Our repertoire contains about 100 contemporary congregational songs, plus a wide selection of traditional hymns. Occasionally it has been suggested to me that this is too many because it is difficult to learn so many songs well enough to sing them with gusto on Sundays. It has also been suggested a smaller list that changes more regularly, or drawing on more songs from well known sources to enable visitors from other churches to be instantly familiar with our material. I have thought about this long and hard over the years.

Even with 100 songs to choose from, regularly I struggle to find the right song. In particular, the songs that follow the sermon need to give us voice to respond to the revelation of God with clarity and conviction. And the songs in the early part of the service should cover a breadth of topics to help build our understanding of God and his gospel more generally.

Our contemporary songs are drawn from a number of sources, some of which are familiar to regulars, but perhaps not as familiar to people joining us from other churches. These sources include Emu Music, Sovereign Grace Music, as well as our own Revelation music and some of my own compositions.

I augment these with songs from well known big churches and other sources in both Australia and in other parts of the world. But I am selective about what content gets adopted.

Many of us would know the impact that individual songs can have. Some songs repeatedly stir our faith in Christ, whenever we hear or sing them. Some songs are so good that we enjoy singing them regardless of whether the instrumentation is traditional or  contemporary. Some songs we will remember even if dementia eventually tears away  everything else.

Importantly, I want us to consider the nourishing effect of a good repertoire sung over a long period more than simply the impact of great individual songs, in the same way that I would want to think about a healthy diet over time more than simply the great meals I have enjoyed at one point or another.

So instead of reducing the repertoire, I would like to provide a way for you to get to know it better!

Let me introduce to you the Trinity City Spotify Profile:trinitycity – where you will find a series of playlists of our songs, and which will be updated over time. The benefit from the songs does not need to be limited to our gatherings. Download the app for either a computer or a phone or a tablet and listen for free (if you’re happy with the ads). Otherwise upgrade to a subscription.

I trust this will aid us in our walk with Christ. Music has the ability to keep filling our  minds and hearts with the truths of God’s word. Then when we gather, we can lift our voices in loud praise together.