Choose This Day

Choose This Day

Brian West

The trees are without blossom;

No fruit is on the vine 

The harvest we were counting on

Will not come in this time 

No food is on the table;

No water in the well 

If we survive this famine,

Oh, the stories we will tell 

We may be driven far away from here;

We may be tempted to hold on to fear 

But when our dreams have all gone up in smoke,

We refuse to give up hope because… 

We will make our home

Wherever the Lord may lead

Serving Christ alone,

We’ll live as a family 

There is hope in the place of catastrophe,

In what we choose this day 

The sheep have all been scattered;

My heart's an empty pen 

The things that seemed to matter

Desert me once again 

But looking to the future,

Discov'ring life anew 

We're building on a fresh foundation,

Eternal, brave, and true 

We may be driven far away from here;

We may be tempted to hold on to fear 

But when our dreams have all gone up in smoke,

We refuse to give up hope because… 

We will make our home

Wherever the Lord may lead

Serving Christ alone,

We’ll live as a family 

There is hope in the place of catastrophe,

In what we choose this day 

We will make our home

Wherever the Lord may lead

Serving Christ alone,

We’ll live as a family 

There is hope in the place of catastrophe,

In what we choose this day 

You Are With Me (Psalm 23)

You Are With Me (Psalm 23)

Brian West

Oh, Lord, You are my Shepherd

You give me all I need

Lay me down in greener pastures

To the still waters lead

Chorus:

You are with me, Lord, You are with me

You are with me, Lord, You are with me

Lord, restore me; make me holy

Just and righteous paths reveal

For You only, for Your glory

You are all that is real

Chorus

Though I'm walking through the darkness

There's no evil I fear

In the shadow land so heartless

Still I know You are near

Chorus

You protect and reassure me,

Making feasts before my foes

With Your oil You anoint me

So my cup overflows

Chorus

Surely goodness, love, and mercy

Will pursue me all my days

And the Lord's own holy temple

Will be my home always

Chorus

The Lord Has Done Great Things (Advent 2)

So much has been taken from our people
Taken from our families and friends
So how can we believe in new beginnings,
When so much sweet comes to a bitter end?
We will find reminders of redemption,
We will speak and sing the sacred truth
That when the darkness on us has descended
The Light will rise again and lead us through

Refrain:
Rejoice! The Lord has done great things!
Rejoice! The Lord has done great things!
The good news is the hist'ry of the healing that He brings
Rejoice! The Lord has done great things.

Lord, we sow the holy seeds of healing,
Longing for injustice to be crushed
We build and we believe, through weeks of weeping
We are not fools to plant in You our trust
You are Who we need to build and blossom
In You is our genesis of joy
So when the well has dried down to the bottom
Our confidence in You is not destroyed

We will bring good news to the afflicted
We will bandage up the broken hearts
Declaring freedom for all those convicted
And liberty for people behind bars
Mighty justice God alone delivers
He consoles all those who grieve and mourn
He pours His joy and gladness out in rivers
A heart of praise replaces one forlorn

One day all our mouths will fill with laughter
What was once a dream will be made real
The tears we poured and planted in disaster
Will blossom into joy from the same field
Jesus, lead us from despair and sorrow;
Help us harvest holiness and light
We cannot build a hopeful home tomorrow
Without Your pow'r to rescue us tonight

Lord, You Are Waiting (Advent 1)

(Each verse of this song summarizes the Advent Scripture passage listed before each verse. See below for a playable copy of the music.)

Isaiah 64:1-9:

Open up the sky, Lord;
Show the world Your power.
May Your presence leave
The nations trembling
You are like no other,
Awe-inspiring Father,
We beg for Your mercy;
Turn away from all our sin

Refrain:
Lord, You are waiting for our repentance.
You hold back the justice of Your wrath.
Your love is patient, longing that we turn and confess
And find forgiveness in Your mercy's path.

Isaiah 40:1-11:

You plead for our comfort,
Eager for our pardon,
That our guilt be cancelled
And we be redeemed.
Though our flower withers,
Your word stands forever.
So we trust Your justice;
We will follow where You lead.

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13:

Listen to the Lord speak
To His people true peace
May they not return to all
Their foolish ways.
Truth meets lovingkindness;
Righteousness and peace kiss.
God will give the goodness;
Let us shower Him with praise.

2 Peter 3:8-15a:

God fulfills each promise,
Not in ways of slowness
Waiting patiently
To see the world repent.
So let us in hope cling
To all that is lasting.
With the Lord's provision
Let our vision be content.

Mark 1:1-8:

We lay down our pleasures
To oppose oppressors,
To prepare a pathway for
The Righteous One.
Though we are unworthy
To kneel down and serve the
Mighty one of Zion,
We await the rising Son