On Worship: Surprised By Light

The scriptures for the Year B: the Second Sunday after Epiphany (Ordinary Time) from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha. Reflection with guest K.C. Ireton, author of several book including The Circle of Seasons.

You can find out more about K.C. Ireton here and more about her books and writing here.

1 Samuel 3:1-20
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51

Additional reflection by the host, Ricky Blaha and K.C Ireton.

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com.

Artist Name: elddir 
Song Name: Beneath the Canopy (Instrumental) 
License#: 2057635568 

Artist Name: Evert Z 
Song Name: Into the Unknown (Instrumental) 
License #: 6924449033 

Artist Name: Matt-Stewart Evans 
Song Name: Hope From Loss (Instrumental) 
License#: 0018835255 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The scriptures for the Year B: the Fourth Sunday of Advent from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha.

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Luke 1:46b-55
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com.

Artist Name: Philip Daniel 
Song Name: What Child Is This (Instrumental) 
License#: 5941550304 

Artist Name: Goldfinch 
Song Name: The Dimming (Instrumental) 
License#: 9349039311 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The scriptures for the Year B: the Third Sunday of Advent from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha.

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126
Luke 1:46b-55
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

Additional reflection by the host, Ricky Blaha.

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com.

Artist Name: Matthew L. Fisher 
Song Name: Immanuel (Instrumental) 
License #: 2314446285 

Artist Name: Beren 
Song Name: Heaven (Instrumental) 
License#: 3255868980

Artist Name: Nova 
Song Name: Making A Life (Instrumental) 
License#: 8141048417 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The scriptures for the Year B: the Third Sunday of Advent from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha.

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126
Luke 1:46b-55
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com.

Artist Name: Matthew L. Fisher 
Song Name: Immanuel (Instrumental) 
License #: 2314446285 

Artist Name: Beren 
Song Name: Heaven (Instrumental) 
License#: 3255868980

Artist Name: Nova 
Song Name: Making A Life (Instrumental) 
License#: 8141048417 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The scriptures for the Year B: the Second Sunday of Advent from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha.

Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8

Additional reflection by the host, Ricky Blaha.

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com.

Artist Name: Brilliant Sky 
Song Name: Comfort In Sadness (Instrumental) 
License#: 9938905913 

Artist Name: Brilliant Sky 
Song Name: Travel Light (Instrumental) 
License#: 9665738740 

Artist Name: Philip Daniel 
Song Name: 0 Come All Ye Faithful (Instrumental) 
License#: 1628265669 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The scriptures for the Year B: the Second Sunday of Advent from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha.

Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com.

Artist Name: Brilliant Sky 
Song Name: Comfort In Sadness (Instrumental) 
License#: 9938905913 

Artist Name: Brilliant Sky 
Song Name: Travel Light (Instrumental) 
License#: 9665738740 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The first Sunday of Advent is this Sunday, December 3, 2023. This episode contains the scripture readings given in the Revised Common Lectionary as read from the Christian Standard Bible.

Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37

For further reflection on these passages, check out Debie Thomas’s essay one the website Journey with Jesus.

The Scriptures were read by Karlyn Blaha. 

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com. 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

The scriptures for the Year B: the First Sunday of Advent from the Christian Standard Bible as read by Karlyn Blaha.

Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37

The music used during the reading and in the end were used with a license from audiio.com. 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Sunday Morning Songs is a collaborative project led by Eric McAllister. Eric has served in churches and church plants over the last 10+ years. God has blessed him with education and experience that fits his calling to lead and provide biblically rich music for the everyday life of the church.

In an endeavor on Kickstarter, Eric has been raising money for the production of a couple EP albums for the church of Jesus. You can find that Kickstarter here:

Gather, Pray, & Eat

This interview is intended to help raise awareness to the work that God has called Eric to do and to encourage the listener to be involved in helping him. If you have the means and desire to help, please give to this campaign before it ends. 

After the campaign ends, be sure to follow the work that Eric is doing for the life of the the church. Thank you for taking the time to listen. 

The music for this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Debie Thomas is a writer and a spiritual director in her church in Palo Alto, CA. She is a regular essayist on the website Journey With Jesus and contributes for the blog Christian Century. I became familiar with her from her weekly essays that she shares on Journey With Jesus. Her essays are thoughtful and inspiring. I find them each week to be very helpful as I work to craft the liturgy at my church and as I prepare to lead our congregation in worship on Sunday. If you are interested in following the lectionary readings, and even if you are not, Debie's study and writing is well prepared food for the soul.

Debie has a compilation of essays on the life of Christ coming out later this spring which I will be reposting and sharing with you, and Lord willing a memoir of sorts in the following year. I do hope you will take the time to check out Debie's work. I can't recommend it enough.

The music for this podcast is written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

With Advent less than two weeks away, the start of the new liturgical calendar year is right around the corner. If you are one who already follows that liturgical year or perhaps you are just dipping your toes in the water, Jenn Giles Kemper offers a wonderful resource to help you plan your days and weeks following the new liturgical calendar.

