| Contemporary worship songs
These songs have been suggested by Chris Gale of Yarra Valley Vineyard fellowship. (Incidentally, the Tom Slater referred to in LET MY LIFE BE LIKE A LOVE SONG is not the Tom Slater who is our National Director!)
JUSTICE AND MERCY - Matt Redman
From the album “The Father's Song”
Copyright © 2000 Kingsway's Thankyou Music
The main themes of this song are central elements of the Kingdom of God: justice and mercy. Matt reflects on God's care for the broken, the poor, the orphan and the widow, and realises that, rather than merely singing an empty song, he must be changed to live it out. This is a skilful blending of topic matter in a worship context.
MULTIPLY YOUR LOVE - Andy Park
Copyright © 2001 Vineyard Songs ( Canada) Admin by Mercy/Vineyard Publishing in the US
This song addresses two core elements of the kingdom: loving the “poor and broken ones”, and seeing “a mighty flood of justice and mercy”. It uses the effective imagery of seeing God's love multiplied through us to the lost and the least. It is God's love, but it is expressed through us as our lives are changed to imitate Jesus' life. This is a prayer for personal transformation leading to global impact.
LET MY LIFE BE LIKE A LOVE SONG - Tom Slater and Brenton Brown
Copyright © 2001 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) Admin by Mercy/Vineyard Publishing in the US
“Let my life be like a love song.” These words may not immediately draw your mind to God impacting the world around us, but as the song develops, this is clearly a major theme of the song. The first verse lays the groundwork by describing how God gave his life “for me”, and how we need to respond by giving “just as I’ve received”. The second verse fleshes this out by talking of justice rolling on “like an endless stream, flowing through my life to the poor and weak”. And now we begin to understand that living our lives as a love song to God is all about revealing the love of God to those around us. Indeed, may our lives “be like a love song.”
NOW TO LIVE THE LIFE - Matt Redman
Copyright © 1997, 1998 Kingsway's Thank You Music
This is a rather solemn song, but one which reflects the seriousness of our position. As Christians, we sing lots of songs, we speak many words, we give many 'offerings' and yet the 'crunch' of our lives as Christians is really to “live the life”. Matt doesn't negate our words, songs and offerings, hoping and praying that they will be precious, but reinforces the need to “go the extra mile, ... turn the other cheek, and to serve you with a life”. “Now to live the life.”
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