The worship band has the best seat in the house. Seriously. We get to hear the entirety of the congregation sing their hearts out—resolutely and robustly. When I say this to my friends, they reply: Really meh? Can hear me??? No, I can’t exactly hear an individual (unless it’s becca 🫶). But the collective. It’s quite a stunning experience—a foretaste of what’s to come on the other side of eternity.
A friend sent me an audio snippet she recorded on her phone yesterday. It’s the two songs after the confession & assurance: I Stand Amazed and I Am Not My Own. You can barely hear me. I love it. It is God’s sons and daughters declaring his praises in unison, as it should be. This is why I do what I do. (Even if it means leaving my house before dawn for rehearsal, zonk.)
The second song starts at 5:07. Apparently 3rd congre has been singing it for a while, but it’s new for us in 1st and 2nd. I’d been plunking it on the piano the last month or so. I really like that it is essentially a singable version of the old heidelberg catechism. And thought it could flow well into the preaching passage (1 Samuel 27-28, yes it’s a weird one with a witch and everything).
In case you ever forget who you are, you belong to Jesus 💛
The One who made the heavens, made my heart and soul
Before I drew a breath, I was loved and known
I am His creation, the Maker's masterpiece
And all that He designs will be done in meI belong to the Lord, oh, I am not my own
I belong to the Lord, I am not my own
I will honor Him for this I know
I belong to the Lord, I am not my ownMy body is a temple of the living God
I'll worship in this house that His blood has bought
As I bear His image, oh, may I not profane
The holiness I hold in this earthly frameAnd if He has redeemed me, I am not my own
The measure of my worth is His love alone
He declares my standing, and He declares my state
So I will know myself by the name He gaveI am not my own and now my heart is free
O Maker, come and make what You will of me
There is nothing broken that You cannot repair
So Lord, I leave my life in Your loving care
Another friend gave her fervent endorsement: gonna make ppl sing it at my wedding (or funeral, whichever comes first 🥲)
a soundtrack
I have a working draft in my dump files about how the video game, Hollow Knight, is analogous to the Christian life. Coming soon. For now, enjoy its masterful soundtrack by Christopher Larkin, particularly haunting Dirtmouth and sprightly Greenpath.
a comic
The four Shang sibs have a group chat made up mostly of OOTDs, 90s nostalgia, and copious photos of my nephew. All ridiculous things. A recent non-Tedder content is a comic by one of my favorite cartoonists, Sarah Andersen:
Thank you for reading, friends! May you now, knowing that you are a beloved child of the living God, walk with the swaggering confidence of an old azn uncle.
love,
reb
The shout out 😂🥹