Saturday, October 5, 2013

"All Around the World"

Recently, I had the opportunity to enjoy a short-term mission trip to rural China.  On the flights home, I was reviewing all that had happened on the trip, and thinking about the similarities and differences between the communities of believers in the very disparate places I'd been around the world over the past decade or so.  I began crafting a rally song of sorts, themed on the unity of worldwide believers.  A million-and-a-half hours later when I landed in Charlotte (or so it seemed ... that's just a rough estimate ...) I had mostly completed the song "All Around the World":

Let the redeemed of the Lord sing out.
Let every voice lift His praise up loud
And join the angels in heavenly shout
All around the world.

In every nation and every tongue,
With every daughter and every son,
We'll sing the good news that Christ has won
All around the world, all around the world.

May the Spirit that guides us
Bind and unite us as one, as one.
A fabric woven together,
Enduring whatever to glorify the Son.
We'll sing of His love.
Sing of His love.

Let every soul that is unaware
See in our actions His love declared
And may His Gospel of hope be shared
All around the world, all around the world.

May the Spirit that guides us
Bind and unite us as one, as one.
A fabric woven together,
Enduring whatever to glorify the Son.
We'll sing of His love.
Sing of His love.
Sing of His unending, grace-extending,
Ever transcending love!

All around the world
All around the world
All around the world.