Worship and a New Year

Psalm 66:1-9

English Standard Version (ESV)

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

66 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
²     sing the glory of his name;
    give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you
    and sings praises to you;
    they sing praises to your name.” Selah

⁵ Come and see what God has done:
    he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
    they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
⁷     who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
    let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸ Bless our God, O peoples;
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip.

A friend and I were talking about worship recently.  We both are musical and enjoy singing in church; however, we both found ourselves with certain pet peeve pertaining to worships in the church. Thus this post was born with my thoughts on worship and hymns. 

1) We need to sing with passion. If the song is a dirge, bring a contrite spirit to the song. If the song says,"Shout for joy!" They need to hear you four pews ahead of you. The choir or music leaders are there to lead us in worship, but the congregation needs to follow.  I too find myself singing words without fully contemplating what they mean. I have sung songs without heart, but I am the one missing out. Worship is my time to contemplate and rejoice in my savior and all He has done for me. 

2) As I get older and (by the grace of God) wiser, I find myself caring less about how you sound. God did not make everyone a singer. I get that. Yet I can find more heartfelt worship in the off key little kid singing at the top of his lungs or in the old and broken voice of a 90 year old man who truly seems to understand the words of his favorite hymn. Whatever rags we have to offer Christ are treasures. No I don't enjoy off key or pitchy, but I am moved by the passions of my brothers and sisters in Christ.

3) This is worship, not a performance. There are times for that. Congregation please participate and bring spirit and passion to hymns and spiritual songs. Share in the gift that God has given to you of worship. 

4) Bring intentionality to worship.  Read the poetry of the lyrics and understand the truths that we sing each week. Bring thought and prayer to the lyrics. I recently was on a missions trip and the leader asked the group to pick a song to sing with the local church. He asked us to pick a song that we were singing vertically, meaning one sung directly to God. I appreciate him being intentional in the kind of worship he wanted to share with our fellow believers. 

Gracious and Merciful Father, as I start this new year, abide with me. Be with me in the decisions I make and the passions I pursue.  Keep You ever before me so that I might not sin against You. May I be able to rejoice in work You do in my life this coming year. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5 Living Presently

1 Thessalonians 5

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Day of the Lord

5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶ So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁰ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Final Instructions and Benediction

¹² We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,^[c] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. ¹⁵ See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit.²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

²⁵ Brothers, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Thessalonians did not need to be taught to be living for the future. That is all they had on their mind. They were not living for the present time.  Some had stopped working because supporting themselves didn't matter anymore. Paul was commending for living with the second coming in mind, but also encouraging them to life in the present moment. Working and enjoying life is important, yet part of enjoying life is living a life pleasing to God. Paul points out some of the things that make up present living: Respect, esteem work, be at peace, do good to one another, rejoice always, pray, pray without ceasing, give thanks. Paul is giving the Thessalonians a recipe for a joyful life. This is a lesson I need preached my heart. I want to live a joyful, Christ filled life. I often forget to include God in the everyday. Paul tells me how to right here: rejoice, pray, give thanks. Slowly God is sanctifying me.