|
|
|
Choosing What is Betterand Worship Should be Joyful!Worship: Choosing What is BetterLuke 10:38-42
Have you noticed how every other book in the bookshops is a “How to…” book? Yesterday at Borders the couple before us in the queue were buying books called “Espresso - How to set up a successful coffee shop” and “How to run a bed and breakfast in your own home”. (Ruth was actually buying a book on “How to make world-record-breaking paper aeroplanes”). I was reminded of the student who once bought a book entitled “How to Hug” only to be incredibly disappointed when he discovered it was only volume 12 in a 37 volume set of encyclopaedias.
Our theme this week is “How to worship”. Just how do we worship in Spirit and in Truth? We turn to the story of Martha and Mary because I believe it speaks not only about the whole of life but it also applies specifically to our times of worship together.
Martha was busying welcoming Jesus. Mary just sat at Jesus’
feet. And rightly so! When friends visit you, they don’t expect you to spend all
your time in the kitchen cooking for them. They just want to sit and talk with
you and spend time together. The passage tells us that Martha was distracted
but Mary was focussed. Martha was worried and troubled. Mary was contented.
Martha was serving but Mary was worshipping. Are you a Martha or a Mary? Are
you busy, busy, busy? Or are you sitting at Jesus’ feet? We live in a busy world! We are made to feel guilty if we aren’t constantly "doing something." People expect us to be busy, even overworked. It’s almost a status symbol – “if we’re busy, we’re important; if we’re not busy, we’re lazy.” That kind of busyness led Martha to tension and frustration. That’s what happens when we are consumed with the wrong tasks or trying to cram too many of the right activities into too little time. Martha had a priceless opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet. But she couldn’t spare Jesus the time. She wanted to be with Jesus. But she allowed herself to get distracted. Her preoccupation with offering hospitality distracted her from what was more important. Martha became stressed and worried. So she became critical of Mary for not doing her share. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.” Martha just got her priorities wrong.
Notice that Jesus didn’t condemn Martha for doing the things that needed to be done. But he did tell her off for presuming that what Mary was doing was wrong. Jesus says that Mary “had chosen what is better.” Mary and Martha each loved Jesus just as much, but Martha didn’t realise that in her desire to serve Jesus, she was actually neglecting him. She was so busy at doing things FOR Him, that she had no time to spend WITH him. There are so many Marthas in the world. If we spend so much time doing things for Jesus, but never spend time getting to know him, then we are making Martha’s mistake.
In contrast, Mary had her priorities right. She did know that Jesus would need to served, but she got things in the right order. She spent time talking to Jesus showing her love for Him. A.W.Tozer was absolutely right. “God created us to be worshippers first and workers second!!!”
This story of Martha and Mary gives us all a vital reminder of the importance of prayer and worship – of making time to be with God and sitting at Jesus’s feet! We need to get the balance of our lives right between work and prayer. The ultimate tragedy of a life which is too busy is the tragedy that Martha faced. Offered the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet, busy people can’t spare Jesus any time. It is hard because we live in a Martha world. But we all need times to just stop and be quiet and be still, and rest in the presence of the Lord. It is good for ourselves, good for our relationship with others and good for our relationship with God. Mary had her priorities right!
But this story also has something very important to say about our times of worship. Because the tragic truth is that, even when we are at church, even when we come to worship, we can be distracted like Martha was instead of focussed on Jesus like Mary was. I came across a very challenging piece this week entitled “The Danger of Being AT Church but Not IN Church” The problems of being at a church service but not participating properly in what is happening because your mind or your heart are somewhere else. Has that ever happened to you? Is that happening to you this morning? “The Danger of Being AT Church but Not IN Church”
“How to worship”? Let me offer you the three points found in the second verse of song 579. “So forget about yourself, concentrate on Him and worship Him.”
Forget about yourself
The things Martha was doing were NOT wrong. But they were distracting her. She was missing the opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus.
When we come to worship we need to focus on Jesus. To do that we need to put to one side all the other things in life which occupy our thoughts or worry us. Very deliberately we need to choose to forget those things! To ignore those things. That will require a conscious effort and it may be hard work. But then I believe there is something else we need to work hard to forget about.
