new songs at karis - 10.26.08

I'm sure you all at this point think I will only post when I'm doing new songs at Karis. You'd be quite warranted to believe that. But one of these days I will do more....one of these days. For now, it's another new tune. We actually taught this one last week, but I didn't have a chance to blog on it until now. And we're repeating it this week anyway for some reinforcement.

Song Title: We Are Listening

Author: Jeremy Quillo (of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY)

Why did I choose it? This is a great prayer to sing in preparation to hear and receive God's word together when we gather. It sort of combines the attitude of the psalmist in Ps. 119 (Lord, how I love your law!) and the reality that Christ has come as the living Word to live and die for us (John 1) into one rich prayer for God to speak to us and give us the faith to receive and respond appropriately to his word. There's so much here, really. It's an expression of our desire to hear his word and savor it, a pronouncement that we come to listen to his Word rather than to sit in judgment on it, a statement of faith that Christ has come as the living word, and an acknowledgment that we are weak in our ability to understand or really even receive God's word, so we pray for the "eyes to see" and the "faith to hear that the Word has come...that the Word is here." Lastly, it's an affirmation with so many of the psalmists that we are to seek God's word "morning and evening" - not only on Sundays when we gather, but throughout the week in our homes, personally and with our families. I hope this song will conform us more to God's will by revealing our weak desire for his word and turning us to the only one who can change our hearts and deepen that desire - Christ.

My favorite line: "Father I/ long to see Christ/ the truth in new life/ The Word that made the universe/ Father, speak/ Now I believe/ I have been set free/ by that the Word that lived and died for me."
I love this verse because I think it does exactly what I said I hoped above - points to Christ. He is the theme and center of Scripture, so all proper longing for God's word is not merely a longing for moral gudiance (though that is part of it) or skill in apologetic argument. Rather, we long for the Word because it shows us Christ - and he is the living Word who truly guides us into truth and shapes our lives according to God's will. When we come to the Word and the Holy Spirit illuminates it for us, we see Christ as more glorious than we saw him yesterday. It's awesome to be able to sing a prayer for this together when we meet.

Why teach it right now? This is one of those themes I have been hoping to inject into our life of "songs, hymns and spiritual songs" a bit more. We need to come prepared to hear from God, and what better way to move toward that place in our hearts than to sing it and let the Spirit move as we pray. Last week, the sermon was on the transfiguration, where God the Father speaks from heaven about his Son, who has suddenly shown a bit of his glory for his disciples, "This is my Son - listen to him!" Much of the rest of Luke's gospel (which we're currently studying at Karis) is an unfolding of that command. Jesus will say and do many things that will confuse and even upset the disciples, but they must put aside their pride and objections and listen to God's beloved Son. It is the same for us today, so I thought it appropriate to start singing this song together now.

Can you hear it? Yes, here. For that matter, listen to any stuff Sojourn has available here. Great stuff!

Much to update on the Daugherty front....coming soon I hope.