Ok, a new feature this week: a chance to spotlight a new(-ish) Christian song or hymn.

For today it’s a song we introduced at Grace Church Barrow this past Sunday, Rejoice, written by Dustin Kensrue – and somewhat surprisingly – Stuart Townend.

You can find the chords for Rejoice here.

We introduced the song to help open our new teaching series on the Lord’s Prayer, picking up on the lyrics in the second verse:

We are children of the promise,
The beloved of the Lord.
Won with everlasting kindness,
Bought with sacrificial blood.
Bringing reconciliation
To a world that longs to know
The affections of a father
Who will never let them go.

You’ll notice that when Kensrue sings the verses above, he always goes ‘up’ (an octave?!) in the second half of each verse. This means you come into the chorus pretty high! Alternatively you can sing the second half of each verse without making that step up – it actually feels like you’re reaching a bit lower – but that makes the chorus much more sustainable, we’ve found!

I also like how they’ve written a second version of the chorus that picks up on the suffering theme of verse 3, so it kind of grounds rejoicing in the realities of trials, rather than giving the impression that life is never hard…

Rejoice!

Seven up…

1) Ashers’ ‘Gay Cake’ Case – A huge ruling for free speech in the UK this week as the Supreme Court ruled that Ashers bakery’s refusal to make a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. Stephen Kneale offers some helpful observations. Strikingly, the Peter Tatchell Foundation even commented approvingly of the importance of the ruling, whilst the Archbishop Cranmer blog wondered why the Church of England hadn’t. And BBC Home Editor, Mark Easton, made this rather alarming comment in conclusion to his report on the judgment: “But the concern here, I think, is what is going on inside the head of the shopkeeper? What is the real motivation? Is their refusal really about the message or could it actually be prejudice against the people who want that service? I think they’ll probably be some more cases on the same subject.”

2) ‘It’s nothing like a broken leg’: why I’m done with the mental health conversation – Eye-opening.

3) Not an Exact Science – Ray Evans offers leadership wisdom from Acts 15-16.

4) ‘The Day My Daughter Died’– To mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, Heirs magazine published three ‘long form’ pieces written by editor Jonny Ivey, after Jonny and his wife Joanna recently lost their little girl, Edith, at thirty-five-weeks old. Devastating, yet hugely powerful words.

5) In Praise of Mediocrity – Mmmm. Good observations.

6) Not Without Hope – These reflections from Ali on parenting kids with special education needs are brilliant.

7) When Chris Rea Put an Egg in Bob Mortimer’s Bath – For something a bit different this week, this made my Friday night. (Ok, I know I did a comedy video last week, but this is gold). Oh, and if you haven’t come across Would I Lie to You?, the contestants need to decide whether the person has told the truth or told a lie.)

Seven up…

1) The Debt Saviours – The vision and work of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) seems to be remarkable both for being unashamed of their desire to see clients introduced to Jesus Christ, and for receiving significant national praise for their work from outside the Church. This week they were the subject of an hour long documentary on BBC2, which is striking in itself. We haven’t caught the show yet, but you can watch it on iPlayer above; I’m told it’s really positive. For an introduction to the work of CAP, visit their own site here.

2) Is this the solution to our missional challenge? Ian Paul reflects on data that suggests that most numerically growing churches share one thing in common. Can you guess what it is? And in light of that, Madeleine Davies at the Church Times covers the news about a forthcoming Church of England report exploring whether clergy are becoming burdened by unrealistic job specs.

3) How to show Christ to children? – Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it”. Faith in Kids, a brilliant resource site for children’s ministry, has made available this seminar audio and handout as a way to encourage and enthuse your Sunday School team, while explaining to them how to give children the best start in life.

4) Let Your Dream Small Group Die – The vision of Christian community can sound appealing and convincing in a sermon on Sunday, but when it translates to the up-close reality of your own ‘small group’ at church, it can feel very different. How do we grow meaningful Christian community amidst our own oddities and strangeness?

5) Responding to Kavanaugh – Ugh. To say this week it’s been disturbing to see the President of the USA mocking a woman who claims to have been a victim of sexual assault is an understatement. As Monica Hesse says in her harrowing Washington Post article, there are already a whole heap of reasons that make it hard for daughters to even speak up to their own fathers. Let’s not make it even harder. That’s why listening to Senator Ben Sasse’s 18-minute speech from the US Senate floor is well worth your time and so refreshing. Relatedly, I wrote ‘Why Me Too Has Helped Me To See’.

6) Are Ethics Non-Essential? – Hugely helpful post from Andrew Wilson responding to the trending idea that says if an issue isn’t featured in the historic Christian creeds, then it also shouldn’t be allowed to define orthodoxy or divide the church. The obvious example cited when this argument is made is of course Christian ethics. But is that right? Wilson shows the folly of cutting off ethics from orthodoxy, and in doing so refers to the writing of Alastair Roberts, who has produced an insightful booklet on this issue that can be downloaded for free here.