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“Let every living thing praise the Lord!”
Saturday, 5 August 2017
Psalm 150:1 Halleluyah!
Praise God in his holy place!
Praise him in the heavenly dome of his power!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds!
Praise him for his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast on the shofar!
Praise him with lute and lyre!
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing!
Praise him with flutes and strings!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals!
Praise him with loud crashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise Adonai!
Halleluyah!
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The collectors and compilers of Israel’s psalms chose this vibrant poem/song of praise to cap the collection. In Israel’s context, it took in both traditional ways of worshipping (“the blast of the ram’s horn”) and more “contemporary” expressions (“drum and dance,” “clashing cymbals”). In the light of God’s “incredible greatness,” it invited God’s people to use the full range of their creativity to celebrate God’s mighty acts, to bring their best energy and skill to the act of worship.
• Pastor-scholar Donald Williams wrote, “This psalm is a little introduction to and summary of what real worship is: expressing joyful delight in the presence of God. Commentators identify this psalm as a hymn. Its author and date are unknown; it is timeless. The thought moves from what to do before God and where to do it (v. 1) to why to do it (v. 2) and concludes with how to do it (vv. 3–6).” * In what ways do your attitude about, and participation in, worship reflect the spirit of this psalm? In what areas do you want to ask God to help your worship experience grow toward this ideal?
Prayer: God of wonders and might acts, by your love draw me ever more fully into your awe-inspiring presence. Guide me to worship you more deeply in spirit and in truth. Amen.
* Donald Williams, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 14: Psalms 73–150. Lloyd John Ogilvie, gen. ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, p. 530.
Family Activity: Create a special worship box or chest for your home. (You can use a shoebox or other container or buy a plain one at a craft store.) Design the outside with words, pictures and symbols representing your family and faith. Inside, place objects that help your family worship together. You might include a Bible, a prayer cloth, a candle, items from nature, pictures, art supplies, and music. Each week spend some time worshipping together at home using the items in your box. You might also try going on a nature walk and praising God for creation, serving in a nursing home or soup kitchen, or even giving a worship box to another family to design and use. Give thanks to God for the blessing of worship!
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Anne Williams
(Things get hectic for our interns as they prepare to return to school, so Jon wasn't able to write for today. Here's a post Pastor Anne Williams, who serves at Resurrection's Downtown campus, wrote in 2011.)One of the last conversations I remember having with my grandpa before he died was when I was home from seminary for a weekend. Thanks to Chicago traffic and my placement to serve a church about an hour’s drive outside of the city, I was in my car a lot those days. In my childhood, Gramps and I had always shared a love for country music and when we were together we would always talk about the hottest songs on the radio and compare our favorites (Alan Jackson’s “Tall Tall Trees” his top choice for a long time). As I grew older, my taste in music began to change, but Gramps would always ask me “What are you listening to these days?”
That was the question he asked me that day – “what have you been listening to?” I will never forget the look on his face when I told him I was spending most of my time listening to news radio. He was so disappointed and tried to convince me that listening to music would be a much better use of my time. He didn’t change my mind in that moment; I kept listening to news radio, but that conversation has stayed with me. I’m still trying to sort out the details but I think he was trying to teach me about something larger than just where to tune my radio.
Singing songs can create a joyous spirit in us. Singing love songs can remind us of love in our lives. Singing songs of mourning and lament can remind us that we’re not alone in our pain. I believe God’s mysterious Holy Spirit can even work through my radio dial, iTunes shuffle, or Pandora radio station to find just the right song for the moment I’m in to remind me of my faith, or give me the spark of encouragement I need for that day. That’s why I’m following Gramps’ advice and singing loudly to the music on my radio, and trusting that as often as God blesses me through the songs I hear, I will also have opportunities to reply to God with praise and worship.
PS: The song that has been inspiring me to turn my praise to God is “Roll Away the Stone” by Mumford and Sons. The lyrics go something like this:
It seems as if all my bridges have been burned,
You say that’s exactly how this grace thing works
It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart,
But the welcome I receive at the restart
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You might also like
Beast: You came back. Belle: Don't leave me. I love you.
Lumiere: What if she is ‘the one’ who will break the spell?
Mrs. Potts to the Beast: “Must help her to see past all that”
Belle: He's no monster Gaston. You are!
Mrs. Potts to Belle: The master's not as terrible as he appears!
Or download this week's printable GPS.-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Pat Tackett and family on the death of her mother Betty Grayson, 7/25
• Jon Chamberlain and family on the death of his sister Roberta Landreth, 7/20
•Cran Cederlind and family on the death of his mother Alme “Jackie” Cederlind, 7/20
•Ryan Aldis and family on the death of his mother Sarah Gillman, 7/20
•Family and friends of Melissa Owen on her death, 7/20
• Jim Smith and family on the death of his sister Joyce Winters, 7/19
• Mary Shewmake and family on the death of her brother-in-law James “Jim” Hess, 7/5
•Steve Hechler and family on the death of his father George L. Hechler, 7/4
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Saturday, 5 August 2017
Psalm 150:1 Halleluyah!
