Being Saved a Fool

At Church on Mill’s worship gathering last week, we continued to study Luke’s gospel and we learned about Jesus’ first (but far from last) trip to the Temple in Jerusalem.  Can you imagine how terrified these new parents were when this crusty old dude runs toward them, grabs up their baby in his arms and then CALLS HIM BY NAME: “My eyes have seen your SALVATION.”

This crazy guy didn’t know Mary, Joseph and Jesus “from Adam”, but here he was picking up the kid, holding him up in gratitude to God (be careful over the stones, dude) and then saying exactly the same things about Jesus that the angel had said to Mary only months before.  Jesus’ name itself means the Lord is our SALVATION.  Jesus is the one who saves.

Few other names and descriptions so simply describe the gospel as these two words.  First, “Jesus Saves” is all about the WHO of the gospel.  No one other that Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Most High can save us.  We can’t do it ourselves. No other great religious thinker or character, past, present or in the future, has that power or authority. A best-selling self-help guru can’t do it.  A movie can’t rescue us. Music can’t redeem our souls. Only Jesus saves.

Sec0nd, “Jesus Saves” also tells us the HOW of the gospel.  God sent Jesus to rescue us from our own sin and from death itself.  The Bible also tells us that Jesus’ death on the cross saves us from the perils and punishment of God’s wrath.  But the gospel doesn’t end the moment we claim faith in Christ, Jesus also saves us to a life of joy and safety in the presence of God!  How Jesus saves us is rich, complex, sometimes mysterious and always for HIS glory!  Amen, amen, Jesus saves!

I hope you can join us this week as we humbly sing of Jesus, the Saving One.  Jesus saves, thanks be to God, my Jesus saves!

Roger Wood

Sunday Worship Set, July 4, 2010

Jesus Saves (Whitaker, et. al) – This is a new song for us and one I am excited to sing with you.  It’s off of a new worship album I’ve been enjoying by Carlos Whitaker called Ragamuffin Soul. It puts Jesus and his work of Salvation front and center as we praise and honor him.

All Because (Fee) – His ransom and rescue is now my life.  It’s all because of Jesus.

Battle Hymn of the Republic (Howe & Steffe) – This week we celebrate the common grace of our freedom and delivery from tyranny as a nation.  May we never forget to be thankful, but even more may we never forget to be thankful and humbled by a sovereign God whose glory and kingdom extend from eternity to eternity.  Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I Stand Amazed (Gabriel) – This is a great hymn and its chorus resounds with the same marvel and awe Mary and Joseph had on the Temple steps that day, “How marvelous, how wonderful!  And my song, shall ever be!”

All I Have is Christ (Kauflin) – I hope this song is becoming a favorite for our congregation.  It has quickly become one of mine.  It tells us of the richness of the gospel and at the chorus we rejoice that all we have is Christ, hallelujah, all we have is Christ!

The Saving One (Neufield, Neufiled & Fields) – This song just further reinforces the WHO and the HOW of our salvation, Jesus Christ.

At Church on Mill, we’ve now moved a chapter or two into Luke’s gospel as we study God’s word on Sunday morning.  But I hope God has not stopped talking to you about the Church.  The truth about why we meet, fellowship, care for one another, share the gospel and study God’s word together is so important.

As for me, God has been revealing to me more about this precious gospel and showing me how the church is actually a picture of the gospel in action. I heard it said this way recently: “if we, the church, aren’t living the definition of true partnership in the gospel, we have no reason to exist.” Those are strong words, but God’s word is even stronger on what we, the Church are to be, to do and how we should live out the gospel in our lives. It’s exciting stuff and if by God’s mercy and grace we have the chance to get it right, the Church would indeed be a city on a hill. Messy, real and a truly transformed bunch of folks sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world.

All of our recent talk of God’s church has pushed me to seek out songs in our worship that help us worship as the church, as God’s people together. There are so many great songs that help me worship God for who he is and for what Jesus did at the cross. But as I searched out songs about how the Church worships God or even songs that focus on who he is to us, his church, and what he has done for us, his church, I kept coming up short. There are few songs that help us worship in that way.

As I dug deeper, I was challenged by what appears to be a pronoun problem in our church music. Church music and worship songs today (and yes, even many, many of the hymns from yesteryear) are about “I”, “Me”, and “Mine.” Few songs are more concerned about “He”, “him” and “his”. Even fewer songs of praise encourage us to sing “we”, “us” and “ours”.

We need some better pronouns. If our worship is at its core about who God is and what he did for us at the cross, and if we, the Church, are to gather in his name and offer praise and thanksgiving together, then we need to be concerned about the pronouns. The pronouns can take the focus from ME and MY feelings and put our marvel and imitation on HIM and for HIS glory.