Sacred Ordinary Days is a planner designed to help a curious or serious follower of Christ make the most out of their days. Jenn has been at this project for quite a while and the produce that she is offering in this planner is well worth the investment.

In this episode, I interview Jenn to hear her story and her passionate heart behind what she has invested into this planner for people to use. I have my copy and am chomping at the bit to use it. Listen to this episode and I know you will find an interest in her work as well.

You can find out more about Jenn and Sacred Ordinary Days at the links below:

Sacred Ordinary Days

The Planners

Resources for Advent

Sacred Ordinary Days on Facebook

The music in this episode was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Advent is only weeks away. Have you figured out how you might observe Advent this year with your family? Here is a great idea!! Use the new book The Wonders of His Love by Champ Thornton published by New Growth Press.

In this very new episode of Surprised by Light we hear from Champ Thornton the author of this new Advent book. The episode is certainly worth the listen, and you will certainly want to get a copy of this book. Champ guides us through the Advent season helping us to anticipate the coming of Christ with wonders found in the book of Isaiah. Each week, a different wonder is highlighted, and devotionals and other activities are offered to really make this season a profound and memorable one about the coming of Christ.

Champ is the author of a few books listed below as well as the host and producer of the In the Word, On the Go podcast. It will be well worth your time to subscribe to and take advantage of his podcast when you are on the go.

The Wonders of His Love (single and bulk)

The Radical Book for Kids

Why Do We Say Good Night? When You Are Afraid of the Dark

Radically Different: A Student's Guide to Community

Pass It On: A Proverbs Journal for the Next Generation

The music for this episode was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Every Sunday workers from many different places and vocations gather together to worship, and yet are the leaders of our churches really recognizing that through them the work of the commission of Christ taking place right in front of them? In the book Work and Worship, Matthew Kaemingk and Cory Wilson make a compelling case that church leaders, pastors and worship leaders, often create a unhelpful disconnect between what church members do each day and what they do when they gather to worship.

It could be said that the goal of many if not most of our church liturgies is focused on the building up of the institution of the gathered church yet ignoring the sending or scattering of the body of Christ as missionaries into their respective work places. The conversation in this episode of the Surprised By Light podcast barely scratches the surface of this topic. But the good news is that there is a book, specifically this book Work and Worship, completely dedicated to informing and equipping church leaders to think through how they can prepare and use our liturgies in gathered worship to send our members back into their own parishes as priests of the Royal Priesthood to minister the Gospel of Christ.

The book featured in this episode is Work and Worship. By going to BakerBookHouse.com, you can purchase this book and any book that is not already on sale or part of a promotion at a 30% discount by using the promo code SURPRISEDBYLIGHT. If you are going to buy books, why not get them at a discount?

In this episode, we are also joined by Bob Bixby pastor and church planter in Silicon Valley with Redeemer Church and Bayseed. You can find out more information about the church at RedeemerSV.com.

As always, the song Sometimes a Light Surprises was written by Mike and Allie Murphy. You can find out more about them at MikeandAllieMurphy.com. 

Photo used in the artwork of this episode is the official cover for the book published by Baker Academic publishing. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

If you are a baptist or have grown up in a baptist(ic) church the terms "liturgy", "lent", and "lectionary" might be a bit foreign to you. If you have heard of them at all, it might have actually been in a negative or cautionary context.

In this episode, we hear from Matthew Wireman who is a pastor of a Christ the Redeemer, a baptist church in Greenville SC, that utilizes the lectionary as a guide throughout the year and even observes Lent. Intrigued? I hope so. This conversation will be helpful for anyone who has been curious about how and why a church may use the church calendar or a lectionary.

You can find out more about Matthew Wireman at matthewwireman.com, and you can find out more about his church at redeemergreenville.com.

The articles that Matthew wrote that served as a starting point can be found here as well. Why Baptists can Follow the Lectionary and Why Baptists can use the Church Calendar.

The books that were mentioned written by James K A Smith can be found here. Use the promo code SURPRISEDBYLIGHT to receive a 30% discount when you purchase.

Desiring the Kingdom
Imagining the Kingdom
You Are What You Love

As always, the song Sometimes a Light Surprises was written by Mike and Allie Murphy. You can find out more about them at MikeandAllieMurphy.com. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Douglas McKelvey, composer, storyteller and author of the book Every Moment Holy (volume 1 & 2) joins me in this episode for a conversation about his story and the story behind writing these incredible volumes.

Doug and I talk about story and liturgy is a surprisingly helpful mechanism that helps us know how to worship in the ordinary moments of life, whether they are silly, joy filled, or sorrowful. Every Moment, when understood as being given and ordained by God, is holy.

This is an episode that you will not want to miss. There is a lot here and it will probably require a cup of coffee or two, but you will be glad that you took the time to join us in this conversation.