We said last week that our worship is meant to be joyful! Full of joy! Our worship is not just allowed to be joyful. Our worship is supposed to be joyful! In the Bible worship is vibrant and vigorous and exuberant and expressive and exhilarating! No chorus or hymn is too loud, no band or orchestra too large, for praising Almighty God! In the Bible, worship and praise are expressed in many different ways: bowing down; clapping; dancing; kneeling; leaping; lifting hands; playing musical instruments; shouting; silence; singing; standing; not to mention bringing offerings and making sacrifices. We only use a small fraction of this vast repertoire. Sometimes our worship is not joyful because we don’t have much joy in our hearts. But perhaps the biggest reason why many of us are inhibited in our worship is that we feel held back by the people around us. What will they think? What will they say? We don’t dare express the joy we feel because we are self-conscious. That’s why many people find it much easier to worship in the Big Top at Spring Harvest or a BADEF celebration where we are surrounded by strangers (and it’s often quite dark as well!)
That’s why our first point in “How to Worship” needs to be Forget about yourself which also means – forget about the people around you. Forget about your inhibitions. As we worship we must learn to shut out the other people around us and focus on God alone. Give God the whole of our attention. Forget about being self-conscious!
However it is expressed, true heartfelt adoration is always pleasing to God. Remember this same Mary’s scandalous intimate act of worship in the last week of Jesus’s life, washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. Remember the lavish extravagance of anointing his head with precious perfume. Other people criticised Mary for going totally “over the top” in her love for her Lord. But she just ignored them! And her story has been told all over the world, just as Jesus predicted, because her “over the top” worship was pleasing to God!
Forget about ourselves. Forget about each other. When we can do that we will be set free from worrying about what people around us think about what we are saying or doing. What God thinks is all that matters. Forget about yourself -
Concentrate on Him
"She has chosen what is better” Mary got it right. She was giving Jesus her sole attention, even if it meant that other things were neglected for a while. Mary wasn’t even going to be put off by Martha’s complaints!
In the New Living Translation, Jesus says, “There is
really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it – and
I wont take it away from her.” That’s what true worship is like! That’s what
is it like to be in presence of the Lord Like Mary. You forget everything else
that is around you! Remember the old chorus? “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of Hs glory and grace.” So we need to concentrate on Him.
The atmosphere a big football match or rugby match is tremendous. The crowds shouting and singing and cheering on the team, every person completely oblivious to what the other people around them might think of them – and that’s great! So are concerts, pop or classical! People sometimes compare worship to a big sports match or a concert. But they sometimes make the wrong comparison. Because when we worship we aren’t the cheering crowds getting carried away! We are not the spectators. We are the performers. We are the players on the pitch. We are the orchestra. We are the band. We are the choir.
Worship is an ACTIVE verb. It is not something done TO us or FOR us, but BY us. Whether you are playing a match or singing in a choir you have to learn to shut out the spectators and be totally focussed on what you are doing, the shot you are taking, the notes you are playing or singing. You have to concentrate!
Church worship is a performance – but as Mike Pilavachi’s Soul Survivor guide to worship reminds us, worship must be a performance FOR THE AUDIENCE OF ONE. Worship is for God’s benefit! Not for ours! We are "Created to worship, called to praise - playing to an audience of one." Our true audience is God and no one else. And the whole congregation is part of the worship team - not just spectators! God is OUR audience of One, and we are all part of the band. Leaders and musicians and congregation join together to offer worship for the audience of One. We are not here to entertain or impress people, but to worship God. So we need to concentrate on Him. Nothing must be allowed to become more important than God when the church gathers for worship.
There are some things in life worth giving your best for! Ellen McArthur proved when she sailed round the world. Sportsmen and women in all fields aim to give their best. The more important the match, the harder you try. We encourage our teenagers and students to give their best in exams and conscience demands that we give our best in our jobs. Musicians aim to give the best performance they possibly can. We preachers all aim to give our best! Worship should be no different! Our capacity for worship is not determined by natural talent, or skills, or training or experience. Every single one of us can worship God well or badly simply by whether we give our best or not! And in worship God deserves our best! Not second best. Not a halfhearted effort! But our very best!! So forget about yourself, concentrate on Him, and just
Worship Him
In our story we see Mary sitting at Jesus’s feet, being in His presence. This is the start of worship. That was not a burden for Mary – it was a delight! It was a joy!
