It’s heartening (pun intended) to hear how many of you are beginning to use this weekly column to prepare your hearts for Sunday.
This is week three of Piper’s Heart Prep suggestions:
3. Purify Your Mind by Turning Away from Worldly Entertainment
“Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). It astonishes me how many Christians watch the same banal, empty, silly, trivial, titillating, suggestive, immodest TV shows that most unbelievers watch. This makes us small and weak and worldly and inauthentic in worship. Instead, turn off the television on Saturday night and read something true and great and beautiful and pure and honorable and excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Your heart will unshrivel and be able to feel greatness again.
Our Worship this week focuses on the compassionate justice of God, but even more on his awesome mercy! Read the text, 1 Kings 21:1-29, and prepare to be surprised at the end!
Hannah Jackson has been finding Youtube videos for the worship team practice, and I’ve mostly used her links (and her comments) for this list:
Justice WIll Roll Down Note: lyrics in song info!
Be Merciful to Me (this is rough sound quality, but the melody is correct)
Before the Throne of God Above (Trinity sings this a little faster, with a stronger attitude, and less soloistically – – but it is the same melody and harmonies.:)
Offertory:
Great God of Wonders –
Great God of wonders! All Thy ways
Display Thine attributes divine
But countless acts of pardoning grace
Beyond Thine other wonders shine
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Your love awakens in return
a grateful heart to Thee
In wonder lost, with trembling joy,
We take the pardon of our God:
Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,
A pardon bought with Jesus’ blood,
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Your love awakens in return
a grateful heart to Thee
O may this strange, this matchless grace,
This God-like miracle of love,
Fill the whole earth with grateful praise,
As now it fills the choirs above
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Your love awakens in return
a grateful heart to Thee
Thy Mercy My God Indelible Grace and Caedmon’s Call both seem excellent at hiding their stuff from youtube, so I can’t get the exact version of this that we do at Trinity. . . once again, the melody is the same, but some of the harmonies, the tempo and intros are very different.(Note from Bob: this is, however, a very credible cover of the Sandra McCracken version)
