Worship @ 3BC

HYMNS OF THE FAITH: All Creatures of Our God and King

mark — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:28:10 +0000

“All Creatures of Our God and King” is a hymn written by St. Francis of Assisi around 1225, one year before his death. It was originally titled Cantico di fratre sole (Song of Brother Sun) and is inspired by Francis’ meditation of Psalm 145.

Born in 1181, Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone was the son of a wealthy merchant in Assisi. Though he lived without want, Bernardone had a vision from God and soon decided to live in poverty and become a preacher. He developed a following which was endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church in 1210 and became known as the Franciscan order. He died in October 1226 and was granted sainthood in 1228. In the Roman Catholic Tradition, he is known as the patron saint of animals because of his love for animals and his appreciation of God’s creation.

Although the hymn was published almost 400 years after his death, it was not until 1906 that it was included in an English hymnal.

Psalm 145 3 Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim Your mighty acts. 5 I will speak of Your splendor and glorious majesty and Your wonderful works. 6 They will proclaim the power of Your awe-inspiring acts, and I will declare Your greatness. 7 They will give a testimony of Your great goodness and will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain

HYMNS OF THE FAITH: Great Is Thy Faithfulness

mark — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:02:33 +0000

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky, in July, 1866. He was educated in a small country school and later when on to teach, at age 16, at the same country school house. At age 21, he became associate editor of his home town weekly newspaper, The Franklin Favorite. Six years later, Chisholm became a Christian at a revival meeting held by Dr. H.C. Morrison, and, later served under Morrison as editor and business manager of the Pentecostal Herald. Chisholm was later ordained a Methodist minister but was forced to retire due to poor health.

Chisholm wrote over 1200 poems (such as the well-known Living for Jesus), and many appeared in religious periodicals. In 1923, Chisholm sent several of his poems to Rev. W.M. Runyan, a musician with the Moody Bible Institute. Runyan wrote music for the poem and published the hymn in 1923. The hymn became a favorite of Dr. Will Houghton, president of the Moody Bible Institute, and, in 1954, was introduced to audiences in Great Britain by George Beverly Shea during a Billy Graham Crusade.

The hymn echoes the words of the prophet Jeremiah when he states, “Because of the LORD’S faithful love, we do not perish; for his mercies never end; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

In stanza one he writes of God’s unchanging character and unfailing compassions.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

In stanza two he writes of God’s faithfulness in maintaining the order of His universe.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

In stanza three he writes of God’s faithfulness in forgiving our sins, providing strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

Pardon for sin And a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today And bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, With ten thousand beside.

Each stanza leads to the great culminating chorus that declares the victorious words of Jeremiah, “Great is Thy faithfulness.”

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Some Thoughts on Worship.

mark — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:36:52 +0000

Here’s a link that gives us five principles of what worship is. In light of the absence of instruction in the New Testament on the liturgy of worship, as well as the idea that, in the New Testament, worship is not limited to a corporate gathering, but rather a lifestyle, this link is thought-provoking and is helpful in regard to corporate worship.

Five Thoughts on Worship

10 Priniciples for Church Song

mark — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:20:33 +0000

Want to know what it’s like to plan music and worship in a church? Well, the old cliche “like a kid in a candy store” comes to mind. More than ever before, the options available to worship leaders are many. And, while there is input from every church member to sing this song or that, our desire is to be true to our faith as well as teach theology.

Here’s a link, 10 Principles for Church Song, that helps us think about church song and its place in our worship.

Welcome to 3BC Worship!

mark — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:02:58 +0000

The 3BC Worship Team is a group of people who serve 3BC and others by leading worship every time we meet. Our heart is to give God the glory and celebrate the Gospel! We rehearse every Wednesday at 6:00 pm in the Worship Center. There’s no audition required…just a heart for worship!

Worship Matters

mark — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:20:20 +0000

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege to hear and see Bob Kauflin lead worship. He is an incredible inspiration to many, and he recently published a book titled, Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God. I highly recommend it.

You can also view his website, which is a place of encouragement and edification for those who lead worship – not just worship leaders – but guitarists, singers, drummers, pianists, and so on.

Finally, a great place to hear knowledgeable people speak regarding different aspects of worship – choir, songwriting, a/v, etc. – is the Sovereign Grace Ministries website. There’s lots of recordings of seminars that were taught at the various WorshipGod conferences. For instance, you can hear Stuart Townend (“In Christ Alone”) talk about songwriting.

So, in your spare time, or in your quiet time, choose a message or a book from the sites above.

Worship Resources

mark — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:24:37 +0000

Worship is important at 3BC. We recognize that we exist to bring God the glory that He alone deserves, especially in light of the Gospel that saves us. To us, worship is not for us, though we do benefit from it. Worship is what we do for God. We want to reinforce to those attend our worship meetings that we are here to celebrate God the Father (who He is), God the Son (what He has done for us through the cross), and God the Spirit (His presence with us as we sing and hear the Word preached).

In the midst of the issues of today’s Church, we choose not to focus on worship styles. You’ll never hear us mention contemporary, blended, emerging or traditional worship. What you will hear, though, is a church that sings, prays, and preaches biblical truth. The text of the songs we sing are what is important, not the musical style. The preaching is biblical and gospel-centered, too. Every Sunday, we’ll sing and preach that God has redeemed us through Christ on the cross – and that is a celebration!

If you’re yearning to study what the Bible says about worship, or if you want to read what others say about worship, I recommend the following resources.

Theology of Worship

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God - Bob Kauflin

Engaging with God: a Biblical Theology of Worship – David Peterson

All the Music of the Bible - Herbert Lockyer, Jr.

Worship by the Book – D.A. Carson, ed.

Worship in Spirit and Truth: the Prinicples and Practice of Biblical Worship – John M. Frame

Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts – Harold M. Best

Worship Evangelism - Sally Morgenthaler

Practice of Worship

The Heart of the Artist – Rory Noland

Mastering Worship – Jack Hayford

To Know You More – Andy Parks