Each week, you may find information here about the music in the traditional worship services at First United Methodist Church in Lewisville, Texas. Some of this information is original; most of it is copied from other websites such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org. It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.
About the Organ Music:
In honor of the 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, we will have American organ music from the first 100 years for the next few weeks.
Voluntary in C - J. C. Beckel
(c.1983, Belwin-Mills)
In music a voluntary is a piece of music, usually for organ, that is played as part of a church service. In English-speaking countries, the music played before and after the service is often called a 'voluntary', whether or not it is titled so.
The title 'voluntary' was often used by English composers during the late Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods. Originally, the term was used for a piece of organ music that was free in style, and was meant to sound improvised (the word voluntary in general means free, i.e., "not forced to do something”). This probably grew out of the practice of church organists improvising after a service. Later, the voluntary began to develop into a more definite form, though it has never been strictly defined. During the late 17th century, a 'voluntary' was typically written in a fugal or imitative style, often with different sections. In the 18th century the form typically began with a slow movement and then a fugue. Two to four movements were common, with contrasting tempos (slow-fast-slow-fast). In the 18th century England, the word 'voluntary' and 'fuge' were interchangeable. These English style 'fuges' (or fugue) do not follow the strict theoretic form of German-style fugues. They are more related to the 'fugues' written by Italian composers of the time.
Besides the fugal type of voluntary, two other common forms developed: the trumpet voluntary or cornet voluntary. These two were usually non-fugal, but still contained movements with contrasting tempos. These voluntaries were meant to feature the stops for which they are named. Some voluntaries were called double voluntaries. These were pieces written for organs with two manuals (keyboards). The pieces contrasted a loud manual with a soft one.
James Cox Beckel (1811-1905) studied at the American Conservatory of Music Philadelphia. He was organist of St James Episcopal Church in Lancaster Pennsylvania, first as assistant to his father who was a German immigrant and organist. Later he was a professor of music and music publisher in Philadelphia. He served as organist of Clinton Street Church Philadelphia, and as managing editor of 'The Musical Clipper’. His published works include cantatas, sacred and secular songs, an organ method and various works, and military marches.
Prelude on Thaxted - David M. Cherwien
(c.2013, Birnamwood Publications, div. of Morningstar)
"As the Bread of Life Is Broken" is a modern communion hymn written and composed by James J. Chepponis in 2002. Fr. James Chepponis (1956-2026) was a priest of the Pittsburgh Diocese, ordained in 1985. He received his bachelor's degree in music from St. Fidelis College/Slippery Rock University, with a major in organ and a minor in voice. Chepponis received a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Systematic Theology from Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland. Chepponis served the Pittsburgh diocese as Director of the Office of Music Ministry, and his work included providing music for diocesan liturgies, directing the Diocesan Choir, coordinating the Pittsburgh chapter for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and the Director of Music Ministries Division, and serving as music resource person for parishes throughout the Pittsburgh Diocese.
In 1999, Chepponis was appointed Music Director at Pittsburgh's St. Paul Cathedral, where he served as choir director and worked to expand the cathedral's music ministry. He lead workshops on pastoral music throughout the country, and participated in the creation of the document "The Milwaukee Symposia for Church Composers: A Ten-Year Report." His published articles on liturgy and music have appeared in Pastoral Music, The Hymn, and GIA Quarterly. Chepponis has over sixty published compositions many of which are featured on the GIA recordings, Cry Out with Joy, Songs of Jubilation, and Jubilation Mass: Ritual Music for the Liturgy. He served as one of the five editors working on GIA's Worship IV hymnal.
“As the Bread of Life is Broken” is set to the majestic tune THAXTED (originally composed by Gustav Holst as the central melody in "Jupiter" from The Planets), which is widely loved for its soaring and solemn character in congregational singing. The text focuses heavily on Christian unity, the Eucharist (Lord's Supper), and Christian mission.
We, the many who are gathered, are united now as one.
In this joyful celebration, we recall what God has done.
In the word of God proclaimed here the good news of truth is heard.
In the telling of the stories, we are open to God's word.
In the bread of life here given, we become what we receive.
In the cup of love here offered, we affirm what we believe.
Sent as blessing for God's people, to go forth in love and peace,
In our witness to God's kingdom, may our charity increase.
Refrain
As the bread of life is broken, the cup of love outpoured,
We Are one in Christ, our Savior, and sent to serve the Lord.
