new song: bring the nations home

We’ve just uploaded a new congregational worship song to our resourcing site. Bring the nations home (It’s your face) brings together adoration of Jesus, intercession for the nations and commitment to mission. You can download the mp3, chord sheet and full story behind the song from our songs page.

bring the nations home pic

Here’s an extract from our story and purpose resource for this song in which it’s writer – Liz Baddaley – tells us about the inspiration behind it…

“One of the worship leaders at Mosaic Church Leeds, Craig Mullen, recently pulled together a few of the church’s song-writers to come to a song-writing day at the Sanctuary.

“All of us were responding to the brief to write songs for the 2014 Love: Nations conference that were grounded in scripture and based on the dual themes of Jesus’ face and mission to the nations. This song was my response.

“Of course, the brief resonated deeply with much of what we sing, pray and create about daily here and so it was a joy to write this song because it came straight from the heart. The scriptures that inspired it were:

(verse 1) Matthew 17:2 where Jesus face at the transfiguration is described as shining like the sun, and the passages in Revelation which talk about the light of God and/or the lamb lighting heaven. (Interestingly these are the only scriptures that give any description of his appearance or expression besides the prophetic statements in Isaiah 53 that say there would be nothing of beauty in his appearance .)

(verse 2) 1 Corinthians 13:12 which talks about seeing now in part but one day in full.

(verse 3) Hebrews 12:1-2 and to some extent also Philippians 3:13-15 which talk about fixing our eyes on Jesus and running the race to the end.

“I have a special affection for Bring the nations home. Because creating it was one of those times when you knew you had written something you would want to sing again and again because it voiced so much truth and so much of the heart-cry to love him and others.

“For me, with such a global focus to my heart and ministry, there cannot be too many songs that help us apply this command to the nations.

“It’s a simple song which works well in a congregational setting. And the three main verses function like a hymn, grounding the song’s praise of Jesus and commitment to mission in truth.

“But the two tags – one more adorational and one more directly intercessional – enable the song to deepen and free up in a way which makes moving into more spontaneous worship and prayer natural and helpful. Even if they are used less freely and more like a bridge they are still helpful because after so much truth and so many words, they provide the space to reflect, absorb and prayerfully commit in response.

“Recently  I have been struck by a couple of little phrases from the song From the inside out (Hillsongs). They say: ‘Let justice and praise become my embrace, to love you from the inside out.’

“This one image speaks volumes to me about what this song, the Sanctuary’s overall message, and what I hope – my life – are trying to be all about…

“To follow Christ is to wholeheartedly love God in an embrace made up of both adoration and intimacy given to him and merciful prayer, service and mission rooted in a love for others and him.

“When we want to really hug someone we use both arms… just using one is not the same. It’s a helpful picture.

Let’s give a balanced, wholehearted embrace that is focused on Jesus’ face alone in adoration but is running an active race of service in service of his purpose in the nations – to bring many more to him and to build his kingdom of justice and peace.”

Special thanks to Craig Mullen for coming up with the first tag for this song.

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