Psalm 145:3-5
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

Debbie chose this song because of the memories it brings back as a teenager in the Mission. 
Today is Palm Sunday when people spontaneously broke out in praise to Jesus, worshipping Him as their King coming in the name of the Lord.  When the Pharisees challenged Jesus to get people to stop He replied that the stones would call out if he did! If you were asked by someone to stop singing, would your foot keep tapping? Or would you break out into dance instead?

How enthusiastically do you worship God?  Does every bit of effort go into worshipping God or is it just going through the motions? Yes worship is more than the songs we sing, but they form an important part of our collective worship. 

​Pray today that God will help you worship more deeply than before to really worship him for all of his majesty!  

Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.

​Roy chose this song as it reminds him that ‘It was opening the door and let Jesus come in was my start to the Christian pathway for me.’
We all will have different experiences of becoming Christians and someone reading this may not be a Christian yet.  Some people may know the time and date, others it might be a general period, some might be quite dramatic and others more run of the mill days.
If you’ve become a Christian, spend some time thinking about your ‘story’ with God.  Pray through it, maybe even write it down and if even braver share it with someone. 
If you’re not yet a Christian, consider praying to God about becoming a Christian, and chat to one of us if you need some help. 
If you’ve drifted a bit in your walk, pray with God that He’ll help you come back to His loving arms.  

Lamentations 3: 22-23
The steadfast love of the Lord never fails. His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.

​Ruth wrote: “This is my favourite Easter song because it is lively. It reminds me that our blessings are new every morning. Given the apparent bleakness of Good Friday, it is a good reminder that the tomb is filled with light not darkness and that through all the pain there is then joy.
It is a really bouncy tune that I enjoy playing and having a dance with.”
This morning, maybe have a little bounce, jig, or full on dance whilst celebrating what it is that God has done for you at Easter.

Psalm 17:7,8
Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.  Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

​Colin reminds us that the Bible is full of verses that speak of God's protection over us! He is our rock, our hiding place, our refuge, our safe place, our shield.
Of course, this doesn't mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us! But it does mean that we can place our full trust in him at all times, even when the storms are raging about us!
As you listen to the words of the song, try to visualise God as an eagle sheltering you in his wings.

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

​Jeff commented: When I was 11 I went to Pathfinders and the challenge was to remember bible verses, and this is the chorus that stuck in my mind.  
And Lent and Easter both remind us of who is Lord.  We all have a choice, like Jesus did in the wilderness.  We can either bow down to God and Jesus as our Lord, or we can bow to Satan like he tried to get Jesus to. 
When we make Jesus our Lord, we’ve got access to God’s forgiveness and we also receive the Holy Spirit to do God’s works in our lives.
Is Jesus your Lord today?

Psalm 85:10-11
God’s love will come together with his faithful people.
Goodness and peace will greet them with a kiss.
People on earth will be loyal to God,
and God in heaven will be good to them

​This is one of Liane’s favourite songs and reminds her of the support given her through challenging situations. 
Grace is a gift that we don’t deserve, and God wants to help us and strengthen us. And this very famous song is one that reminds us of just how amazing that Grace is.  God’s ability to work in any situation and to break those chains that were holding us back is beyond our understanding. 
In the face of all of that grace – what is our response to be?  Like in the Psalm, we’re called to be faithful to Him and loyal.  Seeking to serve Him and through that those around us. 
Pray that God will give you a fresh understanding of His grace to you and give you opportunities to show that and share that with other people.  

Psalm 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

​Our God is a great big God might not be a song that people think of immediately on the run up to Easter but it is James’ favourite church song.  The reason he gave for why it is his favourite is that ‘I like it because He [God] built us.’ 
And there is a huge joy that comes from knowing that we are made by God.  He’s known us from before our parents met, and has plans for our lives if we choose to follow them.  I had slightly mis-remembered v14 of Psalm 139, forgetting the ‘I praise you because’… and this song reminds us to praise the God who is bigger than anything we can get our heads around, yet holds us in the palms of his hands.  And it reminds us at the end of the second part that we’re part of God’s amazing plan – that amazing plan that involved Jesus dying for us on the cross at Easter and coming back to life so that we could have that relationship with God again.  

Matthew 27: 32-56
V33 They came to a place called Golgotha

​I think Jesus got used to being uncomfortable.  He was born in a stable, a refugee in Egypt, didn’t seem to have a permanent ‘home’ on Earth from his travelling around, was harassed by the religious leaders…. The list goes on. 
At Lent we focus on him depriving himself of his earthly needs for 40 days and then the temptation that arrived.  And after Lent, in our calendar (even though not in Jesus lifeline) we have Easter where he suffered pain that we can not even begin to understand. 
But as verse 4 reminds us, without Jesus overcoming the temptation at Lent, he wouldn’t have been good enough to save us.  Only Jesus was capable of saving us from our sin. 
Is there something that you can abstain from today, and instead spend that time focusing on God and relying on his strength to help you through?

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

​This is a song that is probably one of the most known by non-church goers in our hymnbooks because of its use on Remembrance and at the FA Cup.  But it struck me that in Lent, when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, in an earthly sense He was on his own.  And when Jesus was on the cross He famously called out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” showing how again Jesus knew what it was like to be alone. 
When we call out to God when we’re on our own, Jesus is there interceding for us, because He knows what it is like.

Revelation 5:11-14  (V12 below)
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

​Whilst today is April Fools Day, our song today deals with something very serious.
Gary said: The chorus goes, Calvary covers it all. 
This song is all about Jesus saving me from going to hell.  I hate this world I live in with every fibre of my being, I hate it (See John 12:24–25).  Because of Calvary Jesus is coming back for me to take me out of this world and I will be with Jesus forever and ever.  Joy overflows in my heart when I think I'm never ever coming back to this world ever again.  There is no one in Heaven and Earth I love more than Jesus.  I close my eyes in prayer and tell Jesus I love him.  One day I will put my hands into his nail pierced hands, with my eyes open looking into the eyes of Jesus and tell him, I love you Jesus.  "To him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, FOREVER and EVER.