Sing Alleluia to the Lord!

Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things.  -Psalm 98

Another Sunday.  Another day to praise the Lord and lift high the name of Jesus.  Another day to experience the grace and forgiveness of God.  And yet, for me, Sunday is a day to remember how much my sin and stupidity cost me.  Grace is free; it is not cheap.

It has now been over three years since I stood in front of a congregation on a Sunday morning or a youth group on a Sunday afternoon.  There is so much I miss about student ministry;  I miss the relationships with the youth;  I miss the interaction with the youth counselors and the parents;  I miss the trips and the concerts and the programs.  But mostly (and especially on Sunday), what I miss is leading worship with the youth.  I miss standing in front of a crowd with my guitar and leading them in singing praise to the Savior.  There is something magical about choosing a song, playing it, and having a group sing it. The picture above is of me leading worship at the Kissimmee lake front one of my very first Sundays there.  I love the picture and I treasure that memory.   When you are up front, the voices come at you like a wave.  You can actually feel the passion.  You look out into a sea of smiles, of raised hands and of prayerful faces.  The music is the medium; but what you feel is a connection to God and to one another.  Every Sunday morning when I wake up I remember those feelings, and I pray that God will use the day to remind me of the blessings of my life, both then and now.

Of all the songs I have ever led, and all the places I have led them, nothing compares to leading Sing Alleluia with the youth of FUMC-K.  That simple little worship chorus, with the guys singing one part and the girls singing an echo, sounded like a symphony when they would sing it.  We sang a lot of great songs (Sanctuary, Prince of Peace, Lions, Radical Man. Where Justice Rolls Down and so many more- leave a comment and let me know what other songs you remember singing at youth group!) and sang a lot of them very well.  But Sing Alleluia was the song that always made it clear to everyone present that Jesus was present.  When I would quit playing the last time through and the acapela voices would fill the room, I had no doubt that the angels were singing with us.  So today, wherever you may worship and whatever you may sing, remember to "sing alleluia to the Lord."  Lift high the name of Jesus.  And do not take for granted the blessings you have today and every day.

Because of Jesus,