My Final Project

For my final project for the Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen's University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

The song: Let Your Justice Reign.mp3 

The lyrics:

Let Your justice reign

With Your heart of mercy to guide

To seek the lost

To love the scorned

To heal the broken

To grieve the mourned

Let justice reign

And mercy govern

Let Your justice reign

With Your heart of mercy to guide

To fight for the weak

To reverse injustice

To embrace the lepers

To aid the wounded

Let justice reign

And mercy govern

CHORUS:

Give us Your heart, (Lord) Jesus

Give us Your heart

Let Your justice reign

With Your heart of mercy to guide

To release the bound

To protest brutality

To battle the oppressors

To free the captives

Let justice reign

And mercy govern

BRIDGE:

As the world crashes around

And desperately seeks an answer

Let Your heart be sovereign

And guide us, Your faithful servants

The chords: Let Your Justice Reign.pdf

The explanation: 

            At the beginning of the course, when we looked at the four “echoes of a voice” (Wright, Simply Christian, Pg. 1 – 51), I knew immediately that the one that resonated most deeply with me was justice. As we applied these echoes to overall worship structure, I consciously realized something for which my heart had been crying out for several years: as a church, we just simply do not play enough songs about justice. So, coming to the close of the course, I knew exactly what topic my song would be built around. However, as I studied my own blog posts and verses in the Bible such as Isaiah 61:1-3 and Matthew 10:8, I knew that in my mind, justice would never again be able to be separated from mercy (see my blog post “Justice, huh?” ). Built on that foundation with the aforementioned verses (and those like them) in mind, I wrote this song.

            The bridge may throw some people, but I needed something to give it kind of a peak and this seemed like it. The general idea is that in a world of destruction where people wander around desperately looking for an answer, that this is the answer—this justice and mercy—this echo of a voice. Or, rather, better stated, the God belonging to that voice is the answer.

            Also, after I wrote it, I had to question the phrase “let justice reign.” I realize this is sort of a colloquial phrase, but if justice is reigning, isn’t it sort of like an idol? But then as I began to search out my heart in writing it, I realized something: God is just. Therefore if God is reigning, justice is as well. Assuming the converse is true, if justice reigns, God is reigning. And there is nothing I would rather sing or write about than the rule and reign of God—the Kingdom of Heaven.

P.S. It's an awful recording because my guitar just plain sounded awful that day. And, also, I have cheap effects on my voice because, a. all I have are cheap effects and, b. because (ask anyone that knows me) I hate the sound of my voice without effects. I'm also not a pro at recording... Garage Band is about all I know about... so, hopefully, you'll enjoy it anyway. :)