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This weekend was truly a Celebrationof Hope! We worshiped God through hymns, contemporary rock songs, gospel songs, and prayer. During the message we were joined by Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist and best-selling author of Half the Sky. We engaged with God and we were educated towards solutions. Visit Half The Sky Movement to learn more.
Often times, if we’re not careful, we can begin to make our plans and then the last step of the process is inviting God into them through prayer. As our church was preparing and praying for this weekend I was tempted to think that God must be smiling down on us as he heard some of our prayers. We were praying prayers that were so in tune with the character of God that as we join the fight against poverty and injustice God must be “on our side” as we fight against some of the evil in this world. But there’s something wrong with that perspective and it never hit me as hard as this weekend. It’s not that God is “on our side”; if we join the fight against poverty and injustice than we are finally “ON GOD’S SIDE”. God’s heart and his character is to “set the captives free” (read Luke 4:14-20). God is at work all around us and God is inviting us to join God’s mission.
When you stop and look around, where do you see God at work? How can you join what God is already doing around you?
Celebration of Hope is one of my favorite times of year at Willow. We get to spend these three weeks focusing on the reality of the most poor and oppressed people on earth – and then offer God our hands and feet and resources to help. It’s profoundly challenging and moving. You can learn more or get involved HERE.
And so to begin week two, Becky lead us into two songs – “Love Justice” (Matt Lundgren) and “Hosanna” (Hillsong United) – that helped us focus on God and God’s heart for the world. The string quartet brought an extra layer of beauty and power, as they always do. After we sat, Sharon sang “The Resistance” (Aaron Niequist) and helped us connect with the deep ache inside every one of us…
The Resistance
aaron niequist
all creation waits
bated breath in pain
for redemption’s day
all creation cries
floods and charcoal skies
things are not alright
with brokenness and broken fists we
beat upon the breast of falleness.
we hear the call of kingdom come as
one more train we chase to only miss.
but we will never give up on it.
we’re part of the resistance – we’re running in the revolution we’re part of the insistance – that we are more than institution we’re part of the tradition – of spirit- fueled evolution we’re part of the resistance – we’re running in the revolution, revolution
all creation groans
in one voice alone
for us to be shown
all creation cries
floods and charcoal skies
things are not alright
we’re living in a world built on the walls
between the haves and never wills.
but we’re following a King who’s ears are
bent to those forgotten and unfilled.
but He will never give up on it
You can listen to or learn more about the song HERE.
After hearing a beautiful story of someone who is actually living this out – Maria Lopez – Becky asked the piercing question: “So what is it for you? What burns in your heart and makes you say ‘That is NOT alright!’ and I’m going to join God in doing something about it”. She gave us some holy space to pray and listen, and then invited us to stand and respond by singing out two songs:
-the bridge of Hosanna (“Break my heart for what breaks yours…”)
-Turn Me Around
We get to join God in what God is doing to redeem the planet. Only by grace. What beautifully good news!
Our God Reigns (From the Witness Long Ago) Glory to God Forever
Message
How Great is our God Here I Am to Worship The Heart of Worship We Confess With Everything Awesome God I Call You Faithful
Darren Whitehead brought an incredibly moving message on worship, specifically worship through congregational singing. Matt and I chose to craft a worship set that would help support Darren’s message. Much of the music was placed at the end of the service, so we could respond in one voice to what was just taught.
In the midst of the worship set we led through a time of confession with an original song called We Confess. We believe that worship includes prayer and confession, and this moved us to create space for personal conversation with God. It was our hope to pull from a diverse array of worship music that would help us as a church to deeply engage with God.
This weekend we kicked off the Celebration of Hope series in a powerful way. Our approach was simple – how can we give ourselves away? Stephen Kelly shared a simple song with our team called Give Myself Away. Here are the lyrics from that simple chorus:
“I give myself away, I give myself away so You can use me…”
What gave that song power in my mind this weekend, was the words of Pastor Goto from Zimbabwe. Pastor Goto was a recipient of some of the seeds from last year’s Celebration of Hope seedpacking. Pastor Goto had been earnestly praying for help…and it came in the form of small seeds and has grown into something that has gone far beyond his own family.
Those who engaged in the Celebration of Hope seedpacking last year gave something away. Pastor Goto has received it and he has in turn given it away to others in his community who are in desperate need.
What would it be like if everyday we began by asking this question: God, how can I give myself away today? As you read this, why don’t you ask God that question right now. Maybe there is something that God has given you (time, resources, a certain gift or ability) that God wants you to give away so he can use you. What might that be today?
