For many people, Lent is a time to return to some of the old traditional favorites.  But there are also many great “new classics” from the modern worship scene that are great for this season of returning to the core of our faith.  Lent is a journey toward the cross – toward the redemptive suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Below is a list of songs for Lent, broken down in three central Lenten themes: repentance, discipleship, and the cross. 

Yes, it is true that much of contemporary worship is quite limited in its metaphorical scope when it comes to Jesus’ death, but the same could be said of our traditional hymnody.  So I’ll also try to point toward some lesser-known music that brings us closer to the rich variety of biblical imagery.  

As the musical aspect of evaluating worship songs is a very contextual question (see part I), lyrics are the primary way I evaluate songs for inclusion in my song lists.  Along with the development of a worship set or liturgy (see my earlier series Worship in 7 Movements), this is perhaps the area most in need of theological reflection in the contemporary worship scene.  The first thing to realize is that just because someone is a “worship artist,” does not mean everything they write or perform is going to be appropriate for congregational worship.  In general, five values inform my selection of congregational worship music:

There are two aspects of evaluating songs for use in worship: one is musical (is my congregation able to sing it?), and the other is lyrical.  Part one of this article will focus on the musical aspect, while part II will dive into lyrics. 

Context rules
The musical question is much more contextual than many people realize.  What is “singable” for a congregation of 500-1000 people in an urban area is going to be very different than what is singable for a congregation of 25 people in a rural farmtown.  This applies to both the style of the song (and what instrumentation is needed to make it viable) and its musical key.  When it comes to contemporary styles, some congregations just will not be able to pull off certain songs because of a lack of adequate instrumentation.

Hey all,
I just posted a new section featuring some of my own music.  You can listen to complete songs and download chord charts, all for nothin'.  So click on over and enjoy.
-matt