My attention was first drawn to the subject of supplication when reading Philippians chapter four. There we read in verse five that ‘the Lord is at hand’. Then in verse six we read that we are to ‘be anxious for nothing’, but to practise supplication in everything. There is a contrast made between nothing and everything. At a simple level, the point is that we are to be anxious for nothing, and to pray about everything. That’s where the message of the song begins.

In the case of this current booklet, the theme of ‘thanksgiving’ is far-reaching. Of course, thanksgiving is central to all our praise and worship. However, I’d like to expand the theme to areas that we may not have previously considered. For example, it is important that we link thanks with a study of the peace offering, in both Old and New Testaments. The peace offering was a thanksgiving offering, associated with a successful harvest at the end of a season.

In the current season, we have been hearing, and reflecting a great deal about ‘the testimony of God’, or ‘the witness of God’, referred to by both the apostles Paul and John. 1 Cor 2:1; 1 John 5:9. This witness of God, John said, is by the agencies of water, blood and Spirit which ‘bear witness’.
1 John 5:6-8. These are very profound subjects indeed. In our ‘Journey in Song’, this particular choral piece is one of my favourites.

I had been planning this ‘Journey in Song’ series for some time, as a way of sharing and reflecting on the songs of my own pilgrimage. I had also been wondering where to begin. Should I begin at the beginning, with my very first original song, or with the most recent presentations and work backward? In the end, I was so richly surrounded by the word of God at Easter, that a new song was born right there - ‘A New Way’ – hence the title of this first booklet in the series.