That said, I know that a part of my calling is to praise God with my life. That much has been apparent since I was a child. But over the years, the “how” has changed, not only the genre of music (from Classical to contemporary) but also the method. I’m using to writing things down and creating that way. But there's a sense of also praising and worshiping “in the moment,” without writing things down.
Still, I’ve been sensing Him drop lyrics into my bucket for musical consideration. (And, I should be quick to point out that it is not only “for consideration” ; it is also a nudge, an exhortation to make more texts from Scripture known that may not be known in the same way as other passages.
The text from below comes from 1 Corinthians 1, the chapter where Paul talks about how the foolishness of the message of the cross is a stumbling block to all those who think that they are wise on their own strength. It has been a comfort that God has given me in previous years when I was overcome with anxiety around how to craft the perfect argument to point out someone’s sin to them in the hopes that said “perfect argument” would cause them to see the error in their ways and make them repent immediately.
Anthem Title: The Message of the Cross
Expected ensemble: SATB with pipe organ
Expected lyrics below:
Part 1:
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”I Corinthians 1:3-9 NKJV
Part 2:
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”I Corinthians 1:10, 18-25 NKJV
Part 3:
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.””I Corinthians 1:26-31 NKJV
I’m not sure if there is to be a Part 4 as of yet. Part of why I’m on the fence as of this moment about whether to add another section or not is that, on the one hand, this text as is seems complete, and the line “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” would appear to be a fitting conclusion, even if kind of abrupt, considering the scope of the text; but on the other hand, there is some text toward the end of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth that talks about how Jesus gave us the victory through His death and resurrection, and that that would be a great way to end this piece. I guess I cannot go wrong either way, but I think the task is to get started composing, and then once I get to this point I can (and must) see what the Spirit has to say about whether to go on or not.
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