Jesus At Your Name

Yes, Lent has started. When I sat and watched you all coming down to the front to get ashes, my heart was filled with indescribable warmth and excitement. I can’t describe it well enough, but I could feel deep joy and expectation from the Lord. Even though Lent is the most solemn and reflective time, I am very excited for the journey that takes us deeper to taste and see how the Lord is good.

This year’s Lenten series is on the Lord’s Prayer. I have prayed and chosen music to be prayerful along with the series. You will hear, “The Lord’s Prayer” in various forms and languages during Lent in our worship services.  For this first Sunday of Lent, our men’s quartet group, “Call to Harmony” will lift up “The Lord’s Prayer” as an offertory at the 11:00 AM service, and the Sanctuary Choir will lift up, “Jesus, at Your Name” as an anthem at 11:00 AM. Through Jesus’ name we restore our relationship with Abba, our Heavenly Father, and the anthem proclaims the promise given by Jesus.

At the 8:00 AM service, I will share a song as an offertory based on Micah 6:6-8:  “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

In addition, before I share the lyrics for this week’s  anthem, I would like to remind you all that the Lenten Cantata Choir’s Sunday rehearsal starts this Sunday right after the 11:00 AM service in the music room on the second floor. If you haven’t been able to join our Wednesday night rehearsal, this is a great chance to join. Please come without hesitation!

Here are the lyrics to this week’s anthem. I pray that we all experience of power of Jesus’ name, especially this Lent.

Jesus, at Your Name

1.       Over all the heaven’s bliss Jesus chose birth like this, laid aside a royal crown, the Son of mercy traveled down. No feather bed on which to lie, instead this Christ born to die.

Refrain: Jesus at Your name every knee will bow, Jesus at Your name every tongue confess, Jesus at Your name every voice proclaim that You are Lord of all! O Jesus, at Your name.

2.       Pilate set Barabbas free, but You, they hung for all to see. A cross, a spear, a thorny crown became Your emblems of renown. Faithful to Your final breath, obedient even unto death.

Let this mind be now in you that though Christ owned the earth, He laid aside His very life to embrace this humble birth!

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!

Praise the Lord

This Sunday is the last Sunday before Lent starts.  Long ago, churches limited using “Alleluia” or “Gloria” during the Lenten  season to be more solemn. I respect this idea, so you may not be able to hear or sing joyful songs during Lent in our worship services. However, there are many other beautiful hymns and songs to praise God during our special time of Lent.

Our Sonrise Singers will sing, “Jesus, Name Above All Names” as an offertory at the 8:00 AM service. The Sonrsie singers meet every other Sunday at 2:00 PM in the music room for rehearsals and need new members,  particularly  tenors and basses. They sing every other Sunday at the 8:00 AM service. Please join us if you are interested in singing with us.

The Sanctuary Choir will lift up, “Praise the Lord” by Handel. It proclaims that God is the only name that worthy of praise. You will hear Baroque articulations in Handel’s style.

As the offertory at the 11:00 AM service, our student singers will share a beautiful song, “You Raise Me up.” The student singers meet every Sunday at 4:00 PM, and we do learn how to sing and breathe properly and rehearse beautiful songs for an hour. All young people from 6^th grade through 12^th grade are welcome to join us

This year Lent starts on February 22 (Ash Wednesday),and there will be an Ash Wednesday service at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary. We will lift up our hearts prayerfully with songs from Taizé, and the Sanctuary Choir will sing, “Lenten Meditation” as an anthem on Wednesday night. I pray that our Lent is filled with sincere prayers and the reflection of God’s grace.  Let us come together on our knees.

I would like to share two lyrics today—the lyrics to this week anthem at 11:00, and the lyrics to, “Lenten Meditation” on Ash Wednesday. These two songs lead us into totally different areas of worship, but I pray that the Lord will be glorified and that His love is revealed to us within our worship.

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord. Let songs of joy break forth.

Sing alleluia. Praise His name forevermore.

Shout, sing and dance. Come dance and celebrate.

Rejoice; let all within us praise His name. 

Lenten Meditation

1.       Jesus Christ, my Savior lived for me and died.

Source of my salvation, yet was crucified. 

Peace that knows no measure: This by faith I see.

Love that knows no ending: Jesus died for me.

2.       Hear me now, Lord Jesus: I will never stray.

I will never wander. Hear me, as I pray.

Free me now from darkness. Cleanse me now from sin.

Pardon my transgressions. Make me pure within. 

Refrain: Lord, we renew our commitment these forty nights and days.

And Lord, by your grace help us change our sinful ways. Amen.

The Wonder of Grace

This Sunday is our communion Sunday. I used to not like communion services when I was a child. At my home church in Seoul, Korea, we always had a baptism as part of the communion service. And there (I am not sure they still do it this way), the baptism is only given after one’s 16^th birthday. So, I could not participate in the communion until I was old enough to be baptized. However, here at Floris, communion Sunday soon became my favorite Sunday. Whenever we have communion, two images now come to my mind. The first is the scene in which Jesus served his disciples in the upper room. The second is the image of all of us seated together at the biggest table having a huge banquet in God’s house as one gigantic family in Christ. How amazing and how privileged we are to be one family in Christ, sharing Jesus. Jesus truly welcomes everyone to be a part of His family and He lets us have this awesome experience by sharing Him. I sometimes get overwhelmed by His amazing grace and mercy upon us during communion. 

This Sunday at the 11:00 AM service, the Sanctuary choir will lift up a communion anthem, “The Wonder of Grace.” The song invites everyone to the communion. The choir, along with flute and piano accompaniment become one celebratory song to our Lord, to be shared with all. The Sonrise singers will share, “On Holy Ground” at the 8:00 AM service. I pray that we all have an experience of tasting the wonder of His grace through this communion Sunday. Here are the lyrics to, “The Wonder of Grace.” May the Lord bind us together as His family!

Come to the table. Come to the Savior, all who hunger and thirst for new life.

Come to the banquet, all who are burdened . Come, rejoice in the bread and wine.

Refrain: Everyone come! God’s feast has begun. This is the time, the place, a season of praise.

The table is spread. The meal is prepared. Come taste the wonder of grace.

Come to the table, for all are welcome, all those who are weary and worn.

Come gather closer, all who are lonely. Come, rejoice in the love of the Lord!

Come and remember the lift He gave. Come to His wounded side.

Run to the Savior’s fond embrace. His arms are open wide!

Come taste the wonder of grace. Come know the wonder of grace.