Enriched Affections

Rather than feature just one song this Easter, I'll be featuring my top ten favorite songs about the resurrection of Christ (at least my top ten at the moment... this list seems to change every year). The list this year includes one song from me, three classic hymns of the faith, two newer ones from Sovereign Grace Music , and four from the Gettys . So, starting with number ten, here they are: 10. Hail the Day (from Sovereign Grace Music) --> Click here to watch on YouTube --> Click here to download a .pdf of the chords 9. O Church Arise  (by Keith and Kristyn Getty) --> Click here to watch on YouTube --> Click here to download a .pdf of the chords 8. Jesus Paid It All --> Click here to watch on YouTube --> Click here to download a .pdf of the chords 7. Crown Him With Many Crowns --> Click here to watch on YouTube --> Click here to download a .pdf of the chords 6. Come, People of the Risen King  (by Keith and Kristyn Getty) -->...

Good Friday is here; a day to remember the cross and the act of atonement ordained by God and achieved by Christ. Perhaps you will be celebrating this event with a service at your church. Perhaps you have family traditions to help you think deeply about this momentous event. At our service this evening we will be having a rotation of quotes and verses from scripture and various hymns to set the mood before the service begins. I hope you find them encouraging as we remember the death of our Lord.

During these Sundays of Lent leading up to Easter I'll be featuring a different song focused on the death and resurrection of Christ. "Atonement Satisfied"  by Joshua Huff, written in 2011 (not professionally recorded yet) I wrote this song for our Easter service in 2011. The recording above took place in early 2013 and features our worship team from a morning service. Why I recommend this song for worship- So much of the emphasis around Good Friday and Easter is on the physical side of the death and resurrection of Christ. Certainly we shouldn't ignore the physical torment Christ went through and conquered. However, scripture spends a ton of time on the spiritual side of what happened on the cross. This song seeks to expound on the conquering of the sin which began in Adam and continues through our response as redeemed people. As I put together the lyrics for this song my goal was to get us to think deeply about the spiritual transaction that took place o...

During these Sundays of Lent leading up to Easter I'll be featuring a different song focused on the death and resurrection of Christ. "Above All" by Michael W. Smith, released on Worship  (2001), new lyrics by Joshua Huff The new lyrics I added as a second verse to this song are also found in a modified version on the song I wrote called Justified , available on my album Enriched Affections . Why I recommend this song for worship- The reason we celebrate Easter is because of what happened on Good Friday. Without the cross and its incredible spiritual significance, Easter is just another Sunday. This song places a great emphasis on the cross and Christ's exalted place above all things. It mirrors the "emptying" passage in Philippians 2 which speaks of Christ place next to the throne of God and points us there from the cross. The melody supports these truths wonderfully and it is very singable. However, I think the song on its own doesn't go f...

Another sacred holiday is quickly approaching. Easter is just a few weeks away, and with it brings the tension between celebrating the true meaning of the holiday and getting caught up in its commercialization. Much like Christmas, Easter has become less about the resurrection of Christ and more about Easter egg hunts, Cadbury Cream Eggs, jelly beans, and spending time with family and friends. It wasn't always this way. The Christian celebration used to be the main thing on Easter Sunday. So, how has this changed? We could lump Christmas in with this too. How have the two biggest celebrations on the church calendar become secular holidays? To answer that we can look to our history; to the very start of these holiday celebrations. The beginnings of Christmas give us the clearest answer. In the early church, it was celebrated on January 6, the same date that Epiphany is still celebrated. However, as the first and second centuries progressed, there was competition between this Ch...