Song suggestion: "All Things New"

Here's a song you or your worship team might want to consider adding to your congregation's repertoire: "All Things New"  (CCLI #5865187). 

The song is off the album The New Has Come (released June, 2010) by Brett Younker. Brett is a worship leader and songwriter based in Atlanta, Georgia, where he serves as one of the lead worshippers at Passion City Church.

Like the Sun, Your mercy shines
a brand new day, a brighter light
Jesus, Your grace restores our lives
at the cross, the great exchange
Your righteousness for all our shame
Jesus, Your grace restores our lives

You can make all things new
only Your power can raise us
You can make all things new
only Your love can save us
all hope is not lost
‘cause You make all things new

All our wounds and broken dreams
We lay them down at Calvary
Savior, Your grace restores our lives
When we’re weak, You make us strong
You lift us up, You lead us on
Savior, Your grace restores our lives

You give beauty for our ashes
and a hope that’s everlasting
the past has been redeemed
now forever we will sing.

Music and Lyrics by:  Brett Younker, Alex Nifong and Matt Redman  copyright © 2010 brett younker music (ascap) (adm. by publishing@brettyounker.com) / paymeplease publishing (ascap) / thankyou music (admin. worldwide by emi cmg publishing, excluding europe, which is admin. by kingswaysongs.com)(prs) / sixsteps music / said and done music (admin. by emi cmg publishing) (ascap)

The song would work beautifully during a time of congregational confession, or as the congregation moves from confession to an assurance of God's forgiveness and love. It could also be sung during the celebration of communion, or at a Good Friday service.

If you're leading, you might consider using one of these related scripture passages: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:21-24, Colossians 3:9-10; 1 Peter 1:3-4, Isaiah 61:1-3.

The song has an accessible, repetitious melody, so it wouldn't take long for most congregations to learn.  An acoustic version of this song (and other songs on the album) is available, too.  Check out All Things New (Acoustic), recorded in November, 2010.

Brett has made the chord chart available on his website.  Just click on the "chord chart" tab at the top of the page.

Learning to pray...together

Instead of attending our home church this morning, my husband and I decided to visit another congregation – a relatively new and fast-growing church not far from our home.  The style of worship was what’s generally categorized as ‘contemporary’ (a two-fold order: praise singing, coffee break, drama/preaching). 

The sermon was the second in a series of sermons on the subject of prayer. It was accessible and engaging; we were challenged to see prayer as an integral part of our relationship with Jesus Christ, and to practice prayer in a disciplined and deliberate manner every day.  I especially appreciated the speaker’s encouragement to think more broadly about the emotional scope of our prayers—to expand our prayer language beyond simply asking God for things (thanksgiving, adoration, lament, petition, anger, etc.).

As much as I appreciated the sermon, I couldn't help but be struck by how little prayer there was in the service itself.  Over the course of the 75 minutes we spent together, less than four minutes were spent in corporate prayer. There was a brief opening prayer, a prayer of adoration leading to intercession, and a brief closing prayer.

In his book, Preaching and Leading Worship, William Willimon suggests that leaders and pastors should regularly ask themselves: “What are we teaching our people about prayer through our prayer on Sunday morning?” He goes on to tell this story:

“Not long ago, one of my parishioners told me that he was being harassed at work by an unscrupulous supervisor.  The supervisor wanted to see the man hounded out of his job, so he did everything possible to humiliate him and make his life miserable. ‘I hate him.  I am afraid that one day at work he will push me too far and I will pick up a wrench and bash his brains out,’ the parishioner told me. 

We talked about his feelings toward the supervisor, and I suggested that he might pray each morning before going to work, asking God to help him endure this man’s attacks.  ‘I never thought about prayer,’ he said.  ‘Oh, yes.  Jesus urges us to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us,’ I added.  ‘I never heard us pray for enemies on Sunday morning,’ he said. 

It hit me.  What had this man learned about prayer on Sunday morning?  Had he learned that prayer was a spiritual resource, an integral part of everyday life, and essential aspect of our relationship to God?....The Anglican Book of Common Prayer contains prayers for enemies, rain, national leaders, the birth of a child, peace, humility, and all the other nitty-gritty concerns of life.  In so doing, it helps to make our prayer truly common prayer – a common part of the common life of the people of God.  This is the goal for our prayer on Sunday morning” (39-40).

For more thoughts on the role of corporate prayer in worship, see Rising Up Against the Disorder of the World: When the Church Unites in Prayer.