Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

​“But I wasn’t doing anything!!”…. “But they were doing it!!” … “It’s not FAIR!!”….
This could be the kind of reaction from a child just caught misbehaving who didn’t want to face up to the consequences of their behaviour. 
But it is also what Jesus could have said to us.  He didn’t do anything wrong, that was us who were doing the sinning! And it certainly wasn’t fair that He took that punishment for us. 
But take the punishment is what He did.  And He didn’t moan about it either.  The crowd urged him to call down angels to save him – but He didn’t.  Jesus didn’t do the fair thing – on that darkest day He did the ONLY thing that could save us.
Spend some time reflecting on the pain that your sin put Jesus through on the cross in your place – thank Him that He’s taken your place to make you clean.  

Ephesians 6:10-20 (11 and 12 below)
Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

​Jerusalem is Marie’s favourite and has at times been the number 1 hymn on Songs of Praise.  It asks the question of whether Jesus visited England (not likely) with potential reference to the industrial revolution.  As with any poem, it is important to not necessarily take it too literally but it was used as an anthem for equal rights by the suffragettes and does call us to arms with its rousing tune. 
It calls to mind the passage about the armour of God in Ephesians 6.  It is important to remember that we are also told by Jesus in John 13:15 that “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  We’re called to be Jesus’ hands and feet and to carry on the work that He started.  Where we see injustice we need to ask God to equip us to fight it, in his strength and with his weapons of truth, grace, mercy and his word.  

John 1:1, 14
Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word became a man and lived among us. We saw his divine greatness—the greatness that belongs to the only Son of the Father. The Word was full of grace and truth.

​Steve writes: This is a beautiful song full of striking imagery to make you stop and THINK! The tune is meditative but builds to a powerful crescendo of praise.

Beginning at the beginning with God's hidden Word, the song reveals this to be Jesus Himself and celebrates the power of His name (which means Saviour of course).  It starts with Creation and takes us through Jesus' death to the silence of the grave and on to the "roaring" heavens.  It's quite the tour de force!

But the line that won't leave me is, You didn't want heaven without us so Jesus You brought heaven down.  The bluntness of the words are shocking  - and the truth revealed is the greatest truth that can be revealed, which is also shocking.  God loves us so much He wants us to spend eternity with Him and He was willing to pay any price to accomplish that.  The price was the death of His Son.  As a father and grandfather, words fail me to express such love....

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works,
so that no one can boast.

​Put yourself in Jesus’ sandals.  You’re probably about 30, and your mission is relatively unknown, except to John the Baptist who heard God’s voice declare that you’re his son. Up to now you’ve been relatively normal, except at your birth. 
And now you’re wandering in the wilderness.  No food.  No drink.  No one with you.  Well the devil shows up to tempt you, but no one helpful. 
Jesus faith in God’s masterplan is what got him through those challenges. 
We can face all sorts of challenges, and with God’s help we can overcome them and find his will in the situation. 
Then once we’ve followed Jesus all the way, after 10,000 years, we’ll still be able to celebrate God’s gift of Amazing Grace to us.  

Ephesians 2:4
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 
Psalm 103:1
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

​Both Ann and Margaret chose this one, with Ann really enjoying it when the full congregation are able to join in. 
Margaret wrote: Apparently this song was inspired by Psalm 103 when David is telling himself to praise God with his whole heart .
I know this isn’t a song really about Easter but it’s one I really like. This is all about singing as we worship God, none of us in our family are singers although Santi does blast it out as part of his medley of songs he sings on his way home each day. It starts with the sun coming up, well if the suns shining when I get up that’s always a better start to the day for me. The song was sung at Hannah and Dan's wedding, my Aunt said she didn’t know the song but this is definitely my aunts song. The song talks about the day when our strength is failing, Aunt would admit her strength is failing but she sings all the time worshipping God with all her old favourites. When I get to that day when my strength is failing I doubt I’ll be singing out loud like aunt but in my head I’ll still have lots of reasons to sing Gods praises.

 1 John 1 v 9 
If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us
 our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness

​This is one of Jeff’s favourite modern hymns and is one of the nation’s most used songs.
This song says so many different things which is probably why it is one of the favourites.  It covers our relationship with God, how through Christ we’re saved, and how in Jesus’ strength we’re able to stand in victory. 
Where do you need Jesus to strengthen you today?  Like with our verse for the year, God wants to strengthen and help us.  So confess where you need to confess, and ask God to give you the strength to stand in Jesus’ name.

Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

​This classic hymn reminds us that our Lord has plans for our lives that we can choose to follow.  Jesus knew that He had a plan given for Him to follow, which included being tested in the wilderness by the Devil.  The first of the temptations is to create bread from stones.  And Jesus refused, instead trusting in God rather than misusing his powers to satisfy his own needs.
Later on in the Gospels, Jesus comments that He is the bread of life, which we can follow and use to nourish our lives, which is picked up at the end of the first verse of the hymn. 
How are you doing at following God’s plan for your life?  

John 19:30
“It is finished.”

​This beautiful song takes us to the heart of the Easter message that Jesus died in our place. In so doing, he effectively washed our sins away. 
My guilt, my shame, my pride; all gone!
We cannot stand in the face of such a painful and powerful sacrifice. We must bow down and kneel before him in worship and gratefulness, and in renewed determination to serve the one who is worthy of every last drop of our energy in his service.
We must linger a while on the Good Friday scene before we can truly appreciate Easter Sunday!

Joshua 6
V16: The seventh time they marched around the city, the priests blew their trumpets.
​Then Joshua gave the command: “Now, shout! The Lord is giving you this city!

Alan and Albert both chose this song to get us to reflect on previous experiences and how we are soldiers for God. 
We have all been through different ‘battles’ in our lives and the only way to get through them is to seek out and then follow God’s will. 
​In Joshua 6, the Israelites are obedient to following a rather strange battle plan in order to take Jericho.  But onward they marched.
Jesus was given a rather strange ‘battle plan’ in order to save us – becoming obedient to death for us.
What is God’s ‘battle plan’ for your current situation or next adventure with Him?

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

​Paul chose this one saying “When I sing or hear this hymn it reminds me that there is one God and we need to stop and focus on him.”
It becomes very easy now days to rush everywhere, or be detached from the world and God through the overuse of technology. 
Lent was a time that Jesus deliberately chose to go and rely on God and to withdraw from everyone else. 
This Lent, as we work through 40 Days of Worship, remember to Be Still! And I pray that you’ll feel God’s presence as you worship God through the different songs that people have chosen and the reflections included with them. 
Each of them brings you a different angle on worshipping God, so take the time each day to Be Still and worship Him, be cleansed by Him, be healed by Him and gain a greater understanding of His power. 
As you start your journey through 40 Days of Worship, stop and pray that you’ll gain a closer relationship with God.