Songs That Inspire Us, Part 1

On our next-to-last Sunday at Stillwater 1st, the new worship leader (hi Loren!) chose several songs that spoke to us in general, and with regard to our upcoming ministry in Poland in particular.

The first such song (and perhaps Brittany's all-time favorite) is titled "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy," and was originally penned by English clergyman Joseph Hart in 1759. The words (as recently popularized by the Robbie Seay Band and Todd Agnew, among others) read as follows:

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and power.

Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.

(CHORUS)
I will arise and go to Jesus.
He will embrace me in his arms.
And in the arms of my dear Saviour,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms!

Come ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the Fall.
If you tarry until you're better
You will never come at all.

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Why does this song speak so powerfully to us? At least two reasons.

1.) It will always, always remind us of the churches and communities we've sung it in before...including with OKC 1st's Kaleo congregation, at our own wedding, and as worship team members at Stillwater 1st (where they always, always ask Brit to sing lead because she obviously loves it so much).

2.) The lyrics beautifully and profoundly describes the brokenness of the world in which we -all of us- live, and the arms-wide-open love, mercy, tenderness, acceptance, and compassion with which God welcomes and embraces his children. THIS is the love we -all of us- are called to think, speak, and act into the world every single day. WE'RE called to do it in coffeehouse/house churches in Poland...but it's what we're ALL called to do!