No more chasing useless things; You're our King. We declare our dependence!
During this extended holiday weekend of 2023, we get to be reminded again of all that Jesus has done, is doing, and will continue to do to reveal that "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Gal 5:1).
As Lecrae sings in "Set Me Free":
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just want to praise You ...
Shackles on my feet, O, they won't let me be,
Won't You set me free?
Break this hold on me ...
I got them shackles off my feet! ...
I couldn't move, but now I'm free!
May the Kingdom of God break in to provide true freedom in Christ now for all who call the city of Worcester, Massachusetts home.
Throughout this summer, my prayer is that Emmaus City Church would also grow in the freedom of realizing our dependence on God together. It in Him that "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Urban Doxology provides songs from their two albums, Urban Doxology and Bread for the Journey, as a soundtrack for how to live into this reality. One song in particular, "Declaration of Dependence," helps encapsulate (along with their reading of Isaiah 58) the desires and cries of my heart for Emmaus City Church. May our worship this weekend bring forth an urban doxology throughout Worcester that reveals Christ's power made perfect in our weakness so that we and those around us might experience all the freedom experienced when we depend on the grace of God.
Isaiah 58 Scripture reading by Urban Doxology
Cry aloud, shout, lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Declare to My people their rebellion.
Tell My people what's wrong with their lives.
They seek Me daily and delight to know My ways.
They ask Me "What's the right thing to do?"
They act like righteous people
Who would never abandon the Word of God.
"Why have we fasted," they say "and You have not seen it?"
"Why have we humbled ourselves and You have not noticed?"
"Why aren't you impressed?"
Here's why: It's because you are fasting to please yourselves.
You fast, but you argue and fight over small things.
You fast, but you attack those who don't think and act like you.
This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere.
You go through the motions, bowing your heads like plants,
Bending in the wind, dressed in clothes for mourning.
Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to God?
This is the kind of fast I'm after:
To break the chains of injustice,
Lighten the burdens,
Free the oppressed,
Cancel the debts,
Share your food with the hungry,
Give shelter to the homeless,
Clothe those who need it.
Don't turn away from your own flesh and blood.
They are your family.
Then your light will break forth like the dawn!
Your healing will quickly appear!
Your righteousness will go before you,
And the Glory of God will go behind you!
You will call, and God will answer!
You will cry for help and God will say, "Here I am!"
Remove the heavy burden of oppression.
Do away with the gossip and finger pointing.
Feed the hungry.
Help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
Your shadowed lives will be bathed in the sun,
And God will guide you always.
He will satisfy your needs in the emptiest of places,
Restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
Like a spring whose waters never fail.
Restore.
Renovate.
Rebuild the broken in your community.
Raise up the age-old foundations.
You will be called the Repairer of the broken systems,
Restorer of home and community.
Urban Doxology, 2014 A.D.
We're done with clinging to the
Ways that box us in.
Now we know we want to lean onto the
Love You're offering.
For too long we put our
Faith in our own strength.
We must submit unto the
Reign of our true King.
So as a nation we call a mighty
God who's waiting on a simple
Declaration of our dependence,
Back to Him is where we want to be.
Now we see that we're
Nothing without our King.
We're gonna fall unless we're
Holding to Your hands.
Too many bruises come from
Too many bruises come from
Making that mistake.
We'll let You be the One who
Heals our every ache.
Not gonna take a step
Unless You lead the way.
(Repeat chorus)
Selfish love and selfish gain
Left us empty singing,
"We declare our dependence!"
We're finding refuge in Your name
We don't want the fame 'cause
We declare our dependence!
We will trust in nothing else,
You're our help, singing,
"We declare our dependence!"
No more chasing useless things!
You're our King!
We declare our dependence!
We (We)
De (De-)
-Clare (-Clare)
Our dependence!
P.S. Urban Doxlogy is connected with East End Fellowship in Richmond, Virginia. East End describes themselves as "a a multi-ethnic, economically diverse Christian church in the east end of Richmond, seeking God's joy and justice for our neighborhoods out of love for Christ," a beautiful statement that they truly embody. You can read more about East End Fellowship's origins here: Skylines & Silhouettes | Worcester, MA + Richmond, VA.
I've had the privilege to join with East End for a couple of their Sabbath gatherings. One of those Sundays, Doug Paul preached from Luke 9:1-19 and invited us to remember that King Jesus isn't inviting us to step into a miracle we can do, but to step into miracles that only He can do in our lives, in our neighborhoods, and in our city. To read such a miraculous story, check out this post featuring an excerpt from Doug's Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation for a Brave New World:
On that day with East End, the Spirit of God was tangibly present in the words being sung, prayed, and voiced by the multicultural and socioeconomically diverse children, women, and men who I was able to stand with, sing, and cry out to God with together.
May God's Kingdom come, His will be done.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino! 🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino! 🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
With blessings of presence and peace,
Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan
Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan
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