Worship is our response to God. We saw last week that we should sing a new song to the Lord - a fresh response to a fresh experience of God! As we worship we are adding our voices to the saints around the world and the angels in heaven and the whole of creation praising God. 100:1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. One way to worship is to move through a progression. We begin with THANKSGIVING, rejoicing in all God’s blessings to us. We move on to PRAISING God for His mighty acts of Salvation. Finally we come to ADORATION, rejoicing in Who God is in Himself.
We can start with THANKSGIVING – for all God’s blessings to us.
Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name
We should give thanks for God's blessings given to everyone, and we also should give thanks for God's blessings to ME individually Psalm 103 1 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
We can relive the encounters we have had with God in the past. Remember them. Reflect on them. Use them as a way to enter into God’s presence afresh. We can thank God for food and drink and family and friends. for answered prayers. for the hope of heaven. for the Bible and the fellowship of the church. for His peace and protection. for the wonderful joy He gives us. for His guidance and strengthening. 92:4 .. you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the work of your hands.
We give thanks. Then we can move on to PRAISE – for God’s mighty acts of salvation. Looking beyond ourselves to what God has done for others. The Psalms speak of praise 233 times – the rest of the Bible as many times again! Since we are going to spend eternity praising God we may as well start practising now! Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise! (Psa 48:1)
We give God our praise for all he Has done for us Psalms 117:1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. 2 For great is his love towards us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures for ever. Praise the LORD.
Praise God for the BIRTH of Jesus; for the TEACHING of Jesus; for the MIRACLES of Jesus; for Jesus's SUFFERING and TRIALS; for Jesus's DEATH on the CROSS; for Jesus's glorious RESURRECTION ; for the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT;
Psalm 96: 2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Our THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE finally lead us on to ADORATION – of God for who He is within Himself The focus is on God alone! Richard Forster says, “When I give thanks my thoughts still circle around myself to some extent. But then my soul ascends to self-forgetting adoration, seeing and praising only the majesty and power of God, His grace and redemption.” So rejoice in Who God is within Himself – the beauty of the Blessed Holy Trinity.
God is worthy of our adoration for His LOVE; for His FAITHFULNESS; for His ALMIGHTY POWER; for His COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE; for His HOLINESS; for His GRACE and FORGIVENESS; for His PRESENCE everywhere. Last week Psalm 145 showed us that we should praise God the King for ever and ever, for at least seven reasons: God’s position, God’s power, God’s personality, God’s pre-eminence, God’s provision, God’s presence and God’s preservation! Praise God because He is our CREATOR Praise God our LIBERATOR Praise God our LORD Praise God our REDEEMER Praise God the JUDGE Praise God our FATHER! Psa 145:3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no-one can fathom.
As C.S. Lewis says, “We praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”
Psa 96:6 Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 9 Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness; 145:7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Thanksgiving, praise and adoration are faint expressions of our delight in who God is and for all He has done for us.
A.W.Tozer said “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” In our worship on earth now we are preparing ourselves for heaven where we will be eternally preoccupied with God. But in worship we can so easily be distracted by other things. We need to learn to forget about ourselves, concentrate on Him and worship Him!
The story is told of the woman who went into a Haagen-Dazs
shop in Kansas to buy an ice cream. While she was ordering, another customer
entered the store. She placed her order, turned and found herself staring face
to face at Paul Newman. The actor was in town making a film. His blue eyes and
his smile were overwhelming. She finished paying and quickly walked out of the
store with her heart still racing. Then she realised that she hadn’t got her ice
cream! She turned to go back in and met Paul Newman at the door coming out. He
smiled gently and asked her, “Are you looking for your ice cream cone?” She was
too overawed to speak but nodded yes. “Don’t worry,” he said, “You put it in
your purse with your change.”
“There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it – and I wont take it away from her.” Martha got her priorities wrong. Mary chose what was better. At least for this hour of worship we need to choose what is better, the only thing worth being concerned about! So forget about yourself, concentrate on Him, and worship Him.
