Matt Redman is one of our favourite worship leaders, and we've often featured his songs in this slot. But the well ran dry at his church a number of years ago, as Crosstalk explains:
Check the liner notes of almost any modern worship recording, and the name Matt Redman is likely to be among the songwriting credits. Artists and assemblies regularly perform “Let My Words Be Few” (Phillips, Craig & Dean), “Better Is One Day” (Rebecca St. James, Petra), and perhaps most of all, “The Heart of Worship” (Michael W. Smith, Sonic Flood, Passion), a beautifully simple, acoustic confessional ballad. Still, as prolific as these works make him, he says the story behind “The Heart of Worship” in particular is a personal reminder that, “I’m just a little songwriter—and a pretty foolish one at that!”
The song dates back to the late 1990s, born from a period of apathy within Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England. Despite the country’s overall contribution to the current worship revival, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical outpouring at the time.
“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”
Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”
Matt says the question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers, encountering God in a fresh way.
Today's song was the result of soul searching at Soul Survivor. It's a simple song, and one we've played and sung often; here 'tis:
Without Jesus, our faith is worth nothing. So it's just as well that Jesus is real, alive and longing for us to acknowledge Him. Have a blessed day!
11 comments:
Alive?
I'm sure I've seen it written that he lived over 2000 years ago and died at Golgotha. Your 'alive' claim is ridiculous!
I am sure you have also seen written that "on the Third day he rose again" and event that is attested even by crowds at football matches
Christ is Risen - truly he has risen
Perhaps he did, Andrei. Clinically dead people have been resuscitated, or so I have read. To believe that someone who died and regained life over 2000 years ago and is still alive today is complete nonsense.
To believe that, you have to suspend your well founded disbelief and accept that magic is real.
Are you that silly?
Thanks KS. I first heard this song a dozen years ago. It truly resonated with me then, and still does! In one sense Mr Bluett is quite right: the gospel of Christ, and the message of the cross, is indeed foolishness to the unbeliever. But to the believer it's not about us but about the undeniable power of God in our lives.
It lacks credibility and integrity.
No one lives for 2000 years.
In those days, 40 years would have been a good innings.
2000 is just ridiculous.
You'd have to be deluded to believe that.
Believe or disbelieve what you choose Alwyn, kindly don't come in here abusing those who have a faith. Refer Rule #2...
I apologize for my comments about those who believe that someone can live over 2000 years Keeping Stock. It's just that it goes against all reason and I employ reason when I make judgements about things.
Faith is believing in the unseen Alwyn. You should try it sometime. There's something liberating about believing in something that defies a logical explanation.
I'd suggest reading CS Lewis' Mere Christianity if you are willing to have your logic challenged.
I employ reason when I make judgements about things
If you have studied logic you would know that to employ "reason" there are always some underlying "axioms" which you assume true.
And if your axioms are incorrect even though your logic be impeccable the answers you arrive at will not be true.
Therein lies a problem for the ardent secular, one basic axiom that is clearly wrong is that everything can be explained by reason, which it cannot.
I'm sure it's liberating, Keeping Stock, to abandon reason and logic, but is it rational? We are supposed to be, after all, rational beings, not superstitious and gullible. I like to apply reason to my decisions. How you can bypass that process, I just don't know.
Do you also believe in fairies?
Reason dictates that, like 2000 year-old humans, they can't be real.
Andrei, you are blinding yourself with words. Keep it simple and tell me - can it possibly be true that there exists a 2000 year-old man?
Yes or no?
Andrei - that there are things that cannot be explained by reason.
Have you an example you can offer?
And do you believe a man can live for over 2000 years?
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