Worship Arts Month 2016! August 28: Instruments of Praise!

What better way to wrap up Worship Arts Month than with all of our SSBC musicians in a worship concert!

Psalm 150 says 

1 Shout praises to the Lord!  Praise God in his temple. Praise him in heaven, his mighty fortress.

2 Praise our God!  His deeds are wonderful, too marvelous to describe.

3 Praise God with trumpets and all kinds of harps.

4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing, with stringed instruments and woodwinds.

5 Praise God with cymbals, with clashing cymbals.

6 Let every living creature praise the Lord.  Shout praises to the Lord!

I think we accomplished David's command here!

We have so many accomplished musicians and vocalists, it was appropriate to feature them in an entire worship service of music!  Watch the video below and enjoy "Instruments of Praise!"

Worship Arts Month 2016! August 21: "Hymn Sing"

For this third Sunday of Worship Arts Month, we featured a "Hymn Sing", in which 15 of our favorite hymns were chosen and sung in an entire program of these classics.

There is much value in these treasures.  These songs would not have survived all these years unless they held theological and doctrinal truths that are as vital to our faith today as they were when first penned!

My "guidelines" on using hymns in corporate worship is the same as it is for any music we include:

Is the music doctrinally sound?  
Do we know what the lyrics mean?  
Is it relevant to the Church today? 
Does it honor God?

With those questions answered, I welcome any musical style!  Because worship is not about style, genre, tempo, or instrumentation.  That's the part of music in worship that is most difficult for us to overcome.  And yet, it is in understanding this concept that we must move forward!

Hymns are a vital part of or forward moving as a church.  And these hymns we love so much are as much a part of that as anything we do in our corporate worship!

Consider the relevance of these lyrics from one of our chosen hymns:

I serve a risen Savior

He's in the world today

I know that He is living

Whatever men may say

I see His hand of mercy

I hear His voice of cheer

And just the time I need Him

He's always near

He lives He lives

Christ Jesus lives today

He walks with me and talks with me

Along life's narrow way

He lives He lives

Salvation to impart

You ask me how I know He lives

He lives within my heart

In these lyrics is the basic tenet of our faith!  Our Savior lives!  And this is one reason why our music in worship is so important.  It helps us express our faith in ways we often cannot on our own.

As long as I have breath, these "Hymns of the Faith" will always be a part of our worship.

Worship Arts Month 2016! August 14: Drama

The second week feature of our Worship Arts Month is the element of Drama. The use of drama in worship can be traced back to Ezekiel (4 and 5).  Drama, both serious and humorous, can be great tools to enhance the worship experience, punctuate a theme, or complement a message.

In today's feature, Adam Sprouse, as "God," and Zoey Trammel as "Laura" brought home a point about fully trusting God in a skit called "Trust Fall."

It's one thing to say we have faith that God will lead us; that God will provide.  It's another to actually let go and fall on him with complete trust.

Worship Arts Month 2016! August 7

What a wonderful kickoff to Worship Arts Month 2016 we had with special guest artist Tammy Renee Harris in concert Sunday morning August 7!

Tammy brought her energy, laughter, heart, and beautiful voice to Springfield Southern Baptist Church for a morning of worship, stories, scripture, and songs!

The video below is a sample of what we enjoyed during her visit.

Worship Arts Month continues with Drama, Hymn Sing, and SSBC Musicians Concert in the coming weeks of August!

Worship Choir Spring Season Finale

It's always a bittersweet moment for me when a choir season ends.  On one hand, the season always seems to be ending when the choir is reaching its peak!  On the other hand, the choir begins to get burned out from the deluge of rehearsals they've endured at the hands of their cruel choir director...(I'll just leave that...)

We work from January to May on an Easter musical and 7-8 anthems for presentation on selected Sunday mornings.  It's a lot of work for a volunteer choir.  And they do work hard!  But it pays off in excellent performances of our choral music.

I am human, and therefore vulnerable to pride.  But the pride I feel is in the results this choir is able to produce. I'm proud of the work they put in; I'm proud of the hours they put in rehearsing the music. And I'm proud of the level of commitment they have to present the message of the music.

It's been a great season!  I can't wait for the Fall Season to see what God is going to do with this talented group!

Here is our finale for the Spring Season. Enjoy "I'm Standing On the Solid Rock"!

Surely the Presence of the Lord Is in this Place...

As we wind down the spring choir season, it seems the harmony becomes sweeter!

This fantastic arrangement by Camp Kirkland of a Lanny Wolfe classic is one of those that is "right in the choir's wheelhouse!"  It's another example of how a small group can sound bigger than it is!

With awesome accompaniment by Doug Phillips and the musicians, the arrangement itself sells the message of the song.

Enjoy the Springfield Southern Baptist Church Worship Choir rendition of "Surely the Presence of the Lord Is in this Place".

"God Leads His Dear Children Along..."

Sometimes a beautiful choral arrangement comes along that just hits you.  If it were gymnastics, you would say it "stuck the landing."  Baseball, it's a home run.  You get the point.

Such is this arrangement of the old hymn by George A. Young, "God Leads Us Along", arranged by Jay Rouse from his "Piano Series."

The choir does such a wonderful job with this. It's one of those where you are just sure there are more than 13 of them!

The words of this song are amazing, particularly the refrain section:

"Some through the waters,
Some through the flood;
Some through the fire,
But all through the blood.

Some through great sorrow,
But God gives a song;
In the night season
And all the day long."

Listen to the choir present this great piece and enjoy the range of emotions the text and the arrangement provide.