Worship should be Joyful! Psalm 96
An oxymoron is a
self-contradicting phrase. A phrase where the words just don’t fit together.
Phrases like white chocolate, jumbo shrimp, plastic silverware, truthful
tabloids, professional wrestling. My favourite, especially since seeing the film
Johnny English, is probably “British Intelligence” I realise that a church service can seem dull, especially to somebody who is not a Christian. But true worship is anything but boring. The very nature of true worship would never allow us to be bored. If we do find worship boring sometimes, then I dare to suggest we are doing it wrong. And by we, I don’t mean the worship leader. I don’t mean the musicians. I don’t mean I don’t mean the preacher. I mean we, us, the worshippers, we must be doing something wrong somewhere.
Working our way through John’s gospel we find the encounter between Jesus and the Woman of Samaria at Jacob’s Well. In John 4 Jesus says these things about worship. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." What is this worship in spirit and in truth? This week and next week we are going to step out of John’s gospel to consider the theme of worship. Listen very carefully, because afterwards we are going to have an opportunity to practise what has been preached!
Psalm 96 teaches us so much
about worship:- How should we worship? With
music (verse 1); with proclamation (verse 2); by giving Him glory (verse 8); by
bringing an offering (verse 8); by coming into His courts (verse 8); by living
holy lives (verse 9); and by witnessing for Him (verse 10). When we think about HOW we should worship, there are two vitally important things I want us all to get hold of today:- The first point is this.
1. WORSHIP IS OUR RESPONSE TO GOD
The word
worship means to “fall on your face or to bow down”. It is found more than 170
times in the Bible. Worship is the proper response of human beings to
Almighty God. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
God has chosen us and called us so that we will be able to praise Him for the wonderful salvation He has given us! Worship is our RESPONSE to God. The Wise Men worshipped the Christ Child for who He is – King and Lord of all. When He calmed the storm, the disciples worshipped Jesus for who He is and what He had done. (Matt 14:33) Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." When the Risen Christ appeared to them, those same disciples worshipped Him even though some of them still had doubts and questions. Paul tells the Corinthians that in their worship, (1 Cor 12:24f) if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" In other words, even somebody who is not a Christian will be brought to a place of worship when they are confronted with the presence of the Living God. Romans 12:1 tells us that worship is our response to God, not just for an hour a week when we meet together, but all day every day. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Worship, in view of God’s mercy! So our worship is our proper response to the amazing God He is and all the amazing things God has done for us. Our proper response comes in singing and praising God!
Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Sing a “new song” to the Lord! This can mean something “brand new”. It can also mean something which is new because it is fresh. Whether we are singing songs we have known for years, or learning new hymns and choruses and praise songs, we should sing all of them from our hearts as “new songs”.
I really enjoy the topical news quiz, “Have I got news for you”. The way the contestants find humour in current affairs is hilarious. They show repeats of old programs with news from a couple of years ago and call it “Have I got OLD news for you”. Somehow it isn’t nearly as funny. It’s not up to date. It’s not relevant. That’s why just about the only thing that doesn’t get endless repeats on television is old news bulletins. Nobody wants to hear the old news – there’s another oxymoron – “old news.”
Sometimes the reason we
find worship difficult is that there isn’t any “new news” in our Christian
experience. If it’s been a long time since we’ve experienced God doing anything
new and fresh in our lives then it’s very hard to sing a new song to the Lord.
Sometimes that’s why we get bored! It’s all old news. No new songs to sing!
Martin Luther said, “Christ is now as fresh unto me as if He had shed His blood
but this very hour.” When we walk with God daily and experience Him in new ways
we won’t be able to stop ourselves breaking out into joyful praise and new
songs. Fresh
outbursts of rejoicing and reverence are important to God and helpful to us. Then sometimes we find it
hard to respond to God in times of worship because we don’t have anything to
respond to. Sometimes the problem is that we just don’t give God space to speak.