An awareness of the pronoun problem reminds me that I don’t worship alone, but that we sing together as his church and his people. Don’t get me wrong, I can worship all by myself and do (most of the time at the top of my lungs in my car).  I am sure you worship all by yourself in all kinds of ways too. But the most awesome and amazing examples of worship in scripture are when many voices are raised to God.  The Book of Revelation doesn’t open up a glimpse of heaven with you and Jesus just hanging out, skipping stones by the crystal sea. No, the glimpses of heaven we read in John’s revelation are of God’s people, all nations, gathered TOGETHER in His name and praising the Living God and the Lamb.

Now, I hope we can start working on those pronouns when we gather to worship Him.

Roger Wood

“Think how he has borne with you, and still bears with you, when so much in your life is unworthy of him and you have so richly deserved his rejection. Learn to marvel at his patience, and seek grace to imitate it in your dealings with others; and try not to try his patience any more.” – J. I. Packer

A Prayer of Confession for Our Impatience:  Oh, Lord, forgive me for being short and impatient with others today, especially the ones whom I love the most.  Please help me to marvel at how patient you have been with me as your work in my life, this sanctification process, slowly and deliberately makes me more like you.  Help us tomorrow as we gather together to marvel at the patience you showed us at Calvary. Let our marvel and wonder at who you are and what you have done for us, your church, lead us to be true worshipers and passionate imitators of you. Amen.

Sunday Set List, May 2, 2010 at Church on Mill’s Sunday Worship Gathering

Our Great God (Ortega/Powell) - We worship and follow the creator of all things, who was, and is, and is to come.
Maker and My King (Cosper/Steele) - Again, this song, in its ZZtopish/La Grange-ish way, reminds us that God made us and reigns over all.  We humbly look to him, in awe of his mercy and grace.
A Mighty Fortress (Neale) - This song, invoking Psalm 46, helps us thank God for his protection and his provision for us.  We can call out to him.  The nations cry out and we know that He is God!
How He Loves Us (McMillan) - God’s love for us is so big and overwhelming and our petty disputes and concerns pale in comparison to his eternal glory.  Oh how he loves us, his church!
You Are Here (DeShiazo/Neale) - We sing out to him and claim his promise that where we are gathered in His name, he is with us.  We worship him and marvel at what he did on the cross.
Revelation Song (Riddle) - God’s revelation to the apostle John contains these words of praise.  As Christ’s bride, let’s worship him and prepare for our eternal worship of the King and lamb!
Jesus, Thank You (Szebel) – We are left with no other words than THANK YOU, Jesus!
All I Have is Yours (Elliott/Gilles ) - Tomorrow we recognize our high school, college, graduate school and seminary graduates.  Let’s allow this song to remind us that our plans, careers, degrees, incomes, families, and everything we have, all belongs to him.   We are just stewards.  God, teach us that all we have is yours!

Looking forward to our corporate marveling together,

Roger Wood

God is teaching me things.  If you were in worship with us the last few Sundays, we sang a very old hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.”  Before we sang it a couple of weeks ago, we talked about how hymns are important in our worship and so important it is that these hymn lyrics teach us what God’s Word, the bible, says.  Then, before we sang together, the worship band read through the scripture passages that are woven into the hymn’s lyrics, verse by verse.  We also talked about why hymns can help us worship God by helping us recall his word at the proper time and in response to our need.  Hymns and scripture songs can help us when we don’t know the words to pray.

Then came night time at our house a few days later.  Fear, doubt and need visited our home.  One of my kids expressed fear about things that go bump in the night.  Bedtime quickly became a time of uncertainty and very real fear.  As boys (men), we tend to wonder about the worst case scenario.  In our minds, we make explicit plans (a la Home Alone) about how we can protect the homestead and  plot escape routes.  We grip a lamp base to get a feel for its heft and worthiness for hand-to-hand combat.  We constantly wonder if we can survive jumps from second story windows (it works for my boys onto the trampoline, but that’s another story).

As we talked at home about the sovereignty of God, his omnipotence, omni-presence and how much he loves us, the words “How Firm a Foundation” flooded back and we opened God’s word together to those same promises we read and sang together on Sunday morning.   We read about the deep waters, those circumstances and fears that overwhelm us.   We read God’s reassurance to “fear not” and the promises of his guidance and protection.  We read on into the New Testament where Jesus himself says that if God cares so much for dirty little sparrows, how much more does he care for us!

We printed the verses and hung them bedside.  We’ve been reading them regularly and praying those scriptures each night.  Sleep has come more quickly and little men fears, have been assuaged.  Fears and uncertainties will return.  Lots of times what we sing on Sundays isn’t for you, it’s for me.  I need to remember that those  hymns and songs we sing aren’t just for Sundays.

