Song Stories: Right Hand of the Father

I'll be posting a new song story each day leading up to the release of our new CD "Wide Awake." For more information about our music or our ministry please visit our website: http://www.rhythmofworship.com/

I believe the basic verse lyric and melody for this song started in my office at home; however, the chorus came to me one day while running at Miner's Ravine - a beautiful trail in Roseville for running, biking, and walking. I remember coming down a particular hill and rounding a corner to head towards the trail terminus at Sierra College Boulevard as the melody and lyric for the chorus hit me, "Open up the heavens let us see..." I was working on that in my head the whole second half of the run!

This song was readily embraced by our congregation and is right up there with "Wide Awake" as one of my favorites on this project. One thing I love about this song is the reference to Stephen, the first Christian martyr whose story is recorded in Acts 7. I remember asking Allison if this reference worked. I wasn't sure if it was too specific...she loved it and we both agreed to keep it. I'm so glad we did. It lends itself to a great lyrical teaching moment during worship - in much the same way that certain obscure or "odd" sounding hymn lyrics become powerful when their meaning is revealed.

But this lyric took on even more significance during the month of March at our church. I had chosen this song as a part of our worship one weekend not knowing that a young adult would lose his life during a tragic skiing accident...his name was Stephen. We were singing it at our Saturday night service and as we were finishing it Allison pointed to the line "like Stephen to behold you with our eyes." It didn't hit either of us until that moment. On Sunday morning, after we sang it, I told the congregation that this line was originally referencing the first Christian martyr, but that now it has taken on added meaning, referencing one of our own sons in Christ who is truly beholding the Lord with his own eyes. I think singing this song that weekend was cathartic for our congregation. The family wanted Allison and I to sing this song at Stephen's memorial service.

Right Hand of the Father
Paxson Jeancake

At the right hand of the Father sits the risen, ascended Son

In returning he is bearing scars of grace and scars of love

Open up the heavens, let us see just a glimpse of holy majesty
Like Stephen, to behold you with our eyes
Risen one, ascended Lord on high

At the right hand of the Father sits the holy Lamb of God
Death defeated, he interceded; pleads for us now from his throne

At the right hand of the Father, standing now to welcome home
Sons and daughters, every martyr not ashamed to be called his own

Song Stories: Wide Awake

I'll be posting a new song story every other day or so leading up to the mid-June release of our new CD "Wide Awake." For more information about the CD or our ministry please visit our website: http://www.rhythmofworship.com/

I was reading a pastor's blog one afternoon right before I was to meet with the worship leader for our high school ministry (Mia). One line about how God is "always wide awake" really stuck out to me. I got out my guitar, started strumming some chords and before I knew it I had a bit of a verse and chorus.

I quickly recorded these cryptic ideas into my little dictaphone just before my friend Mia arrived. Little did I know that this would become one of my favorite songs and that it would really resonate with a lot of people at our church. It also provided a metaphor for trying to express the "present reality of God" - a sentiment that had become so powerful for me with regard to the implications of Christ's ascension, but that I had not been able to creatively articulate.

It was Allison's idea to carry over some of the same words from the first verse into the second, but with a more positive orientation. And I think she came up with the second pre-chorus, "Finding greater dreams, finding greater things, brings my heart alive" which is one of my favorite lyrics on the whole project. This song proves that inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime, but you have to be ready to receive it.

Wide Awake
Paxson and Allison Jeancake

When I rise each day I can drift away
And slowly lose my joy in you
I forget your grace and begin to place
All my hope in what I see

Lost in lesser dreams, lost in lesser things
Bring my heart alive

I want to be wide awake, I want to hear you call
I want to know you more, be my all in all

Speak into my heart, speak into my life

I want to live everyday full alive

I want to be wide awake

I want to be wide awake, Lord, to you

When I rise each day, help me know your way

And find my greatest joy in you

Your amazing grace is the only place

Hope is more than what I see

Finding greater dreams, finding greater things

Brings my heart alive

Song Stories: Lead Us to Heaven

I'll be posting a new song story every other day or so leading up to the mid-June release of our new CD "Wide Awake." For more information about the CD or our ministry please visit our website: http://www.rhythmofworship.com/

This was one of the first songs I started writing after we finished our second recording, Ascension. I vividly remember the context in which this song first started to emerge. We were on vacation at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina (where I have gone since I was a kid). I had gone for a morning run on the beach and cooled off in the ocean afterwards. Coming out of the water to head back to our condo I started singing, "The dust of the earth is on the throne on high." That is part of a quote that greatly intrigued me while studying about the ascension of Christ.

