Noteworthy Blog

As I think about the New Year, I take my overflowing joy and consider all that’s wrong with the world. Yes, there’s a hint of facetiousness in that statement. It’s a natural thing for me, being the glass-half-empty sort. This morning, as I woke, the thought, “Could this be THE year?” came to mind. Could 2024 be THE year? You know, THE year! Not just any year, but THE year. What if Jesus returns someday in 2024? I guarantee you, one side of the “isle” would charge that the election was “stolen”… Certainly, we all long for that glorious day. But if THIS is THE year, what does that do to our resolutions? If 2024 is THE year, how does that change our approach to what’s going on in our country and around the world? If we look through the lens of “He is coming”, how does that change what we see? In the first line of the first verse of “Is He Worthy”, Singer/Songwriter/Author Andrew Peterson hits us with a rhetorical question. “Do you feel the world is broken?” The answer is simple, “We do.”

The story behind “O Holy Night”, written by Placide Cappeau and Adolph Adams, is disputed. But we know that it originated in France sometime in the 1840s as a poem that was later set to music. Regardless of its origin, whether or not it was an atheist author and a Jewish composer, and if it was the first song ever broadcast via Canadian radio, it remains one of the most popular Christmas hymns ever written. This version, created by Sovereign Grace Music in 2014 and later edited to include the original third verse of the hymn, is a beautiful adaptation of the original. Most of my worship set list planning centers around the journey from revelation to response. I’ve heard it described as “See, savor, sing”. See the gospel through the lyrical paintings. Savor the gospel in our hearts, with the truth of scripture in our minds and upon our tongues. Sing the gospel to the nations, responding with loud voices in auditory praise. When we look at the hymns that have staying power, the ones that