Sometimes coincidence is just not a comprehensive enough word.
The date was November 30th and it was time to start planning worship sets for the month of December. As a worship planner it is a little difficult to not just use "Hark the Herald," "Joy to the World," and "O Come All Ye Faithful" every week. They're great songs, upbeat, and in 4/4 so you can add a drum backing to them or mash them up with another song pretty easily. But not wanting to sing those same songs 4 weeks in a row, I was spacing them out evenly with some other Christmas tunes and worship songs.
I had this great idea to take "O Come All Ye Faithful" and combine it with "Come As You Are". The idea of beckoning both the faithful and unfaithful to come and adore Him seemed like a great concept. Come out of bondage from wherever you've been and come all ye joyful and triumphant--it was a song mashup destined to communicate to everyone in attendance that Sunday. Initially I had slated it for December 13th, but then bumped it to December 20th once I realized that the choir program was on the 13th. And there it sat, a delightful song combo waiting to be rehearsed and sung (and indeed, I am still really looking forward to how it will turn out).
Enter December 9th. I received notification that Nick wanted to be baptized on December 20th. Woo-hoo! I wrote down his name under the plans for the 20th and waited until I heard further from him about what service he would be at or if there were any special things going on that day. I figured we could figure out the details the following week.
Later that same day I met up with Bart to go over the broad plan for the rest of the month. I told him about the song selections for the upcoming weekend, as well as for the 20th. When I told him all the songs on the 20th were Christmas except for one, he seemed a little skeptical--even more so when I told him it was kind of a slow song--but he went with it.
Fast-forward to December 16th. Bart informed me that he had texted Nick asking if there were any special requests for music before or after the baptism. Great, I thought, that'll give me and the entire worship team a whopping 6 hours to prepare for rehearsal that night with a brand new song. But not one to quench the Spirit, I waited to hear what his request might be. I got notification from Bart at 11:18am that he had heard back from Nick.
The date was November 30th and it was time to start planning worship sets for the month of December. As a worship planner it is a little difficult to not just use "Hark the Herald," "Joy to the World," and "O Come All Ye Faithful" every week. They're great songs, upbeat, and in 4/4 so you can add a drum backing to them or mash them up with another song pretty easily. But not wanting to sing those same songs 4 weeks in a row, I was spacing them out evenly with some other Christmas tunes and worship songs.
I had this great idea to take "O Come All Ye Faithful" and combine it with "Come As You Are". The idea of beckoning both the faithful and unfaithful to come and adore Him seemed like a great concept. Come out of bondage from wherever you've been and come all ye joyful and triumphant--it was a song mashup destined to communicate to everyone in attendance that Sunday. Initially I had slated it for December 13th, but then bumped it to December 20th once I realized that the choir program was on the 13th. And there it sat, a delightful song combo waiting to be rehearsed and sung (and indeed, I am still really looking forward to how it will turn out).
Enter December 9th. I received notification that Nick wanted to be baptized on December 20th. Woo-hoo! I wrote down his name under the plans for the 20th and waited until I heard further from him about what service he would be at or if there were any special things going on that day. I figured we could figure out the details the following week.
Later that same day I met up with Bart to go over the broad plan for the rest of the month. I told him about the song selections for the upcoming weekend, as well as for the 20th. When I told him all the songs on the 20th were Christmas except for one, he seemed a little skeptical--even more so when I told him it was kind of a slow song--but he went with it.
Fast-forward to December 16th. Bart informed me that he had texted Nick asking if there were any special requests for music before or after the baptism. Great, I thought, that'll give me and the entire worship team a whopping 6 hours to prepare for rehearsal that night with a brand new song. But not one to quench the Spirit, I waited to hear what his request might be. I got notification from Bart at 11:18am that he had heard back from Nick.
He said he loves that Wanderer Come Home that Scott sings. Nick heard that the first Sunday he came here. Also like Come As You Are by David Crowder. Don’t have to use them – that is just the feedback.
My immediate reply was, "Are you kidding me?!" Not only was the "Wanderer Come Home" song the one and the same song as "Come As You Are;" and not only was that the song that was sung the first Sunday he came to church; and not only was that the only non-Christmas song slated for this particular week; and not only had I changed the initial slate for the song by bumping it back a week; but had God planted that song in my head as a Christmas song 2 weeks prior to even knowing that there would be a baptism!
I dare you (or me) to tell me that the Hand of God wasn't orchestrating something here and that it is merely a coincidence.
In the meantime, if you weren't planning to attend Parkside Christian Church this Sunday already, I encourage you to come this week--it should be a very Spirit-led service!
I dare you (or me) to tell me that the Hand of God wasn't orchestrating something here and that it is merely a coincidence.
In the meantime, if you weren't planning to attend Parkside Christian Church this Sunday already, I encourage you to come this week--it should be a very Spirit-led service!
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