This weekend, we immersed ourselves in the scriptures of the 5th Sunday of Lent. Christian brothers and sisters all over the planet we’re reading, praying, and singing these passage from the bible, and we wanted to join them. So after Becky lead us in a stirring version of “Revelation Song”, we launched into these great passages…
First, Becky sang a haunting, cantor-style version of Jeremiah 31:31-34…
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
We responded by singing the refrain of the old Keith Green song “Create in Me a Clean Heart” and reading from the scriptures that inspired it…
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
(Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15.)
In this spirit, Becky lead us into the song “Give us Clean Hands”, which we sang from our toes, and then we turned to reflect on the words of Hebrews…
In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
(Heb 5:7-9)
In this space, I invited us to follow Jesus’s example and offer God our “prayer and supplication”. We spent a minute or two in silent prayer.
After we said “Amen”, the band began to build and we read…
Then Jesus said to them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves their life loses it,
and whoever hates their life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
(Jn 12)
We then stood to our feet and sang the chorus of “The Wonderful Cross” and ended with a bellowing version of “I Surrender All”.
There is definitely something about joining in with millions of brothers and sisters around the world to read from the same scripture and pray the same kinds of prayers. Even if the style sounds different, there is power in the solidarity. The Christian family is a wide, diverse, global family…and we’re all a part of it!
Although you wouldn’t necessarily know it if you walked into an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day, believe it or not St. Patrick’s Day is one of the high holy days on the church calendar. St. Patrick was one of the first missionaries who brought the Gospel to Ireland in the 4th Century. It’s been said that the way St. Patrick taught about the trinity was by picking up a 3 leafed shamrock and explaining that as a shamrock has three distinct leaves but is still one single plant, God has three distinct parts: Father, Son and Holy Spirit yet is still one God.
In our service, we had the Trinity Irish Dancers join us again, and we had a long-time favorite of Willow Creek lead worship: Gospel Music Award winning artist Robin Mark lead worship. During worship, he sang an original song of his called Fly. Robin told the story of a friend who had once walked with God but then turned his back on God and walked away from his faith. Robin shared that no matter how far you think you are walking away from God, God is always right behind you. Here are some of the lyrics from Fly:
If I were to sail the oceans wide
And hide myself in darkest depths
Even there Your love would be my light
Your mighty hands, my life protect
Surely You are good to Israel,
To every heart, that on your mercy stands
As for me, my steps had almost failed
But none can take me from Your hands
Has there ever been a time when you turned your back on God only to realize God was right behind you all the time?
Is there someone in your life that has turned their back on God? How can you remind them this week that God loves them and is lovingly walking right behind them?
Hosanna All the Poor and Powerless With Everything Glory to God Forever
Last weekend we experienced the joy of receiving communion together as one body. Surrounding communion, I introduced a Hillsong worship song called “With Everything“. I love this song because it encourages us to worship God with everything we are and everything we have. In Mark 12:30 (TNIV), Jesus says “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…”. Essentially, with everything!
In my own life, these lyrics have helped give language to my prayer time with God.
In the song “Hosanna”, Brooke Fraser writes “Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause”. Then in “With Everything”, Joel Houston writes “Open our eyes to see the things that make Your heart cry. To be the church that You would desire. Your light to be seen.”
Is there a life verse that is influencing you in this season?
Are there lyrics to a song that you find yourself praying over and over?
O For a Thousand Tongues Matchless It is Well With My Soul
space to pray I Want Jesus to Walk With Me
This weekend, we were thrilled to have the Willow choir leading worship. They bring such passion and energy and power to whatever they do, and this worship experience took on new life because of their voices – and hearts!
After singing the hymn O For a Thousand Tongues and great worship song Matchless, I shared a short story about a moment where It is Well With My Soul moved from being an old hymn that my grandma liked to an anchor song in my life. When the old dusty lyrics became technicolor and came to life. Following a short prayer, the choir sang a stunning arrangement of this hymn. The lyrics that I can never get past are…
My sin O the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord praise the Lord O my soul
When the choir finished, we spent 2-3 minutes in quiet – praying and reflecting on the question “What is the state of my soul today?” and asking God to carry it with us. I love these holy moments and believe SO deeply in what God can do with a tiny bit of silence.
As the prayer time ended, we stood and sing the old spiritual I Want Jesus to Walk With Me. You may have seen this before, but here is a video from one of our early rehearsals of this song. The choir gives me the chills!
