We give praise to God, the Lord of life
Songs of preparation (we've included these first two songs in commemoration of Palm Sunday. Sing one or both of them if time permits, or feel free to move to the Scripture reading in Psalm 139)
Ride On! Ride On in Majesty! (YouTube)
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry;
Thy humble beast pursues his road
with palms and scattered garments strowed.
2 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die:
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
o'er captive death and conquered sin.
3 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
The angel armies of the sky
look down with sad and wond'ring eyes
to see th'approaching sacrifice.
4 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh;
the Father on his sapphire throne
expects his own anointed Son.
5 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,
then take, O God, Thy pow'r and reign.
Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You, we long for You
'Cause when we see You we find strength to face the day
In Your presence all our fears are washed away, washed away
You are the God who saves us
Worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, Hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus
In Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new
'Cause when we see You we find strength to face the day
In Your presence all our fears are washed away, washed away
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Songs:
(We've selected versions of these songs that emphasize congregational singing; you can also use our weekly Sunday Songs playlist on Spotify to access these songs. Also note that we have no control over the ads that pop up at the beginning of the YouTube videos.)
Crown Him with Many Crowns (Spotify; YouTube)
Crown him with many crowns
The Lamb upon his throne
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but his 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 Love
Behold his hands and side
Rich wounds yet visible above
In beauty glorified
No Angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight
But downward bends his wondering eye
At mystery so bright
Crown Him the Lord of Life
Who triumphed o'er the grave
Who rose victorious through 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 Heaven
Enthroned in worlds above
Crown Him the King to whom is given
The wondrous name of love
Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before him fall
Crown Him ye kings with many crowns
For He is King of all
God over all
Giver of life and health and breath
I want to sing of Your love
Came as a man
Humble, You died the sinner’s death
I want to sing of Your love
CHORUS
Your love has saved me
By Your grace I now draw near, and
Your love has set me
Free to glorify Your name
And I, I want to sing of Your love
VERSE 2
I’ll never forget
That You have bought me with Your blood
I want to sing of Your love
In all I do
May Your great love be shining through
I want to sing of Your love
VERSE 3
And on that day
When You come back to claim Your own
Yes, we will sing of Your love
Then we’ll bow down
Praise You forever at Your throne
Yes, we will sing of Your love
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 46:3-10
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.
“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
Those who lavish gold from the purse,
and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!
They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
or save him from his trouble.
“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
Spend a few minutes personally or with your family praying through these verses in Isaiah. You may want to use the ACTS acronym to guide you (if this feels too complicated....just pray as the Lord leads you!):
Adoration: give praise to God for what this passage reveals about God's character and nature.
Confession: confess how you have fallen short of living in light of the truths declared in this passage.
Thanksgiving: give God thanks for ways that He has particularly blessed you.
Supplication: ask God for His gracious provision and help along the lines of what this passage teaches.
Songs:
Before the Throne (Spotify; YouTube)
VERSE 1
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heav’n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
VERSE 2
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
VERSE 3
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I AM
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God
I Hear the Words of Love (Spotify; YouTube)
I hear the words of love,
I gaze upon the blood,
I see the mighty sacrifice,
And I have peace with God.
‘Tis everlasting peace!
Sure as Jehovah’s Name;
‘Tis stable as His steadfast throne,
Forevermore the same.
The clouds may come and go
And storms may sweep my sky;
This blood-sealed friendship changes not;
The cross is ever nigh.
My love is oft-times low,
My joy still ebbs and flows;
But peace with Him remains the same;
No change Jehovah knows.
I change, He changes not,
The Christ can never die;
His love, not mine, the resting place,
His truth, not mine, the tie.
Scripture Reading: John 8:48-59
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
VIDEO REFLECTION
Sunday Reflection: Jesus Is (John 8:48-59) from Joy Community Fellowship on Vimeo.
Parents, this reflection deals honestly and soberly with the reality of death, and the hope Jesus gives as we face death. If your kids are especially young and/or vulnerable, you may want to exercise discretion in how you prepare them to listen to God's Word.
Click here if video does not appear on this web page
Article referenced in video about the date of Jesus' resurrection.
Communion Song:
On this first Sunday of the month, we would have celebrated the Lord's Supper together. As we're unable to do that this morning, we are reminded that one purpose of the Supper is to fuel our longing for the final, eternal feast in Jesus' presence (cf. Matt. 26:29). Take a moment to pray that this time of abstinence from the Lord's Table together would cause us to hunger even more for that future meal. To assist with that prayer, you may want to listen or sing along to the following song:
We Will Feast in the House of Zion (Spotify; YouTube)
Chorus:
We will feast in the house of Zion
We will sing with our hearts restored
He has done great things, we will say together
We will feast and weep no more
We will not be burned by the fire
He is the LORD our God
We are not consumed, by the flood
Upheld, protected, gathered up (Chorus)
In the dark of night, before the dawn
My soul, be not afraid
For the promised morning, oh how long?
Oh God of Jacob, be my strength (Chorus)
Every vow we’ve broken and betrayed
You are the Faithful one
And from the garden to the grave
Bind us together, bring shalom. (Chorus)
Closing Song:
In Christ Alone (Spotify; YouTube)
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.