The full thought by John Duncan is: "The dust of the earth is on the throne of the Majesty on high." John "Rabbi" Duncan was a Scottish theologian of the nineteenth century. His statement is based on Ephesians 2:4-6: "But God, being rich in mercy...made us alive together with Christ...and seated us with him in the heavenly places."

This truth is further affirmed in the Heidelberg Catechism (Question/Answer #49):

Q. How does Christ's ascension to heaven benefit us?
A. First, he pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of his Father.
Second, we have our own flesh in heaven—a guarantee that Christ our head will take us, his members, to himself in heaven.

Other hymns also affirm this truth. Arise, My Soul, Arise has the line: "Five bleeding wounds he bears, received at Calvary." Crown Him with Many Crowns has the line: "Crown him the Lord of love; behold his hands and side, rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified" (Note the physical and present tense aspects of those lyrics).

This whole idea of "the dust of the earth" being on "the throne of the Majesty on high" was so profound for me because I used to think of both Jesus and heaven in more ethereal terms. The doctrine of the ascension caused me to think seriously about the present, physical nature of Jesus and heaven which the Bible describes.

Originally I played around with a little more movement, melodically, for the opening line. Allison felt like it needed to remain simple, keeping a kind of rhythmic feel so that it really opens up with the next lyric: "Where the Son radiates the Father's love." That line, by the way, is based on Hebrews 1:3: "The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command."

Most of the lyrical content of the chorus is based on Paul's plea to "set your sights on the realities of heaven where Christ is seated in the place of honor at God's right hand" (Colossians 3:1). The second verse is based on what is known as the Sursum Corda. The Sursum Corda (Latin for "Lift up your hearts") is the opening dialogue to the Eucharistic Prayer in the liturgies of the Christian Church, dating back to the third century. The phrase is often used responsively in which the worship leader says: "Lift up your hearts." Then the people respond: "We lift them up to the Lord."

Obviously, this song has a variety of lyrical inspiration, and I probably gave you way more than you wanted to know! But I hope you realize that we songwriters take what we do seriously and really try, creatively, to impart profound and edifying truth.

Lead Us to Heaven

Paxson and Allison Jeancake

The dust of the earth is on the throne on high
The dust of the earth is on the throne on high

Where the Son radiates the Father's love

Lead us, Lord, to the throne above

'Cause we can hold this world too close, lose sight of our home
We can hold this world too close, lose sight of our home

So lead us to heaven, to the throne of grace
Set our hearts on one holy place

Where Jesus is reigning, holding everything
Joined in the worship of our King, lead us to heaven

Lead us to heaven

Lift up your hearts, we lift them to the Lord

Lift up your hearts, we lift them to the Lord

Where the Son radiates the Father's love

Lead us, Lord, to the throne above

Song Stories: Always and Forever (God You Are)

I'll be posting a new song story every other day or so leading up to the mid-June release of our new CD "Wide Awake." For more information about the CD or our ministry please visit our website: http://www.rhythmofworship.com/

I think this song evolved more than any other on the project. It started off with a pretty simple chord progression and me singing lead. As we approached the studio sessions I felt like Allison needed to sing lead on a couple more songs, this being one of them. It was a great call. She gives this song a really bright feel. She also tweaked the melody for the bridge and gave it more of a lift. I waited until the ninth hour to write the second verse, but it completes the natural progression of the song. The basic idea is that each and every day (dawn to dusk), through every circumstance of life (trials and blessings), God is faithful, he never changes.

Always and Forever (God You Are)
Paxson and Allison Jeancake

As the morning daws to start a brand new day
As the evening stars put your glory on display
We lift our eyes to you Most High, joining now we say

Holy is your name, faithful everyday
Always and forever, God you are
Your glory never fades, your mercy will remain
Always and forever, God you are

When the storms arise and trials come our way
When the blessings flow with measures of your grace
We lift our eyes to you Most High, joining now we say

All creation's longing for that final day
Until your returning, still we will say