Roger Wood

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… 4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you… 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

I wanted to thank Dr. Hahne for preaching God’s word yesterday.  I was not so good at introducing him on Sunday, so I thought I would recap and give you some salient Dr. Hahne facts.  Dr. Hahne is a professor of New Testament Studies here at the Arizona campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.  Dr. Hahne is not only a scholar, author, computer genius, surfer and teacher, but we are so fortunate to call he and his blond-haired, non-hockey loving wife, Elizabeth, members of Church on Mill.  I am particularly humbled to call Harry a friend and am always so challenged by his preaching, his teaching and his loving and living example of Jesus to me.  Thank you, Harry!

Since Harry’s message hit me right where I live and was all about what God has me doing right now in the body of Christ, here’s a bit about what God taught me and reminded me yesterday about worship.  I hope he taught you a few things too.

1.  We worship God for two reasons: for who he is and for what he has done for us at the cross. You may argue that this is too simple, and that worship is about more.  But friends, any part of our worship that focuses on ME/US  is not worship at all.  We don’t fall to our faces in awe of a sovereign, loving God to help ourselves out or to feel better about our lives, but we worship the God of the universe who loved us so much he sent Jesus to die for us.   We need to disavow ourselves of any notion of worship as self-help or an emotion building pep rally.  Worship is what God made us to be and to do, both now, and if we are followers Christ, for an eternity.

2.  Praise is only valuable to the extent that it is accurate. Since attending a worship conference a couple of years ago, and more recently in reading some challenging books about worship, learning from Pastor Chuck and scouring God’s word for guidance in our worship gatherings,  we have been more intentional about listening to God speak to us through His word when we meet together.  This happens in different ways.  We sing songs that do not depart from the words of the scriptures.  We read scripture together during our worship time.

Our communication with God needn’t be one way, we need to hear from God during our worship.  We hear him when we read the word together.  We hear him when our pastors and our teachers open up the Word and allow God to talk to us through the text.  I heard it said this way recently, “When the Word is absent in our worship: our response is manufactured. The result is only pleasing to self.”  True worship focuses on God’s truth.

3.  God is not our buddy, he’s God. Man, do I forget this sometimes, especially on Sunday as we get together as friends to worship and fellowship.  Our relationship with one another is face to face and heart to heart.  God gave us one another and calls us to love each other unconditionally.  But sometimes we forget that God’s relationship with each of us and to his Church is vertical.  He’s God, not someone we grab a coffee with on the way to work.

On that front, there are many cool, uplifting songs that are all about how we relate to God, about his love for us and about how much we need him.  These songs use words to make God real, accessible, and familiar to us.  I like many of them.  But the truth of who God is and what he did for us at the cross is not obvious in these songs.  Some of these songs, while musically compelling and lyrically thoughtful, are not helpful for the true worship Dr. Hahne reminded us of yesterday.  These songs miss the mark in helping the worshiper understand the true character of God.  They  neglect to praise God for his great rescue mission at the cross.  These songs can often isolate one aspect of God’s character to the neglect of so many others.  In fact, to those who don’t follow Christ, these songs may confuse and cloud the Bible’s stories and statements of God’s true character and redemptive work at Calvary.

Don’t misunderstand, they aren’t bad songs, it’s just that all of these songs don’t all have a place in our corporate worship gatherings.  As Dr. Hahne reminded us, when Jesus calls us friends he doesn’t mean buddies.  He means that we no longer are God’s enemies.  Jesus took God’s wrath for our sin and selfishness when he went to the cross.  My sin cost God everything, even his own Son. It is out of that humble awe and thanksgiving that we praise him and honor his name.  That’s why I’m glad Harry reminded us of our position in Christ and that God didn’t create me to be his best pal, but to worship God as the creator and author of all things and for what he has done.

Thanks again, Harry.  If you missed the message from God’s word yesterday, or any of Pastor Chuck’s sermons from any other Sunday, you can always find them archived here at www.churchonmill.com/sermons.

Roger Wood

Thanks to all of you that made worship possible for our Good Friday and Easter Celebration worship times.  I appreciate working with such talented, and more importantly, faithful people.  I’m not only thankful to those who help lead and play, but for each of you that worship God each Sunday. 

Today, I read a short article by a pastor in Nashville.  I wanted to share it with you and ask that you read it in preparation of our worship time tomorrow.  The article is a simple, but powerful reminder of why worship is not about utility.  Maybe you are fond of useful things, but God created us to enjoy him.  Our love for God should be about our enjoyment of him above anything and everything else in our lives.  The Psalmist reminds us “but for me, it is good to be near to God.” (Psalm 73).  I hope you can take time to read this short article and ask God to prepare you heart to enjoy being near him tomorrow.

As we gather together tomorrow, we will sing hymns, songs and scriptural songs and my prayer is that you enjoy Him as we worship.  Here’s the worship set:

We Shall Not Be Shaken (Remdman) - This is a new song and one I hope we get to know well.  It is a reminder and encouragement in praise of God’s faithfulness.  His church is built on Jesus, the Cornerstone, and on this foundation, the things of the world cannot move Him!