This weekend, we dived into our Finance Series and watched a video that told the story of some medieval knights who were baptized before going sent into battle. This piece was inspired by historical accounts and has been a strong visual image I find myself coming back to again and again, long after this weekend ended.
Legend has it that during the 11th and 12th centuries all knights were required by law to become baptized before leaving for war. Knights became nervous that they would no longer be able to engage in battle after committing their lives to the teachings of Jesus on ‘turning the other cheek and seeking peace’. They decided to try and honor both commitments, to their faith and their war. The baptism became the physical representation of this split allegiance. Soon it became common practice to see baptisms occur with knights entire bodies submerged, except for a very intentional arm holding their sword, held high above the water.
A lot of us encounter a similar struggle when we commit ourselves to God. We aren’t holding a sword, but if we’re honest there is a small part of us that believes it’s possible to hold on to one last thing, one thing that makes us feel like we still have some control over our own life. We figure most of our life is good enough; some of our devotion is better than nothing.
But that’s not true. God wants it all. God loves us and desires us and God knows that when we haven’t surrendered the things we hold onto, we aren’t trusting God and those things have the power to end up hurting us.
Think about one thing in your life that you’ve been unwilling to surrender to God. Take a risk. For some of us we know exactly what we’re holding onto and for others, we need to do some searching.
This weekend, we spent 25 minutes singing, praying, and worshiping through this beautiful prayer…
We have come together as the family of God in our Father’s presence to offer Him praise and thanksgiving, to hear His holy word, to bring before Him the needs of the world, to ask His forgiveness of our sins, and to seek His grace, that through His Son Jesus Christ we may give ourselves to His service. Amen.
After singing Glory to God Forever together, we began working through the prayer, line by line…
We have come together as the family
of God in our Father’s presence to offer Him praise and thanksgiving,
And in the spirit of offering God praise and thanksgiving, we first reflected on one thing/person/etc that we were most thankful for. While the band played quietly, we each told God “thank You” in our own words. This time of thankfulness moved into the great hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.
We have come together as the family
of God in our Father’s presence
to offer Him praise and thanksgiving, to hear His holy word,
We heard a reading from Matthew 6:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
…and then sang The Doxology.
We have come together as the family
of God in our Father’s presence
to offer Him praise and thanksgiving,
to hear His holy word, to bring before Him the needs
of the world,
At this point, Paul JVR leads us in a prayer for the world. It was beautiful and rich and probably my favorite part of the whole service. We prayed that God would bring rain to the parts of the world that are in drought, we prayed that peace would come to war-torn regions, and we offered our hands and feet to make it so. Very powerful.
We have come together as the family
of God in our Father’s presence
to offer Him praise and thanksgiving,
to hear His holy word,
to bring before Him the needs
of the world, to ask His forgiveness of our sins, and to seek His grace,
At this point, we moved into a time of confession, speaking this corporate confession together…
Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
And then we took a minute or so to confess whatever it was that we needed to confess. This holy space lead us into the great hymn of absolution: Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.
We have come together as the family
of God in our Father’s presence
to offer Him praise and thanksgiving,
to hear His holy word,
to bring before Him the needs
of the world,
to ask His forgiveness of our sins,
and to seek His grace, that through His Son Jesus Christ we may give ourselves to His service. Amen.
In the spirit of “giving ourselves to His service”, we reprised the bridge and chorus of “Glory to God Forever” and lifted our voices and hands to Heaven. Yes, God, we want to be a part of what You’re doing on planet earth! Here we are, send us!
So take my life and let it be
All for You and for Your glory
Take my life and let it be
Yours!
This weekend we celebrated the holy sacrament of communion, which is always a highlight. To gather around the bread and cup – remembering what Jesus did and reminding ourselves of what Jesus does – is at the center of what it means to be a Christian.
We began with a new song Here and Now, and the great hymns Praise to the Lord the Almighty and And Can it Be. And then Darren Whitehead guided us into communion by giving us a few minutes to “examine our hearts” and prepare ourselves. In this space, Becky and Sharon sang and spoke this moving hymn over us…
After receiving communion together, we stood and sang the second half of “And Can it Be”…
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, should die for me?
Here And Now Glory to God Forever Matt’s story Christ Be With Me Celtic Prayer Center Solid Rock
There was lots that I loved this past weekend: Wess Stafford’s message, the child dedication, the cello added a ton to our arrangements and I love the new song we taught. This past weekend we spent time during worship reorienting our lives with Jesus at the center. I think that’s a large part of why the church gathers every week. There are voices in the world all week long telling us certain things are important. In many ways, the church gathers to remind us of what is truly important.
