Tag Archives: worship

Uncategorized

An Observation – Holiness

Leave a comment

Sometime back in grade school, many ….. many years ago, we were introduced to the 1913 poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer with its beginning line, “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.” The speaker insists that no human art or creation can match the beauty and majesty of nature. A commentary states that “The poem can thus be read as a hymn of praise to God’s creation, celebrating both the wonder of the natural world and its maker.” 

Why this came to mind now I have no idea but the description in the above commentary with the words “beauty”, “majesty”, and “wonder”, are a strong parallel for my thoughts this morning. I’m thinking about the concept of holiness, the awesome wonder and holiness of our Lord God. I think of Moses doing the mundane work of tending a flock of sheep and being confronted by God appearing to him in the form of a burning  bush that is not consumed. He heard the words, “take the shoes off your feet for you are standing on Holy ground”. (Exodus 3:5) Later, in the Exodus account, Moses has spent time with God and returning to his people with his face radiating light from his holy encounter. (Exodus 34:29f) Or the prophet Isaiah falling prostrate trembling before his vision of God Almighty. (Isaiah 6) There are many such descriptions of encountering God’s holiness.

In the fast paced and event crowded days we become calloused to a sense of the awe and wonder of the Lord God who appears to us in many and varied ways if we are willing to look around, to think, to meditate, to offer a brief prayer, to worship. The message in today’s sermon at church was about a Jealous God who will not allow worship due Him to be shared with any idols we may create. But this is not because He is a vain and egotistical lord. Rather, His jealousy is for us. We are His creation. He knows that our best good, our most joy-filled life, most secure and a life of peace, is only found when we are enfolded in the presence of His Holy Life. He is the source of life upon which we draw in worship, whether from the wonder of nature or the setting of corporate worship. It is important for us to look for and enter into that sense of God’s Holiness.

It is why we call the room for our worship a Sanctuary. It is why, in that room, we have an altar separated by a chancel rail. It is from this area that we hear the Word of God and receive the Holy Sacrament. There have been times at that rail that I have been unable to speak, and holy tears were the only response I could give. I don’t expect everyone to respond the same way, but however you respond realize that you come into the sacred presence of Almighty God. Be humbled and rejoice in it!  It is in God’s blessed presence you find your life.

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.   …….

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” (Hebrews 1:1-4, & 10-11)

Good Morning

Good Morning March 12

Last evening at our Ash Wednesday Lenten service the Pastor had us sing the Lord’s Prayer rather than say it as we usually do. There are a couple of different musical settings written, but we used the traditional and most familiar one. I have always found this a glorious and worshipful experience. I’ve done it alone by myself a time or two. Emotional? Yes, but the Lord created us as emotional beings. Our emotions are not to rule over the truth of God’s Word, or the good judgment He give us. We have seen this cause havoc in too many situations. But when we are singing the Lord’s own words, words He taught us to use in prayer, it becomes a real avenue of worship. There are many passages of Scripture that have been set to music. There are numerous times in the Bible where individuals respond to the Lord in song. Miriam, Hanna, Zachariah, Mary, Moses, and more. Something of the heart is poured out to our gracious Lord, and that is a beauty beyond measure.

Good Morning

Good Morning December 16

I have heard people say that they feel close to God when in church on Sunday morning. In the singing and the prayers, God seemed to be very near. This is fine, and we are admonished in Scripture to “not neglect the meeting together.” (Heb.10:25) Although, coming to church is far more than how we feel about it. My girls go to get their nails and toes done when they want to feel good. It is important that we receive a blessing from our time of corporate worship, but that blessing is far more than how we feel. There is an objective reality in our time of worship as we hear the proclamation of the Gospel, the truth of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. We receive the visible demonstration of His forgiving grace as we receive His body and blood in the Holy Communion. These are the real blessings in our time of worship, independent of how we feel that day. God has come to you in Jesus Christ. I hope you do feel good as you worship together with fellow believers. But it is just that our feelings are not the reason for worship. God’s true and continuing grace upon us is.

Uncategorized

Good Morning December 10

What is worship? Well, of course, it is something you do when you go to church on Sundays. You sing, listen to scripture, hear a sermon, and receive communion. That is all part of worship. But worship is far more, and is by no means limited to Sundays. Worship is an attitude of the heart in humble submission to our gracious Lord. It is acknowledging and clinging in grateful love to the One who has made us and given us life. Worship is different from praise. Praise is the outward response in the words and actions of our daily life to the One we worship. Sunday is only one expression of worship. We live in worship every hour of every day as we bow in our hearts to the God of all creation. Look forward to your time of worship, fellowship and praise on Sunday, but live in the worship of our Lord always.