You can find your copy of the book, Every Moment Holy at EveryMomentHoly.com or at rabbitroom.com. Use the code SURPRISEDBYLIGHT to get 15% off any edition or volume of the book Every Moment Holy.

As always, the song Sometimes a Light Surprises was written by Mike and Allie Murphy. You can find out more about them at MikeandAllieMurphy.com.

Episode photo used from rabbitroom.com store site. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

In a very foundational and accessible book, Jonathan Cruse lays out a very helpful understanding of worship especially as it relates to congregational worship . In the book What Happens When We Worship, Jonathan walks us through the theology of worship, the anatomy of worship in the church and practical applications as we try and implement these principles into our lives.

Jonathan in the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, MI.  He enjoys writing as well as composing new hymns for the church.

His book was published by Reformation Heritage Books. And you can find it at their website or at bakerbookhouse.com. Baker Book House is a podcast partner with us, so use the promo code SURPRISEDBYLIGHT for an extra 30% off of your purchase.

Every Moment Holy is a wonderful book of liturgies for everyday moments written by Douglas McKelvey. You can  order Volume 1 or Volume 2 with a discount of 15% off at RabbitRoom.com if you use the promo code SURPRISEDBYLIGHT.

Sometimes a Light Surprises was written by Mike and Allie Murphy. Find out more about them at MikeandAllieMurphy.com.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Right in the center of Silicon Valley, the fountain of technology and digital life a few pastors come together to discuss what it is for the church to be a "place to be human." If that resonates with you or maybe it seems a little strange.

This conversation dives into the discussion of what it is to be human, and why the church is the place that God intended for humans to not be more digital, but rather it is the place where we realize both what we were made to be as well as what God is remaking us to be - Human.

This discussion was between Bob Bixby, Scott Dunford and Jay Kim. Each of these men are church planters and pastors in the Silicon Valley. A lot of great thoughts and ideas are shared here for the church and church leaders to consider in a time when we have had to resort to technology for community and people engagement. But is technology the future for us as humans as we are thrust into a world of digital and virtual reality?

Redeemer Church of Silicon Valley is the church where Bob and Scott co-teach.

Westage Church is the church where Jay Kim is the Teaching Pastor. He is also the author of the book Analog Church (use SURPRISEDBYLIGHT for a 30% off discount).

Sometimes a Light Surprises was written by Mike and Allie Murphy.  Find out more about them at MikeandAllieMurphy.com.

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

In Episode 3, Jay Kim talks about his new book Analog Church. He shared about writing the book as well as his experience as he has been able to apply the concepts and ideas in his own life and ministry.

In this episode, I am joined with several other pastors as they ask Jay questions about how to apply the principles and ideas in his book to preaching, evangelism and community. Jay and this small group of local pastors explore what Analog Church looks like in what we would consider to be "normal life" settings as well as what it has been like and what it will be like now that COVID has changed our world.

This Q&A addresses different larger models of ministry, preaching, and many other areas of church ministry and is profitable for anyone who is involved in church leadership.

If you have not yet purchased Jay's book, Analog Church, you can pick it up at bakerbookhouse.com with a 30% discount if you use the code "SURPRISEDBYLIGHT".

The music for this podcast was written and produced by Mike Murphy. You can find more of his music on Bandcamp. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

Who would have thought just a year and a half ago a book called Analog Church would end up being almost immediately obsolete upon publication... or maybe instead critically vital to understanding healthy church life today in the midst of a year long pandemic. 

My guest in Episode 3 is Jay Kim, pastor, teacher and author of the new book Analog Church. Jay shares of wealth of helpful insights in his book, and I was more than honored that he took the time to sit down with me and talk with me about this idea of analog church.

If you do not have a copy of this book, you really should get one. If you are in church ministry and are involved in training others who are doing church ministry, this should become a staple go to for your discipleship.

The music for this podcast is written and produced by Mike Murphy.

Pick up your copy of Analog Church today at BakerBookHouse.com. (use the promo code "surprisedbylight" when you check out.)

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.

In this conversation, I sit down with Chris Bruno and Gabe Zepeda and discuss Biblical Theology and worship. Chris is a professor of theology at Bethlehem Seminary and Gabe is a recent graduate of Bethlehem and is currently working on his ThM.

Chris has written several books about Biblical Theology:
Biblical Theology According to the Apostles
The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words
The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses

More information about the work that Chris Bruno and his family are doing in Hawaii is available here. 

Use the code "surprisedbylight" for a 30% discount at bakerbookhouse.com.

The music used in this podcast is written and produced by Mike Murphy. The song is Mike's setting of William Cowper's hymn "Sometimes a Light Surprises" recorded for the album O For a Faith. This song is licensed and used with permission from Mike and Allie Murphy. 

The music for the song "Sometimes a Light Surprises" used in this podcast was written and produced by Mike and Allie Murphy.