theAlley’s Christmas Worship Schedule

We have two worship times on Christmas Eve:  5:00 and then an 11:00 candlelight.

The 5 and 11 will be two different services with 2 different messages.  Glory to God and peace on earth!

Ben’s Music Playlist

Taking a page out of Brian’s playbook this week and wanted to share with you 4 worship songs that have been steady on my playlist lately.  One of these you’ve heard of, 3 of them I’d guess you haven’t.

click the song name or album art to hear it.

1) Our God by Chris Tomlin

click the song name or album art to hear it.

2) God on High by theVine band

click the song name or album art to hear it.

3) Bless Your Name by Eddie Kirkland

click on the song name or album art to hear it.

4) Hallelujah, God is Here by Michael Bleecker

(If you were looking for 2 of 3 on the Greek words post.  Hold tight, we’ll be hearing about the Greek words for blessing next week Thursday.)

Worship Song: Our God

While we have moved on from Romans 8 a couple weeks ago I find myself constantly going back to those passages.  If God is for us (and he is since we know that he works towards the good for all who love him) then who can be against us?  I ask again; WHO?  Nobody!  Is that not the most amazing piece of news you’ve received today?  Should that not be the way we start out each and everyday, with the hope and promise of know that my God is already at work for me before I wake up and start my day….even though He knows and I know that I’ll start sinning as soon as I open my eyes.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[o] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This weekend our new song is ‘Our God’.  It’s a great tune that speaks to some of the miracles that Jesus performed while on earth and emphasizing the point that if God is for us, who can be against us.  And the answer….NOBODY.

Enjoy this snippet from a tutorial performed by Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman (co authors)

[ Via worshiptogether.com ]

Your Love Never Fails

This coming Sunday we are going to be reading the last section of Romans 8.  In these verses Paul asks if there is anything that can separate us from the love of God.  Will God stop loving us if we stray?  No.  Will he stop loving us if we are destitute and in trouble or danger?  No!  And furthermore we read that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him!

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amazing promises are found in these passages and I am looking forward to digging in deeper on Sunday.

While worship planning yesterday I cam across a song that has been on the back burner for a while now and listening to the words after having read the last pieces of Romans 8, there is no way we can’t include it this weekend!  The song is ‘Your Love Never Fails’ and the video below is from jesusculture.  jesusculture is a student/young adults ministry out of California and they are constantly churning out great stuff.  Check out more at: http://www.jesusculture.com/

Saviour King

This song has been forefront in my mind for a good number of weeks.  We worshiped with it about a month ago and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since.  So this week we are putting it into the set a little sooner than I usually repeat songs.

There is a line that just annihilates (thx Dean D) me everytime I hear/sing it:

You asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross our weight of sin

I think about the love that was shown by our Father God to saddle the sins of the world on His only son’s shoulders.  Amazing!  As a daddy myself I have a hard enough time getting one of my kids to do something for their own sibling and here is Jesus taking our sin and the sins yet to come upon his shoulders in the form of a heavy cross.

Many of you probably saw the large cross that was constructed out of railroad ties on Good Friday and then adorned on Easter Sunday.  Granted I am not a prime physical specimen but that thing was HEAVY.  It took 2 of us to move it and we were whining and groaning the whole time.  Now consider not only the physical weight of Jesus’ cross which was larger than the one we have but the unsurmountable weight of the world’s sin on his shoulders as well.

Thank you Jesus for carrying the cross for my shame and for dying with my sins upon your shoulders.

Enjoy the video below, I pray it ministers to you as much as it does to me.

meet the blogger:  brian smith

Brian & his wife Sarah have been married for 7 years and live in Cottage Grove with their 3 daughters; Amelia, Adalie & Delaney.  Brian is a graduate of the ministries program at Northwestern College and has been leading worship for 10+ years.  In his spare time Brian enjoys spending time with the family and home renovations.

Coming this Fall – A new worship time in a new place

Coming this fall, a new Alley worship, at a new time and another location.

In addition to Sunday morning, this coming fall we will be launching a new worship site on Sunday evenings in the Midway area of St. Paul.

In preparation for this we want to make sure that we are doing the most important thing first.  Seeking the Lord and His leading, praying for His protection from evil and for unity.  Please join us in praying for this site, the people it will reach and the city impact it will have.

Sunday night March 28th and every 4th Sunday of the month until the fall launch we will be doing a Sunday evening prayer and worship time in the Midway to seek the Lord’s leading on this. Shoot us an email at info@theAlley.org if you’d like more info or to get involved.

A special thanks to LINC – Twin Cities for their partnership in this.  They are both financially supporting this effort and coming along side in mission.  LINC is an organization that supports urban ministry and church planting.  They will be leading the “on the street” mission effort and will be hiring a full time site leader/worship leader to support this.

What you didn’t see…

Thanks to our Alley historian Jon, we not only get pics of worship…

…but also a peak into a few things happening around theAlley that you may not have seen.

Survey says…

This could be dangerous but here goes nothing.  Below is a listing of several song options for this weekend.  Make your choice and which ever song is ahead at 3p, we’ll add to the worship set! Have a different song suggestion for us?  Drop a line in the comments section. Power to the people!

Pick a song for worship this weekend.... Everything - Seven Places (33%, 5 Votes) Song of Hope - Robbie Seay Band (33%, 5 Votes) Finding Who We Are - Kutless (27%, 4 Votes) The Way I Was Made - Chris Tomlin (7%, 1 Votes) Total Voters: 15  Loading ...

Can’t recall how 1 or ANY of these songs sound?  Check ‘em out below….