During the worship set, we prayed a prayer together that is known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate. It’s a prayer that was meant to be prayed for protection on a journey. Together we prayed a short part of it:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Since there are so many “voices” in the world telling us other things are important, I wonder if this week you might try something every morning to center yourself. Begin each day this week by praying this prayer. Everyday is a journey; let us always journey with Christ at the center.
Last weekend, we honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,.
As we journeyed through what it means to forgive our enemies, show mercy, love justice, walk humbly & live as ‘agents of change’ in a broken world, my spirit was moved. Personally, this was one of the most stellar worship experiences I’ve been apart of & I’d love to share a few highlights…
We began with a classic (throw back!) song called “Victory Chant” – a worshipful, upward, & energetic praise anthem. One of my passions is experimenting with different styles in worship, I love re-working songs & trying new musical approaches. I believe that when we stretch our imaginations in worship, we allow the ultimate innovator to fill our lives with fresh insight & joy.
So, with this particular song, our creative team decided to go in a FULL on tribal esque, HIGHLY percussive direction. My friend Jumaane, a professional tap dancer, opened up the song with a 20 second a capella tap riff.
No music. Just his feet. ALL improvisation. It was bananas!
He laid down a percussive foundation that took us straight into worship…. It was as if he was dancing on our behalf. BUT, before the song & tap began… before the lights turned on, & the congregation erupted in celebration… Silence filled the room & the following words appeared on the screens:
“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed
my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.”
Psalm 30:11-12 (NIV)
For nearly 200 years, slaves were forced to worship in secret. Hidden from the control of their owner, they used the stomping of their feet, the clapping of their hands, and the lifting up of their voices to worship God from the depths of their being. “Like the drum was made to create a rhythm, our bodies were made to worship.” This entire moment felt reverent & it gave us such a rich context for what was to come. During the song, people sang, clapped, & lifted up their praise to God.
Sheer joy.
At one point, Jumaane & one of our percussionist (Dennis), traded rhythmic phrases. In other words, Jumaane would tap for 4 measures (or a few seconds) & then Dennis would play the conga for 4 measures, sort of mimicking what Jumaane had just tapped. Back & fourth. Back & fourth. Building off one another…. Again, so much energy & joy.
Later on in the service, we sang a song called “Love Justice” & after the first chorus, I read an excerpt out of Dr. Kings letter from Birmingham Jail. I would encourage you to read the entire letter here.
Towards the end of the song, the congregation joined in & sang the words, “justice, mercy, humbly with our God”. It sounded & felt glorious.
Last highlight but certainly not least, was having Dr. Perkins in the house, an American civil rights activist, founder and president of the John M. Perkins Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi.
A few of my colleagues had the honor of going down to Jackson to interview & shoot a video of Dr. Perkins. The video provided a powerful glimpse into the life of one trail blazing man of God; a heroic fighter for freedom & justice. Here’s what stuck out to me in the video:
At one point, Dr. Perkins describes the physical beatings & mental abuse he endured in his life time. Each time I listened to his words, my body tensed up & I felt anger, sadness. And then, each time he spoke of reconciliation & forgiveness, my eyes began to tear & my heart break. Think about the nature of what he chose to forgive. Just think about it. These words from Dr. Perkins, wrecked me every. single. time:
“It’s a profound mysterious truth: Jesus concept of love overpowering hate.
I know it’s true, because God made it true in me. He washed my hatred away & replaced it with a love food the white man in rural Mississippi.”
During the video, I sat on the edge of the stage, right above where Dr. Perkins was sitting. Occasionally he would look up, smile, & hold his hands to his heart – I could feel a wave of humility, courage & grace radiating from him.
FInally, I’d love to leave you with one of my favorite MLK quotes along with a quote from the Dr. Perkins video. As a black woman, I sometimes feel like society tries to pigeon hold my identity or negate my worth. But oh, how I thank God for education & weekends like this at Willow, where the truth is spoken. Never take for granted the opportunity to learn. Never take for granted the opportunity to be stretched in your thinking. In many places, all over the world, education is all the people have. By the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, may you continue to grow in wisdom & understanding about reconciliation… May you soak in truth & not lies.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“This is education: Asking a question about the condition you’re in & looking for a solution.”
- Dr. John Perkins