Dr. David Cherwien (b. 1957) is currently serving as Director of Music at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN, and in 2002 was appointed Music Director for the National Lutheran Choir, also based in the Twin Cities. He has also held full time parish music positions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Chicago, Seattle, and Berlin. He completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance, and the Master of Arts degree in Theory and Composition, both from the University of Minnesota. His undergraduate work was in organ performance and music education at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, where he was honored as distinguished alumni in the fall of 2000.
About the Piano Music:
A Place at the Table - Paul Tate
(c.2006, GIA Publications)
In recent decades, an influential and significant force has developed within the world of congregational song. That force is Shirley Erena Murray (b. 1931), who has written some of the most convicting and challenging hymns of this era by addressing issues and concerns relevant to modern-day audiences through the paradigm of the Christian tradition. In her hymn, “A Place at the Table” (1998), Ms. Murray presents a Christian equivalent to the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” drafted by the U.N. General Council, thus connecting the global concern of Christianity with the global concerns of the United Nations and, indeed, all humanity. She notes: “I couldn't find anything to reflect a broad overview of human rights in any hymnbook. You can see that I have used some of the very basic ideas of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the right to shelter, safety, food, and later, the right to a job, to freedom of speech and worship. I've tried to put them in a context which relates directly to the Gospel, but without excluding those who are not of the Christian faith. . .. “
A close examination of the hymn reveals thematic connections with the Declaration, thereby demonstrating the relevance of Christianity with contemporary affairs. For example, in the first stanza, “clean water and bread, a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing” stems from Article 25: “Everyone has the right to a standard of adequate living for . . . health and well-being . . . including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services . . ..” The next phrase, “a star overhead,” relates, according to the poet, to Article 26 and the aspiration for education.
A fourth generation New Zealander, Murray holds a master’s degree with honors in Classics and French from Otago University. Her awards and honors include the New Zealand Order of Merit (2001) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (2006). Her hymn "God, In Your Grace" was chosen as the theme song for the IX Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil (2006), and she has been honored as a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada (2009). Shirley Erena Murray describes her ecclesial affiliation as ecumenical in nature. Though born to a Methodist family, she later became Presbyterian through her marriage to a Presbyterian minister. As she writes in one of the collections of her hymns, “The Methodist tradition nurtured me, the Presbyterian tradition claimed all my adult life, and the ecumenical movement called me out of both.” Murray describes her identity and perspective as “that of a woman, a mother, a grandparent, a citizen, [and] a layperson.”
Shirley Murray began writing hymns in the 1970s to accompany her husband’s sermons, because he had difficulty finding traditional hymns that truly captured and articulated his messages with language relevant to contemporary life. The fruit of her labor resulted in a plethora of Christian hymns that poignantly address modern concerns in a relevant way. Fellow New Zealander and Methodist hymn writer Colin Gibson notes that the most common themes of her hymns address “peace, justice, human rights, inclusiveness, gender equality, environmental concerns, and social responsibility.” Her work is included in more than 100 different collections and has been translated into several different languages. Additionally, she contributed to the groundbreaking hymnal Sound the Bamboo (2000), wherein she collaborated with Dr. I-to Loh, an ethnomusicologist from Taiwan, to provide English lyrics for Asian Christians with a distinctly Eastern-Asian style of music.
In this hymn, Shirley Murray finds a way to incorporate the Christian imperative of equality and justice for the entire world. In the first stanza, she begins with the statement, “For everyone born, a place at the table … for everyone born, a star overhead.” At first glance, the song appears as if it will address global hunger, which indeed it does. But on a metaphysical level, she clearly expresses that the justice and equality humanity needs actually comes as a result of the birth of Jesus Christ. Here, she has flipped our understanding of what “the table” actually means. The table does not simply represent the proverbial dining table or the political forum (such as the United Nations), but also stands as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. The table embodies a world where everyone has a place, because God became human in Jesus Christ, expressed by the star on Christmas night. “The table” of abundance and equality is the prophetic expression of God’s will manifest in creation.
She continues her theme of justice and equality in the subsequent stanzas by providing a series of binary expressions, thereby articulating the need for Christians to extend justice and joy across the diversity of humanity: “for woman and man” (stanza 2), “for young or for old” (stanza 3), and “for just and unjust” (stanza 4). In the fourth stanza, Murray presents us with perhaps a more difficult challenge by including both “abuser” and “abused” at the table. She draws the language of “abuser/abused” from the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” acknowledging that all humanity stands in need of God’s grace, love, and mercy: even those who have committed acts of abuse in its many forms.