Holiness (Take My Life) (Underwood) – Take our lives and transform us, O God!  Be Holy as God is holy.

Spring of Life (Stanfield) – Bright and early on Monday morning this week, I was reminded that is was Monday (again).  But then God reminded me that Jesus and the power of His salvation aren’t just important Easter time messages – Jesus himself said he is the well of living water that never runs dry.  As we drink of his living water, we will never thirst again!  The resurrection celebration isn’t a once a year celebration, but a party every day (even Mondays).  This song helped me this week as I prepared for our worship time, Jesus is the never ending source.

How Firm a Foundation (Rippon) - More on this hymn tomorrow.  A great hymn of God’s immutability and faithfulness.

The Saving One (Neufield, Neufield and Fields) - We are still learning this hymn of salvation.  Jesus, is the one who saves!

Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord (Baloche) – A great scripture song from Ephesians 1.  It reminds of the hope we have in following the risen Christ who reigns on high, seated at the Father’s right hand!

See you tomorrow as we enjoy God together!

Roger Wood

I was so thrilled to share Good Friday time with so many from Church on Mill.  If you were there, you are already getting excited and expecting the celebration on Sunday.  If you weren’t there last night, you were missed and I hope you can join us on Sunday.

Here’s the song list for our Resurrection Celebration tomorrow.

Resurrection Day (Maher) – It’s the power of the cross breaks away death’s embrace.  And we celebrate our freedom dancing on an empty grave.  Roll away the stone. Roll away the stone!

All Because (Fee) - This song says it best: It’s all because of Jesus, I’m alive!

Sunday! (Ellis) – The hope and power of the resurrection is for today.  Friday was dark, uncertain and for our Lord was painful and lonely indeed.  It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.  Yeah it’s Friday, but Sunday comes!

In Christ Alone (Getty/Townend) – This is one of our favorites and no song we sing together best explains our theology about what Christ did for us from his birth, to death, to new life to our eternal home with him.  I would pick out a key lyric or phrase to share, but ever word is a precious morsel of truth and praise.

Agnus Dei (Smith) – Sometimes, our words cannot express our hope and our joy.  Sometimes, we just sing have to sing Hallelujah!  Hallelujah, our God reigns.

The Wonderful Cross (Watts, Mason, Reeves, et. al.).  – Watts’ great hymn of praise takes us to the cross, the focal point of the gospel and the defining moment of all history.  There is nothing more precious. Nothing is nothing more powerful.  There is nothing more life-changing. It demands my soul, my life, my all!

The Saving One (Neufield, Neufield & Fields) – A new song, but I hope one we can get to know and love.  Its lyrics are rich and its melody sweet.  The name of the song itself is the name of Jesus, the one who saves or the Lord is salvation.

How Great is Our God (Reeves, Cash, Tomlin) – This song is one that Church on Mill loves to sing.  We’ll end our worship time tomorrow in great honor of our great God!  He conquered sin and death.  He lives and reigns.   Come sing and celebrate with us!

Roger Wood

Please join us at Church on Mill this Friday as we share a meal, take communion and worship together in God’s word and in song.  I was humbled and blessed to work with our “unplugged” worship band last night in preparation for Friday.  With great harmony and even greater sensitivity to God’s spirit, we worked on these songs of praise.  Friday’s time will help us better prepare for our Resurrection Celebration on Sunday morning!

The Saving One (Neufield, Neufield & Fields) – A new song, but soon to be a great one.  Its lyrics put us squarely at the foot of the cross in humble awe.  Here’s a peek at the lyric: “His pardon for my sin, his bounty for my need, from slavery and shame, I am redeemed.”

Meet with Me (Heibert) - When we meet with God in worship, we always need to remember that without Jesus death and the shedding of blood, we would not have access or relationship with God.

Down at the Cross (Elkins, Hoffman, Noblitt, Stockton) - A great hymn of praise and glory to the name of  Jesus for his work at Calvary for me.

Beautiful Scandalous Night (Daugherty & Hindalong) – This is perhaps one of my favorite songs (by one of my favorite bands and songwriting duos) about Christ’s death and the full atonement of his blood.    Paul’s letter to the Romans helps us understand this most wonderfully tragic event of human history.

God put [Christ] forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:25-26

Amen, Amen (Robins & Robins) - This song comes from Sojourn Music and was on their Advent album a few years back.  But with a change of the third verse lyric, it is a great song of worship about Christ’ final word, his final act of sacrifice for all of us. Amen, Amen!

Nothing but the Blood (Redman) - We thank you for the blood!  We praise you for the blood!

I hope you can join us Friday night!
Roger Wood