Praise God in his holy place!
Praise him in the heavenly dome of his power!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds!
Praise him for his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast on the shofar!
Praise him with lute and lyre!
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing!
Praise him with flutes and strings!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals!
Praise him with loud crashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise Adonai!
Halleluyah!
-------
The collectors and compilers of Israel’s psalms chose this vibrant poem/song of praise to cap the collection. In Israel’s context, it took in both traditional ways of worshipping (“the blast of the ram’s horn”) and more “contemporary” expressions (“drum and dance,” “clashing cymbals”). In the light of God’s “incredible greatness,” it invited God’s people to use the full range of their creativity to celebrate God’s mighty acts, to bring their best energy and skill to the act of worship.
• Pastor-scholar Donald Williams wrote, “This psalm is a little introduction to and summary of what real worship is: expressing joyful delight in the presence of God. Commentators identify this psalm as a hymn. Its author and date are unknown; it is timeless. The thought moves from what to do before God and where to do it (v. 1) to why to do it (v. 2) and concludes with how to do it (vv. 3–6).” * In what ways do your attitude about, and participation in, worship reflect the spirit of this psalm? In what areas do you want to ask God to help your worship experience grow toward this ideal?
Prayer: God of wonders and might acts, by your love draw me ever more fully into your awe-inspiring presence. Guide me to worship you more deeply in spirit and in truth. Amen.
* Donald Williams, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 14: Psalms 73–150. Lloyd John Ogilvie, gen. ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, p. 530.
Family Activity: Create a special worship box or chest for your home. (You can use a shoebox or other container or buy a plain one at a craft store.) Design the outside with words, pictures and symbols representing your family and faith. Inside, place objects that help your family worship together. You might include a Bible, a prayer cloth, a candle, items from nature, pictures, art supplies, and music. Each week spend some time worshipping together at home using the items in your box. You might also try going on a nature walk and praising God for creation, serving in a nursing home or soup kitchen, or even giving a worship box to another family to design and use. Give thanks to God for the blessing of worship!
-------
Anne Williams(Things get hectic for our interns as they prepare to return to school, so Jon wasn't able to write for today. Here's a post Pastor Anne Williams, who serves at Resurrection's Downtown campus, wrote in 2011.)One of the last conversations I remember having with my grandpa before he died was when I was home from seminary for a weekend. Thanks to Chicago traffic and my placement to serve a church about an hour’s drive outside of the city, I was in my car a lot those days. In my childhood, Gramps and I had always shared a love for country music and when we were together we would always talk about the hottest songs on the radio and compare our favorites (Alan Jackson’s “Tall Tall Trees” his top choice for a long time). As I grew older, my taste in music began to change, but Gramps would always ask me “What are you listening to these days?”
That was the question he asked me that day – “what have you been listening to?” I will never forget the look on his face when I told him I was spending most of my time listening to news radio. He was so disappointed and tried to convince me that listening to music would be a much better use of my time. He didn’t change my mind in that moment; I kept listening to news radio, but that conversation has stayed with me. I’m still trying to sort out the details but I think he was trying to teach me about something larger than just where to tune my radio.
Singing songs can create a joyous spirit in us. Singing love songs can remind us of love in our lives. Singing songs of mourning and lament can remind us that we’re not alone in our pain. I believe God’s mysterious Holy Spirit can even work through my radio dial, iTunes shuffle, or Pandora radio station to find just the right song for the moment I’m in to remind me of my faith, or give me the spark of encouragement I need for that day. That’s why I’m following Gramps’ advice and singing loudly to the music on my radio, and trusting that as often as God blesses me through the songs I hear, I will also have opportunities to reply to God with praise and worship.
PS: The song that has been inspiring me to turn my praise to God is “Roll Away the Stone” by Mumford and Sons. The lyrics go something like this:
It seems as if all my bridges have been burned,
You say that’s exactly how this grace thing works
It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart,
But the welcome I receive at the restart
-------
You might also like
Beast: You came back. Belle: Don't leave me. I love you.
Lumiere: What if she is ‘the one’ who will break the spell?
Mrs. Potts to the Beast: “Must help her to see past all that”
Belle: He's no monster Gaston. You are!
Mrs. Potts to Belle: The master's not as terrible as he appears!
Or download this week's printable GPS.-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Pat Tackett and family on the death of her mother Betty Grayson, 7/25
• Jon Chamberlain and family on the death of his sister Roberta Landreth, 7/20
•Cran Cederlind and family on the death of his mother Alme “Jackie” Cederlind, 7/20
•Ryan Aldis and family on the death of his mother Sarah Gillman, 7/20
•Family and friends of Melissa Owen on her death, 7/20
• Jim Smith and family on the death of his sister Joyce Winters, 7/19
• Mary Shewmake and family on the death of her brother-in-law James “Jim” Hess, 7/5
•Steve Hechler and family on the death of his father George L. Hechler, 7/4
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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