The author states her theological premise in the introduction of the collection, A Place at the Table: "I have used the words of the hymn 'A Place at the Table' as title for this book, because there are still Christian people not welcome, either at the communion table or at the common table of society. . ..” Such hospitality, however, is already apparent in the Invitation to the Table found in The United Methodist Hymnal: “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” The invitation is extended to all regardless of gender, cultural background, social class, or sexual orientation. Here she challenges us to recognize the sacrament as a place of unconditional inclusivity. According to the refrain, we understand the Christian’s role to play in offering “justice and joy” because paradoxically, “God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy.” In this way, the Creator expresses delight when humanity “creates” justice and joy. Murray’s hymn gives new voice to Christians crying out for God’s justice and joy as they enact God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven.”
For everyone born, a place at the table,
for everyone born, clean water and bread,
a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
for everyone born, a star overhead,
For woman and man, a place at the table,
revising the roles, deciding the share,
with wisdom and grace, dividing the power,
for woman and man, a system that's fair,
For young and for old, a place at the table,
a voice to be heard, a part in the song,
the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
for young and for old, the right to belong,
For gay and for straight, a place at the table,
a covenant shared, a welcoming space,
a rainbow of race and gender and colour,
for gay and for straight, the chalice of grace,
For just and unjust, a place at the table,
abuser, abused, with need to forgive,
in anger, in hurt, a mindset of mercy,
for just and unjust, a new way to live,
For everyone born, a place at the table,
to live without fear, and simply to be,
to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
for everyone born, the right to be free,
Refrain
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
Paul A. Tate, a graduate of the University of Georgia, is a professional musician living in Sugar Hill, Georgia. As an active workshop presenter and concert performer, Paul has released a dozen recordings and published over 100 original songs and arrangements. His liturgical compositions appear in a number of hymnal resources, and his voice has been heard around the world on Sirius Satellite Radio.
About the Choral Music:
A Prayer of Humble Access - Edward H. Wetherill
(c.1967, Lorenz Publishing)
Many of you will recognize this text. Prior to 1989, it was part of the Communion liturgy in the United Methodist church. The Prayer of Humble Access is the name traditionally given to a prayer originally from early Anglican Books of Common Prayer and contained in many Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Christian eucharistic liturgies, including use by the personal ordinariates for former Anglican groups joining the Catholic Church. Its origins lie in the healing the centurion's servant as recounted in two of the Gospels. It is comparable to the "Domine, non sum dignus" used in the Catholic Mass.
The prayer was an integral part of the early Books of Common Prayer of the Church of England and has continued to be used throughout much of the Anglican Communion. Its name is derived from the heading above the prayer in the Scottish Book of Common Prayer of 1637. This book was a moderate revision of the English Book of Common Prayer of that time, with influences and changes to concede to the Scottish Presbyterians. One change was the inclusion of the Prayer of Humble Access. The prayer finds its roots in a prayer of "worthy reception" which appeared in the Order for the Communion in 1548 and was retained in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer published during Edward VI's reign. The prayer was not apparently a translation of a pre-existing prayer found in the Sarum Rite; indeed, the Sarum Rite did not use the prayer "Domine, non sum dignus" at the communion, but a form of words peculiar to that rite. Rather, the Prayer of Humble Access as found in the Prayer Book was a unique combination of several sources, including phrases or concepts from Mark 7:28, the Liturgy of Saint Basil, a Gregorian collect, John 6:56, and the writings of Thomas Aquinas.
In its earliest appearance the prayer followed the confession and absolution and "comfortable words" which were inserted after the Roman Canon of the Mass. It remained there with the coming of the prayer book the next year. In the 1552 prayer book, the prayer appears immediately after the proper preface and Sanctus of the eucharistic prayer. It retains this position in the 1662 prayer book. In subsequent revisions by various national churches, and in the proposed 1928 English BCP revision, the prayer was moved to after the Lord's Prayer and before the Agnus Dei, after which the consecrated elements are administered.
The Prayer of Humble Access is based on two passages from the New Testament. One is Matthew 8:8; "The centurion replied, Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." The other is found in Mark 7:28. It is a reply from a woman in speaking to Jesus regarding her unworthiness, who said, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs”.
The version of 1548 and 1549 appear below with modernized spelling:
We do not presume to come to this thy table (O merciful
Lord) trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold
and great mercies: we be not worthy so much as to gather
up the crumbs under thy table: but thou art the same Lord,
whose property is always to have mercy: grant us therefore,
gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus
Christ, and to drink his blood, in these holy Mysteries, that
we may continually dwell in him, and he in us, that our sinful
bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls
washed through his most precious blood. Amen.
