music

Thank You Notes

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.       Ephesians 5:19-20 KJV

“Have you written a thank you note yet?” Mom inevitably asked every year right after Christmas. Talk about writer’s block: After I had penned a heartfelt “Thank you for the cap gun.” to my grandparents, I was completely out of ideas. But as word painfully followed word in those brief literary tomes, I slowly learned to be grateful for people who had loved me enough to send me a gift.

In Ephesians the Apostle Paul sounds a little like my mom. He wants to make sure that the Ephesian believers learn how to be thankful, to God and to express their gratitude by praise.“Great!” You might respond; “But I already do that in church.” Well, yes corporate worship is important; however thank you notes need to be written individually. If personal worship seems intimidating, Paul gives us three clues on how to begin. Just as my childhood thank you notes began with the basics, so praise can start with simply speaking to God with the familiar words of Psalms and hymns. That speaking can be like setting a tea pot on to boil. Little by little the temperature rises and bubbles begin to form. Those bubbles become songs that form in our hearts and begin to flow out in melodies towards God. But if you leave that tea pot on long enough you will begin hear a loud whistle. That is when our melodies  turn to joyful thanksgiving to God for all He has done and given us in Christ. That it is the very best thank you note of all!

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Are We Losing Connection?

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Are We Losing Connection?

One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 KJV

David talks about singing praise as something older believers must do in order to let the younger generation know what God has done for them. Of course young people in our churches usually know five or six of the hymns and maybe even a few Christmas carols but they think of that as the music belonging to the old folks. Hymns which connected parents to children for hundreds of years today are on the verge of vanishing away. The entire concept that older have anything of value is being forgotten. So before the baton of faith meant to be passed from one generation to the next is dropped; let’s spend a few days focusing on how to ensure that we pass it on.

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This past Sunday at our church the worship team deviated from its usual contemporary selection to close out the service with two entire verses and the chorus of “How Great Thou Art.” It was so wonderfully refreshing to hear older voices not just joining in but doing so with gusto! We were singing loudly not only because we liked that song but for once we felt as if someone remembered that we were there! It’s not that I think we ought to forget about the new worship songs; but in those few moments we began to make a closer connection. As young tenors blended with older slightly faded baritones; the hymn made us realize that together we are God’s family. As some of our voices weaken from having sung the songs of faith for decades; may others take up their melody. Together we tell the world the unchanging message of God’s love and faithfulness to every generation.

This Is My Father’s World

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

I often to sing this hymn when I am on my morning walks. I love especially the lines, “In the rustling grass I hear Him pass; He speaks to me everywhere.”  They remind me that when God seems silent in my life it is not from His lack of speaking, rather from my lack of hearing. I pray this acoustic arrangement will be a blessing to you as you listen.