Thanksgiving
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Alternate Image
The Singer has assembled a giant choir. There are men and women and children of all ages. The color of their skins are rainbow-like in nature. They come from all walks of life; highly respected professionals to vagabond bums. They all have different views of life, religion and of the Singer. They are rich and poor, educated and illiterate, refined and coarse. But they all love to sing. They love to sing about their common love. They love to sing together about the love they feel emanating from God. That joy bubbles in them and draws them irresistibly into the choir where their combined voices can sing God's praise. They are excited to be there, to let their voices blend in harmony and power. They have rehearsed and they know just how beautiful their music can be. It is now time for their concert. Time for them to create a masterful performance. A hush falls over the choir as the Singer walks out from the wings and mounts the podium. He looks at the choir members carefully establishing contact with each and everyone. He raises his baton. Abruptly he turns toward the door of the hall and points his baton at the open doors. Confused, the choir members gaze at the back of the Singer. He raises his hands for the downbeat. With sudden insight, the choir bursts into song and marches out through the doors singing with all the might of the glory of the Lord, to a world that needs to hear such music.
Reflection
Why do we call Christians gathering together for singing, reading, learning and praying, a worship service? It is good for us to withdraw from the hectic pace of everyday life for a time of reflection and centering of the God of life. Time to focus on who and whose we are. Time to fill our souls with reminders of God's presence. Time to feel loved. But all of that has a purpose. That centering time is to equip us for service. To share the love God has given us with others. A choir enjoys the fellowship of folk with a common interest developing a skill together. But the choir practice is to prepare for a performance. To gain the skills to share their songs with others. In the same way, worship is to prepare us for service and God's called people.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Alternate Image
The Singer has assembled a giant choir. There are men and women and children of all ages. The color of their skins are rainbow-like in nature. They come from all walks of life; highly respected professionals to vagabond bums. They all have different views of life, religion and of the Singer. They are rich and poor, educated and illiterate, refined and coarse. But they all love to sing. They love to sing about their common love. They love to sing together about the love they feel emanating from God. That joy bubbles in them and draws them irresistibly into the choir where their combined voices can sing God's praise. They are excited to be there, to let their voices blend in harmony and power. They have rehearsed and they know just how beautiful their music can be. It is now time for their concert. Time for them to create a masterful performance. A hush falls over the choir as the Singer walks out from the wings and mounts the podium. He looks at the choir members carefully establishing contact with each and everyone. He raises his baton. Abruptly he turns toward the door of the hall and points his baton at the open doors. Confused, the choir members gaze at the back of the Singer. He raises his hands for the downbeat. With sudden insight, the choir bursts into song and marches out through the doors singing with all the might of the glory of the Lord, to a world that needs to hear such music.
Reflection
Why do we call Christians gathering together for singing, reading, learning and praying, a worship service? It is good for us to withdraw from the hectic pace of everyday life for a time of reflection and centering of the God of life. Time to focus on who and whose we are. Time to fill our souls with reminders of God's presence. Time to feel loved. But all of that has a purpose. That centering time is to equip us for service. To share the love God has given us with others. A choir enjoys the fellowship of folk with a common interest developing a skill together. But the choir practice is to prepare for a performance. To gain the skills to share their songs with others. In the same way, worship is to prepare us for service and God's called people.
