Music for April 11

I read an article this week about how faith traditions celebrate Easter for seven Sundays in a row! The reason it is seven is because that takes you to the next big Christian event Pentecost. (more about that later)

Baptists have joined most all other faiths in having our weekly worship times on Sundays. That's because the early believers gathered on the first day of the week to worship because that is the day Christ rose from the grave. We use Sunday as our Sabbath - our day of rest and worship. So in reality, we celebrate the resurrection every time we meet on a Sunday.

Even so, I always like to sing at least one "resurrection" sort of song the week after Easter. Usually - and is the case this year - I like to lead our congregation in singing "Crown Him with Many Crowns."

Try reading the words like a poem rather than singing them so you can absorb the richness of this wonderful text. Click on the video and you'll hear the Mississippi Baptist State Youth Orchestra play as you read.


Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns All music but it's own:
Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King Through all eternity.

Crown Him the Lord of life, Who triumphed o'er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save;
His glories now we sing, Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, And lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of love; Behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified:
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me:
They praise and glory shall not fail Throughout eternity.

Sunday we'll follow that great hymn with "Shout to the Lord."

The choir will sing "Thine Is the Kingdom."

Then we'll all sing together "Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone."

Because Jesus triumphed over the grave and through His amazing grace our chains of sin are gone when we choose to follow Him as Savior and Lord.

It will be a great day of worship. I hope you'll join us.

Memory the Monday After Easter

This week is an easy week. It will give you a chance to catch up on some of the harder verses if you need.

Luke 24:5b-6a NASB

"Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen."

What a wonderful weekend of celebrating we have had at Hilldale.
The Passion Play was a wonderful re-telling of the great story of Jesus' death and resurrection as seen through the eyes of the two men on the road to Emmaus.
And then Sunday morning's worship services were full of music of celebration as we rejoiced with Christians all over the world as we remembered that resurrection morn.

In the early church as Christians gathered to worship (and still in many faith traditions) the worship leader would begin the service saying "Christ is risen." and then the congregation would respond, "He is risen indeed!"

We may practice that a few weeks before Easter next year. I really like that. Have a wonderful week!

Christ is risen!





(did you say it?)

Easter Music!

I Corinthians 14:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. NASB

There are so many great songs for Resurrection Sunday - aka. Easter.

Here are the ones we'll be singing - with orchestra: brass, woodwinds, strings, and band: guitars, drums, bass...

Alleluia! Alleluia! (exciting, jazzed up version)
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today! (again, a great new arrangement)
He Lives!

and one of my new favorite resurrection songs

Alive, Forever, Amen!

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen!"

Colossians 1:18 NIV And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Revelation 1:4 NIV Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,