The version of the prayer used in the communion liturgy of the Methodist, and then United Methodist Church, until 1989 iss as follows:
We do not come to this Your table, O merciful Lord, trusting
in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great
mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather the crumbs
from under thy table. But thou are the same Lord, whose
property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore,
gracious Lord, so to partake of this Sacrament of thy Son
Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life, may grow
into his likeness, and may evermore dwell in him, and he in
us. Amen.
There is some similarity with the prayer said immediately prior to communion in the Roman Rite Mass: Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea which is translated: "“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Prior to the revisions made by the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, the prayer was recited three times in Latin.
Edward H. Wetherill (1927-1990) was a choral conductor, organist, and composer who worked primarily in the Philadelphia area, teaching in both the public-school system and Hardin-Simmons University. He studied briefly after college at Oxford University, and his music reveals a strong British influence. He served as Organist and Choir Master of Drexel Hill United Methodist Church.
We do not presume to come to this, Thy table, O merciful Lord,
Trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy to gather up the crumbs beneath Thy table,
But Thou art the same Lord whose mercy, whose mercy is unfailing, is unfailing.
Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of these memorials of Thy Son
Jesus Christ, That we may be filled, be filled with the fullness of His life,
may grow into His likeness and may evermore dwell in Him, and He in us. Amen.
About the Hymns:
One Bread, One Body
(c.1989, John B. Foley & North American Liturgy Resources)
John Foley, S.J., (b. 1939) is an American Jesuit priest who is a composer of Catholic liturgical music and a professor of liturgy. Among his better-known compositions are One Bread, One Body (1978), Earthen Vessels (1975), Come to the Water (1978), The Cry of the Poor (1978), For You Are My God (1970), and the album As a River of Light (1989). Much of Foley's early work on liturgical music was as a member of a group called the St. Louis Jesuits, composed of fellow Jesuit seminarians, with whom he released several albums. Other members of the St. Louis Jesuits were Dan Schutte, Bob Dufford, Roc O'Connor, and Tim Manion. He has also released several solo collections of liturgical music. Foley went on to earn a doctorate in liturgical theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. In 1993 he returned to Saint Louis University where he founded the Stroble Center for Liturgy, of which he has served as director since its founding.
Written in 1978, “One Bread, One Body” is based on I Corinthians 10:16-17, ”Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.” The first verse is readily identifiable as a paraphrase of Galatians 3:28, which reads, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In the second verse, we have more Scriptural paraphrase. This time, the text is clearly taken from 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, which reads, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord.” You don’t have to be a preacher to serve. You don’t have to be a song leader to serve. Even if your work is visiting the sick or cleaning the church building, you are no less important a part of the body of Christ than its most visible members. Ultimately, every kind of service gets back to serving Jesus. The third verse echoes various Biblical texts (Matthew 13:3-9 and John 12:23-26 among them). As Christ assembles us into one body, so too He plants us, causes us to grow, and gathers us in.
One bread, one body, one Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we bless
And we, though many, throughout the Earth
We are one body in this one Lord
Gentile or Jew, Servant or free, Woman or man No more
Many the gifts, many the works, One in the Lord Of all
We are All One in Mission
(c.1986, Hope Publishing)
Rusty Edwards (b. 1955) provides Christians with a hymn that articulates a contemporary vision of the mission of the church. He was born in Dixon, Ill. Following graduation from Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Nebraska, Dr. Edwards taught school at St. Boniface in Elgin, Neb. His theological education includes a master of divinity degree from Luther Northwestern Seminary (now Luther Seminary), a doctorate in creative ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation at Notre Dame, Ind., and a certificate from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. Following his ordination in 1985, he served Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Moline, Ill., until 1991. He currently serves as senior pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Rockford, Ill. He is also the pastoral advisor for Rockford Lutheran High School and is on the board of the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity.
“We All Are One in Mission” was written in 1985. The unity of the church, local and universal, is at the heart of this hymn. It is not the responsibility of only missionaries or ordained clergy to practice mission in all of its forms, but is integral to the service of all in the church who are united by Christ and have a sense of his “resurrected Justice.” “We All Are One in Mission” is found in Dr. Edwards’ first collection of hymns, The Yes of the Heart: Faith, Hope and Love Songs (Hope Publishing Co., 1993), as well as in numerous recent hymnals. It is the most published of his hymns, appearing in over two dozen collections and hymnals, and according to the author is “rather unique, because it has been published with 10 different tunes.”
