid Him, sing for only hope remains!
Hallelujah, praise forever, death defeated and life restored.
By that great immortal power Christ is risen, arise my soul!
Worship Leader:
Possible scripture - Acts 2:23-24 - "This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (NIV translation)
CH357 / Christ Arose (see powerful choral arrangement here, even if for subsequent years)
Death cannot keep is prey—Jesus, my Savior! He tore the bars away—Jesus, my Lord!
CH366 / I Live
I live because He is risen; I live with power over sin. I live because He is risen; I live to worship Him!
Forever (We Sing Hallelujah) - Kari Jobe, arr. Daniel Semsen (see choral arrangement here)
Forever He is lifted high; forever He is risen!
H92 / In Christ Alone (since the combined verses tell the gospel story, consider singing all four)
There in the tomb His body lay, Light of the world for sinners slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine—bought with the precious blood of Christ.
H518 / See What a Morning (great option for worship or opening)
See, what a morning, gloriously bright, with the dawning of hope in Jerusalem.
Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light, as the angels announce, "Christ is risen!"
See God's salvation plan, wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice.
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, for He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!
O Breath of God - Getty (listen here, see music attached; great option for response)
O Breath of God come fill this place, revive our hearts to know Your grace.
And from our slumber make us rise that we may know the risen Christ.
Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery - Matt Boswell, Matt Papa (listen here, purchase here)
Come behold the wondrous myst’ry, slain by death the God of life;
But no grave could e’er restrain Him, praise the Lord—He is alive!
Holy Forever - Chris Tomlin (listen here, purchase here; would be a powerful, non-traditional closer)
Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all.
All thrones and dominions, all powers and positions, Your name stands above them all.
H510, CH45 / Crown Him with Many Crowns
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed o'er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who, once on earth incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night, their Lord, Redeemer, King.
Sunday, April 27 - The Weight of Words: "All authority has been given to Me" (EASTER)
Possible sung call to worship:
Behold our God - Sovereign Grace (listen and download free here; see Isaiah 40:12-17)
Who has held the oceans in His hands? Who has numbered every grain of sand?
Kings and nations tremble at His voice; all creation rises to rejoice.
Behold our God seated on His throne; come, let us adore Him.
Behold our King! Nothing can compare; come, let us adore Him!
Possible Scriptural call to worship:
Philippians 2:9-11 - "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Consider saying the Scripture, then singing it (CH 25 / At the Name of Jesus)
H13, CH36 /He Is Exalted
He is the Lord; forever His truth shall reign. Heaven and earth rejoice in His holy name.
Jesus Is Lord - Getty (listen here, see music attached, and choral arrangement here)
"Jesus is Lord"—the cry that echoes through creation;
Resplendent pow'r, eternal Word, our Rock.
The Son of God, the King whose glory fills the heavens,
Yet bids us come to taste this Living Bread.
Worship Leader:
Possible scripture - 1 Chronicles 9:11-12 - "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all."
CH10 / Majesty (this could also work as a sung call to worship)
Majesty, worship His majesty. Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise!
How Rich a Treasure We Possess - Matt Boswell, Matt Papa (listen here, purchase here)
How rich a treasure we possess in Jesus Christ our Lord.
His blood, our ransom and defence; His glory, our reward.
The sum of all created things is worthless in compare;
For our inheritance is Him whose praise angels declare.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.
Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Amen.
Worship Leader:
Possible scripture - Psalm 57:10-11 - "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Thy glory be over all the earth."
Consider saying the Scripture, then singing it (CH32 / Be Exalted, O God)
H31, CH43 / All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (could sing verses 1-3 for opening and verse 4 for closing)
Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all!
CH107 / Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
You came from heaven to earth to show the way...
H5 / Be Still, for the Presence of the Lord
Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,
He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister His grace.
Wonderful, Merciful Savior - Selah (listen here, purchase here)
Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men?
CH359 / Alleluia, Alleluia! Give Thanks
Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord; Alleluia, alleluia! Give praise to His name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth; He is the King of creation.