20 Songs for 20 Years
By Will Gaines, South Worship Pastor
In November, we invited our entire church to come together as we recorded live 20 songs to honor our 20 years as a church. Looking out from the stage and hearing voices ringing from the cathedral's sanctuary, I was struck with what I will call gospel-nostalgia. I remember reading once that this kind of nostalgia is a spiritual awareness of “what life ought to be like.” It is not a sense of longing for the “good old days” but imagining our lives in eternity worshipping the everlasting God, as it ought to be.
Each song we sang reminded me of the moments when these songs were birthed. Some songs were written in the places of praying, “God I believe, help my unbelief." Others were written in Second Wednesday Worship as prophetic moments of crying out for God to move in our city. There were songs written in 2014 around a piano in Charlie Hall’s house and songs written in the cries of desperation for more of his presence.
That night coalesced memories of what God was doing throughout the many seasons of our church. It was like looking at old family photos of loved ones gathering for a holiday and celebrating life. The night was filled with Ebenezers of God’s faithfulness. Each song is a story of God’s love and providence in the storyline of the church. Each lyric is a guttural response to our longings and desires to be met by the living God.
The whole night pointed to the beauty of God. Every instrument, note, and piece of musical poetry was a peek into the artistic brushstroke of God’s eternal beauty. It pointed to his plan of redemption and the promise of the day when every nation, tribe, and tongue will declare, “Worthy is the lamb who was slain! All glory, honor, and power!” On that day, we, the adopted sons and daughters of God, will look to our brother, Jesus, and to God, our Father. Joining the angels in heaven, we will sing, "Glory to God! The creator of all things!"
That night, the room was filled with stories of God’s pursuit over the years: people with scars, mothers who lost their babies, teenagers searching for identity, tired fathers burdened for their families, broken marriages, those who have lost loved ones to disease, the depressed and anxious, the list could go on…. yet, we were all singing together:
"All I want is you!"
"We are sons and daughters of a good Father"
"All the heavens declare your glory"
"I call to God, and the Lord will save me"
"God, we belong to you!"
As we release this album to you, our church, know it reflects prayers prayed for you. We long for God to meet you. These are words we hope to sing over you when you need them most. They are echoes of what will one day no longer be gospel nostalgia, but will be the refrain of a people who have made their home at the feet of Jesus' throne.
Listen to "Frontline Music: Live at the Cathedral" today.
This year, Frontline Church is celebrating our 20th Anniversary! On Easter Sunday 2005, Frontline was planted in Josh & Nancy Kouri's living room. 20 years later, we are one church with five congregations across Central Oklahoma committed to loving God, loving people, and pushing back darkness. To read more stories like this one or learn how you can celebrate with us, visit frontlinechurch.com/20year.