We all are one in mission, We all are one in call,
Our varied gifts united By Christ, the Lord of all.
A single, great commission Compels us from above
To plan and work together That all may know Christ's love.
We all are called for service To witness in God's name.
Our ministries are diff'rent, Our purpose is the same:
To touch the lives of others By God's surprising grace
So ev'ry folk and nation May feel God's warm embrace.
We all behold one vision, A stark reality:
The steward of salvation Was nailed upon a tree.
Yet resurrected Justice Gives rise that we may share
Free reconciliation And hope amid despair.
Now let us be united And let our song be heard.
Now let us be a vessel For God's redeeming Word.
We all are one in mission, We all are one in call,
Our varied gifts united By Christ, the Lord of all.
About the Congregational Responses:
Goodness of God - Jenn Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Ben Fielding, and Brian Johnson
(c.2018, Alletrop Music/Shout! Music Publishing Australia/Fellow Ships Music/So Essential Tunes/Bethel Music Publishing)
Jennifer "Jenn" Johnson (b.1982) is an American Christian worship singer, songwriter and worship pastor. She is a co-founding member of Bethel Music, and is one-half of the husband-and-wife worship duo Brian and Jenn Johnson. She is also a senior worship pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and a Senior Overseer of WorshipU, an online school of worship sponsored by Bethel.
The story behind Bethel Music's "Goodness of God" centers on Jenn Johnson's personal experience of adopting her fourth child, Ryder Moses. Johnson related this story: “We had just gotten home from our adoption of our son, Ryder. He was a gift that we never saw coming. We have three kids already. We thought we were done having children. Brian and I were always open to adoption. But, out of the blue, we just felt like the Lord say to us, 'I have this for you if you want this--like a gift. I have a present for you." We knew adoption was the Lord's plan for us; to have a baby again when you've been out of baby season for eight years was such a blessing. Darlene Zschech, who had been with us, told us the translation of the verse 'Here I am, send me' from Isaiah 6:8 says, 'my answer is yes before you even ask.' I was so struck with that phrase. When we had the chance to adopt, I felt myself saying yes before I was even asked. Within the next year, we were matched up. And, we brought our new son home to our family. During the adoption process, I found myself driving on a long country road. I was just singing to the Lord when I recorded a song on my phone about the "faithfulness" and "kindness of God." I wrote and sang most of "Goodness of God" as an overflow of my heart at that moment. That led to finishing and recording this song with Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, and Ben Fielding.”
This unplanned recording session became the foundation for the song, which expresses gratitude for God's unwavering presence and goodness through life's challenges and joys.
I love You, Lord. For Your mercy never failed me.
All my days I've been held in Your hands.
From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head,
Oh, I will sing Of the goodness of God.
And all my life You have been faithful;
And all my life You have been so, so good.
With every breath That I am able,
Oh, I will sing Of the goodness of God.
I love Your voice, You have led me through the fire.
And in darkest night You are close like no other.
I've known You as a Father; I’ve known You as a Friend.
And I have lived In the goodness of God, yeah.
'Cause Your goodness Is running after, It's running after me;
Your goodness is running after, It’s running after me.
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now.
I give You everything, ’Cause Your goodness
Is running after, It’s running after me, oh.
May God Bless and Keep You - Jim Strathdee
(c.1994, Desert Flower Music)
Internationally known artists, Jim and Jean Strathdee sing with thousands of people each year as they offer their music in concerts, worship, conferences, reteats, and workshops. Most often they travel throughout the United States and Canada, but over the 40 year span of their ministry they have shared their music in India, New Zealand, Cuba, and Central America. Their music spans a diversity of sound and style and includes use of guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, African drums, and Native American flute. They see music as an agent of transformation where ecumenical and inter-faith communities come together to make a stand for positive change. Jim and Jean have served on the staff of United Methodist churches in southern and northern California and Hawaii. They have written hundreds of hymns, songs, and anthems.
May God bless and keep you,
May God's loving face now shine on you and be gracious, gracious, Amen.
About the Modern Band Music:
Graves into Gardens - Brandon Lake
(c.2019, Brandon Lake Music)
"Graves into Gardens" by Elevation Worship (feat. Brandon Lake) is a testimony song about God’s power to bring life from death and hope from despair. Co-written with Pastor Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, and Tiffany Hudson, it originated from a message by Pastor Steven Furtick titled "The Mystery of Potential," on 2 Kings 13:20–21, which focused on the story of Elisha's bones and the idea that God can turn dead, hopeless situations (graves) into blooming, productive ones (gardens).