Good Morning

Good Morning January 23

What brings you to worship? Worship is more than going to church on a Sunday morning. That is certainly important, but worship is the attitude of the heart that bows humbly before the awe, the wonder, the majesty of the God who created us. It is as expressed in Psalm 8. “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?”(vss.3-4) I ask again, what brings you to worship? What do you see with your heart that draws you into the Holy Presence at the Throne of Grace? It may be the grandure of the Hallelujah Chorus. It may be the breathtaking beauty of something in nature. It may be the wonder of a God, our God, who came as the Bethlehem baby. Whatever it is it is that which brings us into the building we call a church to sing, to pray, to hear God’s word, and to kneel at the altar hearing the words “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins”. We don’t go to church to worship. We bring worship into the church joining humbly with others before the majesty of our God.

Good Morning

Good Morning November 15

Music is a wonderful gift God has given to mankind. Whether it is the ancient Psalms of the shepherd boy, David, or the modern compositions of today, it is a way of touching the deepest parts of life. Music is in cultures worldwide. And for us it is an expression of our praise and the glory of our gracious Lord. Psalm 22 verse 3 says that the Lord is enthroned on the praises of his people. When we sing or sing along with songs of worship and praise, even if we can’t carry a tune very well, we draw near to the throne of God. God is never far from any of us, but our songs of praise make us more aware of His nearness and His care. “O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.”(Psalm 59:17) 

Good Morning

Good Morning November 9

Do we really understand the magnitude of God’s holiness? Holiness is absolute purity, perfection, the epitome of all that is good and right. Do we really understand the depth of our own sinful nature? Sin is our rebellion from God, our putting our desires, our will above that of our Creator. Do we really understand the fullness of God’s love? Love that is not a feeling, but a total willingness to give, even to self-sacrifice for the good of another. Do we really understand the magnitude of God’s grace? Grace is a free gift, something we receive which we do not deserve, did not earn, and have done absolutely nothing to merit. I’m not sure we really understand the depth of any of these. I know I don’t. We hear these words frequently in our churches – holiness, sin, love, grace. As we meditate on the meaning of each of these, and far more than I’ve expressed here, we begin to see something of who God is, who we are, and what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. We owe our life, now and eternally, to the One who has loved us so much that He freely gave the life of His only begotten Son to redeem us from sin and death, to bring us into His holiness. As we think about the magnitude of God’s act we come before Him in humble worship.

Good Morning

Good Morning September 17

Scripture uses a number of forms to convey its truth. Some things are quite literal, other figurative or allegorical. We don’t set aside our human reason when we read the Bible, but we do need to be careful how we apply it. I ran across one example, perhaps minor, in Psalm 147 verse 4. “He determines the number of the stars, and calls them all by name”.  Well now, we know from astronomy that there are billions and billions of stars. We’ve looked into the heavens and can’t even fathom its magnitude. It is not within human reason to know the full number of them, and to give each one a name – really? But this is Almighty God we are talking about. Is it not possible that such a statement is literally true? How about a great fish swallowing a man, or creating the cosmos in six days? Let’s be careful how much reason we apply to Scripture. Let the Bible be its own interpreter. We weren’t there when creation came into being, nor were we on the boat with Jonah. Our God is a awesome God, and capable of more that we can ever imagine. “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”(147:5) Let us bow in worship. 

Good Morning

Good Morning December 26

Today is more than a day for taking out the trash from all the gift wrapping paper and sorting out the presents to keep and those to be returned. It is more than searching for after Christmas bargains and merchants getting ready for the next holiday sale. Tradition in many areas notes today as the first of the twelve days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany and the coming of the Wise Men on January sixth. Even apart from tradition Christmas can’t be dismissed easily. God has come among us. In a wonderful and mysterious way He has bound Himself to His creation, and promised to complete the purpose for which we were made. Jesus is not only the reason for this season, He is the reason for life itself. The Baby of Bethlehem came to redeem us from the power of sin and death, giving life to all who come to Him. That is not a decoration to be put away until next year. It is the joy in which we live and the reason for our humble worship every day.

Good Morning

Good Morning December 12

St. Luke’s account of the birth of our Lord is a favorite read during this Christmas season. It is an account filled with praise and glory to God. It contains Mary’s wonderful song “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” When John the Baptist was born his father, Zachariah, sang “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel…” The angels filled the heavens with praise singing “Glory to God in the highest…” When the baby Jesus was presented in the Temple the aged Simeon poured forth his thanksgiving and praise to God for allowing him to see the Christ Child. Praise should be a characteristic of God’s people. Yes, we are in a broken and sin filled world with many trials, but we are here with our God who has chosen to occupy this world with us, promising never to leave or forsake us.  His strength, His life giving presence, is here in the midst of all our times and needs, and, in Christ Jesus, has promised to complete all of the good purpose for which we were created. In each of our days we have many reasons to give praise to our gracious God.