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This setting of Psalm 1 in Cantonese was submitted by Yvette Lau, is written by Yvette Lau -- music arranger: Jim Ling; singer: Wong Wa Sang; sand artist: Edith Wu -- and focuses on the choice of blessings to meditate on God’s Word day and night.
Psalm 1
This psalm piece is an adapted prayer using Psalm 1 to express our desire to be like a tree planted by the streams of water versus the chaff to be blown away. Since whether we are staying in God’s Word is of critical importance for our survival, the chorus part highlights this life and death matter – to stay in God’s Word and have our lives renewed. The coda helps us to pray earnestly that we will be standing firm until the last day and have our praise from God. This song has been interpreted by sand art to add another layer of meaning to it. Through the 3 sand art drawings, the vivid images in Psalm 1 are presented before the eyes of the viewers. The first drawing shows the easily blown away chaff – indeed the sand has been blown away visually. The second drawing displays the imagery of meditating God’s Word day and night with prayers. The third drawing illustrates the ideal life as portrayed in Psalm 1 and by adding Jesus and the kid, it further portrays the ideal relationship with God through the meditation of God’s Word day and night. Psalm 1 as our prayer is significant for us in this particular time as we face unprecedented crises and challenges – we need to make the wise choice to follow God’s Word and stand firm in God’s Word more than ever.
English Translation:
I desire to be like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yield its fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wither.
I desire to be watchful today following God’s way with all my heart.
I do not want to be like the wicked
who are like chaff that the wind drives away
We will be blessed if we stay in the Word of God,
and meditate it day and night.
If we stay in the Word of God, our hearts will be renewed
and our eyes will turn to the vision of the Kingdom
while keeping ourselves far from evil.
On the day of judgment, we can stand firm
and have our praise from God.
This short contemporary song is to be sung in Cantonese*. Since this song has its theme on the Word of God and is in a form of prayer, it is suitable to be sung after the assurance of pardon or after the sermon, or after the sermon if it fits for the response. It is also suitable to be sung in worship services focusing on the dedication to the Word of God or Bible Reading.
*Cantonese is a tonal language
Contact: Yvette Lau, www.anabasministry.org
Teenagers’ desire to encounter God has been realized throughout history as youth ministry has grown and evolved. Indeed, teenagers have expressed needs and desires to practice and grow their faith at church, school, and home as well as at camps and conferences or on short- and long-term mission trips. On the one hand, these worship efforts have been deeply formative. On the other hand, these worship efforts have focused on attracting and keeping teenagers as much as, if not more than, on spiritual formation. This session will identify key historical patterns in adolescent worship and examine how we might engage their wisdom for faithful worship practices with teenagers today.
Songs from the people of Korea can deeply enrich your liturgy whether you have Korean-speaking members in your congregation or not. This workshop will introduce a variety of bilingual Korean-English songs that have been newly translated in the past few years as well as strategies to lead them effectively in your own worshiping context.
In this panel, Hispanic pastors share the learnings and experiences lived by their congregations after completing projects related to the development of their understanding and practices about worship. Together, they represent a variety of Hispanic denominations as well as of "dreams" they were able to realize (learning about the Creeds, bilingual worship, multigenerational worship, worship in non-traditional settings). Their congregations were part of the first cohort of Hispanic congregations receiving "worship grants" under a new initiative CICW launched in July of 2022.
Teenagers’ desire to encounter God has been realized throughout history as youth ministry has grown and evolved. Indeed, teenagers have expressed needs and desires to practice and grow their faith at church, school, and home as well as at camps and conferences or on short- and long-term mission trips. On the one hand, these worship efforts have been deeply formative. On the other hand, these worship efforts have focused on attracting and keeping teenagers as much as, if not more than, on spiritual formation. This session will identify key historical patterns in adolescent worship and examine how we might engage their wisdom for faithful worship practices with teenagers today.
Songs from the people of Korea can deeply enrich your liturgy whether you have Korean-speaking members in your congregation or not. This workshop will introduce a variety of bilingual Korean-English songs that have been newly translated in the past few years as well as strategies to lead them effectively in your own worshiping context.
In this panel, Hispanic pastors share the learnings and experiences lived by their congregations after completing projects related to the development of their understanding and practices about worship. Together, they represent a variety of Hispanic denominations as well as of "dreams" they were able to realize (learning about the Creeds, bilingual worship, multigenerational worship, worship in non-traditional settings). Their congregations were part of the first cohort of Hispanic congregations receiving "worship grants" under a new initiative CICW launched in July of 2022.
What basic models for worship planning are out there, and which patterns will work best in your context? Join a lively discussion of several worship planning models by the authors and pastors who use them. Bring your questions and suggestions as we learn together.