To reveal Himself to us. To speak to us in scripture, in preaching, in prophecy,
through prayers, through silence. As we come to worship, God wants us to listen
to His voice. He doesn’t just want us to sing or pray. He wants us to see Him
and hear Him and meet with Him. The entire service is worship, not just the
singing bits. Listening to God is vital if we want to respond to God. Worship must be centred on God. God doesn’t want us just to get emotional or sing loudly for our own sake. Our focus should not be on how worship makes us feel. Our worship must be centered on God alone. David danced and shouted, but he did it “before the Lord.” We need to make sure our music is centred on Christ. Instead of singing about how happy we are to be together worshipping God, the Psalms call us to sing directly to God. To worship is to engage our body, soul and spirit, complete with all our emotions, in a total preoccupation with God who is the Rock of our salvation. … On to my second point -
2. WORSHIP SHOULD BE JOYFUL
It is important that we remain respectful and reverent in our worship. We must never forget that we are worshipping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are worshipping God who is Almighty, Every Present, All-Seeing and All-Knowing. We are worshipping our Creator and our Sustainer and our Redeemer. So our worship must remain reverent.
But Bible worship is not only reverent. In the Bible reverence is the second most important characteristic of worship. The first most important characteristic is JOY. Rejoicing! Celebrating! There are 579 references in the Bible to joy and rejoicing and being joyful and glad and happy. And 142 of these, one whole quarter, come in just one book – the book of Psalms – the prayer book of Jews and Christians for 3000 years.
Psalm 96:11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; 12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy!
Message translation: “Let’s hear it from the Sky with the Earth joining in, and a huge round of applause from the Sea! Let the Wilderness urn cartwheels and the animals come dance. Put every tree in the forest in the choir!”
Our worship is meant to be
joyful! Full of joy! Worship is not meant to be private or silent. We sometimes
worship God in our heart or even sing quietly, when God is longing for us to
sing out to Him. In the Bible worship is vibrant and vigorous. We are to
participate with joyful, grateful praise and to be exuberant in our worship.
Someone has said that the characteristic note of Old Testament worship is
exhilaration. No chorus or hymn is too loud, no band or orchestra too large, for
praising the Lord of Hosts!
Our worship is not just allowed to be joyful. Our worship is supposed to be joyful!
118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 27:6 at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD!. 32:11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 28:7 My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 33:1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy. 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 47:5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. 66:1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth! 100:1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 98:4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
Our worship is not just allowed to be joyful. Our worship is supposed to be joyful! We have at least three reasons to be joyful.
1. WE REJOICE IN ALL GOD’S BLESSINGS TO USGod is worthy to be praised! And our praise should be joyful!
70:4 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; 40:16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; Ps 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 92:4 .. you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the work of your hands. 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; 97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
2. WE REJOICE IN GOD’S MIGHTY ACTS OF SALVATION
Psalm 96: 2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. God is creator, God is Saviour, God is worthy to be praised! And our praise should be joyful!
71:23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you- I, whom you have redeemed. 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 35:9 My soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. 105:43 He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; 68:3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. 3. WE REJOICE IN WHO GOD IS IN HIMSELF
Some people call this praise. Other people make a distinction between praising God for what He has done and adoring God for who He is within Himself.
Psa 96:4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 6 Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. 10 ¶ Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
God is great and splendid and majestic and strong and glorious. God is holy and righteous and just. God reigns! God is worthy to be praised!
9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 145:7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 67:4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 21:6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
C.S. Lewis says, “We praise what we enjoy
because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not
out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they
are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”
Whatever brings us to that point, however we express it, true heartfelt adoration is always pleasing to God. Remember Mary’s scandalous intimate worship, washing Jesus’s feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. Remember the lavish extravagance of anointing his head with precious perfume. Other people criticised Mary for going totally “over the top” in her love for her Lord. But her story has been told all over the world, just as Jesus predicted, because her “over the top” worship was pleasing to God!
So - worship is our response to God. We should sing a new song to the Lord - a fresh response to a fresh experience of God! And that worship should be joyful!
1. WE REJOICE IN ALL GOD’S BLESSINGS TO US2. WE REJOICE IN GOD’S MIGHTY ACTS OF SALVATION3. WE REJOICE IN WHO GOD IS IN HIMSELF
Our worship is not just allowed to be joyful. Our worship is supposed to be joyful!
I read once about a Christian conference where people were given helium-filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. All during the service balloons were going up, but when the service was over, 1/3 of the people were still holding on to their balloons!
This morning, let US Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
|
Send mail to
peter@pbthomas.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|