Behind the Praise - Sunday July 6, 2008

BLENDED WORSHIP 9:30am


“God of our Fathers"

Daniel C. Roberts, the 35 year-old rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, a small rural church in Brandon, Vermont, wanted a new hymn for his congregation to celebrate the American Centennial in 1876. He wrote "God of Our Fathers" and his congregation sang it to the tune RUSSIAN HYMN. In 1892, he anonymously sent the hymn to the General Convention for consideration by the commission formed to revise the Episcopal hymnal. If approved, he promised to send his name. The commission approved it, printing it anonymously in its report. Rev. Dr. Tucker, who was the editor of the Hymnal, and George W. Warren, an organist in New York city, were commissioned to choose a hymn for the celebration of the centennial of the United States Constitution. They chose this text and Warren wrote a new tune for it, NATIONAL HYMN, including the trumpet fanfare at the beginning of the hymn.It was first published in Tucker’s Hymnal, 1892, with this tune, then in 1894 in the Tucker and Rosseau’s Hymnal Revised and Enlarged. These lyrics were also set to the hymn tune PRO PATRIA in Charles Hutchins’ The Church Hymnal. But NATIONAL HYMN prevailed and it is the tune to which "God of Our Fathers" is always sung today.

Click here for the various arrangements:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=god+of+our+fathers+&search_type=&aq=f

"Give us Clean hands"

Charlie Hall wrote this song as a prayer for his generation in 1994. He said he wanted to be a part of the generation that was sold out to seeking God with their whole hearts. When he wrote the song he sensed his generation huddling and praying this prayer, "Oh God let us be the generation that seeks your face Oh, God of Jacob." The song is based on Psalm 24:3-63 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?Who may stand in his holy place?4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

Click here to listen to how Charlie Hall wrote this song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hkQS8A8FiY

Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl5zSB3A-Z8

"America the Beautiful"


Pike's Peak is an American beauty spot, about 10 miles west of Colorado Springs, in the state of Colorado. It is actually a 14,000 ft mountain, with a road up to the summit, although many people choose to climb to the top and look out across the "spacious skies", and "purple mountain majesties".Katherine Lee Bates did just that back in 1893, and the view she saw inspired her to write the words to America the Beautiful.She was born in 1859, the daughter of a Pastor, and she graduated from Wellesley College, in Massachusetts. Later she returned to teach at the college, and became head of the English department.By 1893 she had written a number of books, including her research into the history of American literature. But the work that she is best known for is the poem that became the country's second most popular patriotic song.She had been on an extended holiday in 1893 when she visited Pike's Peak, in Colorado. After she returned to her room that night, she remarked to friends that countries such as England had failed because, while they may have been "great", they had not been "good" ... she went on "unless we are willing to crown our greatness with goodness, and our bounty with brotherhood, our beloved America may go the same way."The poem itself remained unpublished until it appeared two years later in the Congregationalist Newspaper, and after that it went through a number of revisions before eventually being published by he Boston Evening Transcript in 1904.It was originally never intended to be sung, but its metre fitted a number of tunes around at the time. The one that it is most closely associated with is a tune called Materna, written by Samuel Augustus Ward in 1882. originally for a hymn, O Mother Dear, Jerusalem.



Click here for the various arrangements of the song:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=american+the+beautiful+&search_type=&aq=f


Contemporary Service 11:00


“Everyday”

Joel Timothy Houston (born September 19, 1979) is a song writer and worship leader at the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. He is employed as the producer of Hillsong's youth band, Hillsong United. He is the oldest son of Hillsong Church's pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston and grandson of Frank Houston. He has two siblings, a brother Benjamin and a sister, Laura. Houston's first debut with the Hillsong United was in 2002. As part of Hillsong United music team, Houston has helped lead worship conferences in North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. He has also contributed to the main Hillsong album recordings as well, which are led by worship pastor Darlene Zschech. Many of the songs he has written or co-written are sung in churches worldwide and have been translated into 32 languages, including Korean and German. His music has been featured on Hillsong albums that have quickly risen on both the Australian and American Christian music charts. In March 2007, Hillsong United's eighth album All of the Above debuted at #6 on the ARIA charts His song, "Everyday", is ranked number 49 on the CCLI top 100 songs.

Click here to worship along with the Hillsongs worship team:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RiDQmlC9uY

“Holy is the Lord”
Chris Tomlin wrote this song after meditating on Isaiah 6. He was intrigued by the passage where the angels called to one another. The phrase “Holy is the Lord and the earth is filled with his glory” kept ringing in his mind. He met up with Louie Giglio who had been meditating on the passage in Nehemiah where after Israel rebuilt the wall they built a wooden tower and opened the word of the lord. When this happened the people stood and lifted their hands then also bowed down. Louie was struck by the picture in his mind and wrote the following phrase in his journal:

“It’s rising up all around, it’s the anthem of the Lord’s renown”

Click here to listen to Chris & Louie Giglio talk about how the song came about:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv6hSdbfo2E

Click here to worship and sing-along
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKN5PX_3a0&feature=related

Click here to worship along with Chris Tomlin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X4CwGGJQMI

“Enough”

This worship song is by Chris Tomlin. Chris is instrumental in shaping the language for this present body of worshippers. Chris wrote this song along with Louie Giglio. Louie gave Chris a note right before one of their passion tours. The note simply said:

God is enough, He is really more than enough.

Chris took the rough words and crafted the song around that one phrase. Chris showed up in Louie’s kitchen played it for Louie and it was then that Louie realized that the song was really birthed out of the heart of God.

Click here to hear the story in Louie & Chris’ words on New Song Café:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaLNjeTEeE4

Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHEm-b4IRYk&feature=related