Let’s begin our 2022 year in review with a hymn text from 1758:
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
This lyric from Robert Robinson’s “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” refers to 1 Samuel 7:12 where Samuel set up a stone to mark how far the Lord had led Israel on their journey. I believe it’s important for all of us to periodically look back, reflect on our journey, and thank God for leading us.
If you’ve been following Greg Scheer Music for a while, you know that I create an annual “musical year in review” podcast which assembles the highlights of the previous year’s compositions. Why don’t you go ahead and fire up your favorite podcast app and start listening right now?
One of the things you’ll notice right away is that fewer of 2022’s highlights are church music. That is, in part, because I’m no longer leading worship at a local congregation. I have always felt my primary calling is to write music. So, while I loved (mostly…) my time in ministry, I am now able to devote my full energy to composing music. That has allowed me to focus on some long-neglected areas of my musical output.
But enough Ebenezering. I know most of you are here for resources you can quickly plug into your worship ministries. Here are a few culled from 2022:
Psalm 20: Blessing
Written with Kate Bluett, this benediction song won first prize in this year’s Church of the Servant New Psalm Contest.
Tuhan Adalah Gembalaku/You, Lord, Are My Shepherd of Love
A recently translated and arranged setting of Psalm 23 from Indonesia.
Psalm 23: God Is Our Shepherd
A new tune for a hymn written by Michael Morgan, who died in 2022.
You’ll notice that all these songs are blessings. Why not teach one of them to your congregation and sing it a few weeks in a row as the final song in your worship service? There is nothing like a good benediction. Indeed, that’s what I pray for all of you as you begin a new year of planning and leading worship; that you would experience God’s benediction—God’s good word—spoken powerfully in your life and ministry.
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