Worship Confessional – Sunday, August 2, 2009

This morning at OBC was one of those ones that just makes the thankful that I get to be a part of this. Seriously – great morning with a great bunch of people, both the people service on stage as well as the people who came to be a part of our service.

The first weekend in August is a long weekend in Canada – we have no real reason to celebrate a holiday, so we’ve just called this one a Civic Holiday. That’s pretty awesome in my books! Normally long weekends show a bit of a dip in attendance but our auditorium was JAMMED and the vibe in the room was great. Our pastor, Earl Marshall (blog|twitter) finished our series called “Jesus Neighbourhood” and reminded people that our focus is “repent, believe, follow” and that when this message of Jesus is presented to others there will be some who just don’t get it. But in light of knowing that some will not respond, the call on OUR lives is to continue to “repent, believe, follow” – to persevere in the calling God has given us. Great morning and a great wrap-up to the series.

Here’s what it looked like for us -

Glory In The Highest – Chris Tomlin – A
This Is How We Know – Matt Redman – Bb
Your Name – Paul Baloche – Bb
Announcements/Q&A
Message
I Exalt Thee – E
Be The Centre – Michael Frye – E

Some thoughts from this morning:

• 8:30 call time (which we have during the summer) is way easier than 7:30 call time (which we have the rest of the year). Going back to two services will not be nice for my Saturday night sleep schedule!
• There was incredible energy in the room this morning – it really felt like a community event happening inside our building.
• I’m not sure I remember seeing so many unfamiliar faces – the woman who collects our Connection Cards had quite a pile of them so we’ll see if they were just in town visiting or if they’re people who are exploring OBC.
• When I was in university I attended a great church which was very encouraging to me personally and in my faith journey. The pastor of that church was visiting with us this morning – that was a real privilege. Great to see him & his wife.
• If you raised an eyebrow at “I Exalt Thee” and thought it was an odd song to pull out, you’ll be seeing it show up at more and more churches soon. The folks at Jesus Culture did an updated version of the song on their last record and it’s inspired lots of people to bring it out. Worked really well for us this morning.

All in all, great morning. I love my church and that I get to be a part of the leadership here. So fortunate and know that God is alive and working among us, around us and through us.

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8 Responses to “Worship Confessional – Sunday, August 2, 2009”

1. steff says:

   August 2, 2009 at 3:14 pm

   I love the Jesus Culture version of “I Exalt Thee”! Powerful song, familiar yet updated enough to feel fresh, people really seem to sink their teeth into it

   Reply
2. Justin K says:

   August 2, 2009 at 4:54 pm

   AH! I love Jesus Culture’s I Exalt Thee- It is awesome.

   Reply
3. Marty says:

   August 2, 2009 at 5:05 pm

   Great transitions from one song to another. Seemed that the team was focused on the message as opposed to the medium, but then again: can the medium BE the message? Sometimes I feel that churches select songs based on what is perceived as a “good fit” for what is to be preached that morning. While there is some merit to that, it’s best to have faith that God will present the music/words He wants us to sing – hence bringing us into a closer relationship with Him.
   No click track this morning. Didn’t need one: we totally locked in.

   Reply
4. windbag says:

   August 2, 2009 at 6:19 pm

   I Exalt Thee is one of my favorites. I have to consciously limit myself on how often it’s in the rotation.

   Reply
5. Chris From Canada says:

   August 2, 2009 at 10:20 pm

   I’ve got to dig in to the Jesus Culture record a little more – we tried “Your Love Never Fails” a few times but it didn’t really connect. I wonder if there’s another track on there worth pulling out.

   Marty – medium is most definitely part of the message. Definitely. And the medium should always support the intended message. If not, you’ve got conflicting messages and your audience’s perception will be out of whack with where you’re trying to lead them.

   Reply
6. Jim Drake says:

   August 3, 2009 at 2:55 am

   Mr. Chris.. made number 2 this week… you’re so efficient.

   Will have to look at the I EXALT THEE….. hmmm, the oldies of PW now making a come back. What goes around comes around.

   Peace!
   Jim

   Reply
7. Jon Morris says:

   August 3, 2009 at 3:50 pm

   Jesus Culture does a really cool version of I Exalt Thee. Check it.

   Reply
8. Dennis says:

   August 7, 2009 at 1:59 am

   I’ll have to give the Jesus Culture version a listen. It is a great song!

   Reply