Brandon Lake met with Chris Brown (Elevation Worship) at a conference to write, which led to a session with Furtick and Tiffany Hudson. Lake described being nervous but honored to write with them as he had long been influenced by their ministry. The song was recorded live at Elevation Church's Ballantyne campus in January 2020. It became Elevation Worship’s first #1 single on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart and won the GMA Dove Award for Worship Recorded Song of the Year.
I searched the world but it couldn't fill me
A man's empty praise and treasures that fade are never enough
Then You came along and me back together
And every desire is now satisfied here in Your love
Oh there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord there's nothing nothing is better than you
I’m not afraid to show You my weakness
My failures and flaws Lord You've seen them all and You still call me friend
'Cause the God of the mountain is the God of the valley
And there's not a place Your mercy and grace won't find me again
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You're the only one who can
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You're the only one who can
O Come To The Altar - Christopher Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick, and Wade Joye
(c.2015, Be Essential Songs, admin. by Essential Music Publishing)
“O Come to the Altar” draws heavily on Matthew 11:28-30, acting as a direct call for the weary, broken, and heavy-laden to find rest. The song nearly got scrapped during its creation. The team felt it was becoming too complicated and difficult to crack while working on the concept of an altar. They considered abandoning the track altogether because lines like "my life be an altar" felt clunky. Eventually, they simplified the focus down to the core invitation of the Gospel: "the Father's arms are open wide." It was intentionally crafted as a modern invitation for repentance, surrender, and rededication during church altar calls. The verses acknowledge human pain, regret, and the weight of sin, while the chorus and bridge point to Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, offering a new life born from ashes. It became one of Elevation Worship's defining anthems. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, holding a prominent spot there for a record 16 consecutive weeks
Are you hurting and broken within
Overwhelmed by the place that you're in Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well Jesus is calling
O come to the altar The Savior's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with The precious love of Jesus Christ
Leave behind your regrets and mistakes Come today there’s no reason to wait
Jesus is calling Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born Jesus is calling
O come to the altar The Savior's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with The precious love of Jesus Christ
Forgiveness was bought with The precious love Oh what a Savior isn't he wonderful
Sing alleluia Christ is risen Come sit beside him for he is Lord for all
Sing alleluia Christ is risen
O come to the altar The Savior's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with The precious love of Jesus Christ
Holy Spirit - Bryan Torwalt and Katie Torwalt
(c.2011, Jesus Culture)
The modern worship song "Holy Spirit" (often known as "Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here") was written by worship leaders Bryan and Katie Torwalt and popularized by Jesus Culture featuring Kim Walker-Smith. The song was born in 2010 while Bryan and Katie were in their apartment in Sacramento, California, feeling a deep hunger and zeal for a fresh move of God. They frequently found themselves singing an older, traditional church chorus: "Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place." They wanted to write a new, modern song for their generation that captured that exact same cry and hunger. The chorus "Holy Spirit, You are welcome here" came together quickly in their living space. Over the next few weeks, they finished the verses and the bridge—adding lines like "Let us become more aware of Your presence" as an active prayer to invite God into their immediate surroundings and heighten their sensitivity to His active work.
The song was featured on Bryan and Katie Torwalt’s 2011 debut studio album with Jesus Culture Music, titled Here on Earth. Recorded live and in studio primarily through Jesus Culture and led dynamically by Kim Walker-Smith, the track turned into a massive international CCLI Top 10 worship staple. The song crossed over into the broader Christian music sphere when artist Francesca Battistelli recorded a version that won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song in 2016.
The Torwalts have often explained that while theology dictates the Holy Spirit already dwells inside believers, the song is fundamentally a personal prayer of surrender. It serves as a deliberate vocal expression to quiet distractions, yield control of a gathering or a heart to God, and consciously cry out for more of His tangible presence and peace
There's nothing worth more that will ever come close
Nothing can compare You're our living hope Your Presence Lord
I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone In Your Presence Lord
Holy Spirit You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory God is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your Presence Lord
There's nothing worth more that will ever come close
Nothing can compare You're our living hope Your Presence Lord
I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone In Your Presence Lord
Holy Spirit You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory God is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your Presence Lord
Let us become more aware of Your Presence
Let us experience the glory of Your goodness
Holy Spirit You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory God is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your Presence Lord
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
