Reflections on Worship and Praise

St. John’s United Church of Christ
March 13, 2022

1st Reading: Psalm 100:4-5

Good morning. The Lord is with you. Today we’ll reflect on sacred texts about singing songs to God.

When Christ finished his work on earth, and was received into his glory in heaven, the church began to sing a new song unto him, and to bless his name. His apostles and evangelists showed forth his salvation and his wonders among all people. All the earth is here summoned to worship the Lord. We worship him in the beauty of holiness, as God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. Glorious things are said of him, both as motives to praise and matter of praise.

Here these words from Psalm 100:4-5,

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
        and his courts with praise;
        give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

2nd Reading: I Chronicles 16:34-36

In 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 we find David's psalm of thanks. This song tells us that we are to give thanks for thanksgiving.

Two of God's primary characteristics are celebrated in this verse: His goodness and His love. David said that God is good. What does that mean? It means God's essence and character are the epitome of goodness and righteousness. Because God is so good, we are to give thanks.

Why should we give thanks? Simply because we are God's creation, we should do nothing else and nothing less. We rejoice in God's goodness. We do this by giving thanks and by our worship. In the New Testament, the word for "thanks" gives us our words grace and eucharist. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Jesus' shed blood and battered body, we give thanks. All of our existence and worship should revolve around giving thanks.

In addition, God's love endures forever. We experience His goodness because of His love that

Caused Him to create humanity

Involved Him in the affairs of His chosen people

Caused Him to provide redemption for us through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son

Compelled Him to extend His presence to all His people through the Holy Spirit

Enables us to give thanks

The central response of God's people is to give thanks through prayer, worship, and daily living.

Hear the words from I Chronicles 16:34-36,

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

               his love endures forever.

Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;

gather us and deliver us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name,

               and glory in your praise.”

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

              from everlasting to everlasting.

Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise

the Lord.”

3rd Reading: Psalm 95:1-3

Psalm 95 contains two calls to praise and worship God that provide structure to the work (verses 1, 6). Verses 1 and 6 both begin with imperatives that connote movement, perhaps movement of the human spirit to a posture of praise. These imperatives are followed by verbs that invite praise and singing. Verse 1 begins specifically with the imperative “Come!” Then a string of jussives (third-person verbs with invitational character) in the rest of verse 1 and in verse 2 invite praise and worship: “let us sing;” “let us make a joyful noise;” “let us come into his presence;” “let us make a joyful noise.”

Verse 2 suggests worship is to be offered specifically with thanksgiving and songs of praise. “Thanksgiving” may refer to a type of song (like Psalm 30, for example). If this is what the word means here, the psalmist is calling for music that represents two major genres. The word thanksgiving, however, may also refer more narrowly to a certain type of offering (Leviticus 7:11-18). If this is the intention of verse 2, the psalmist invites both sacrifice and song to be offered to God. Whatever the meaning of “thanksgiving,” verse 2 clearly calls for worship that is comprehensive and inclusive of all expressions of reverence.

Verses 3-5 give reasons for the praise called for in verses 1-2. The most basic reason for praising God is that God is “a great King above all gods” (verse 3).

Hear the words from Psalm 95:1-3,

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving

    and extol him with music and song.

3 For the Lord is the great God,

    the great King above all gods.

4th  Reading: Psalm 30:11-12

This Psalm 30 is a cry for mercy at different points. Even the verse right before verse 11 says, “Hear oh Lord and be merciful to me! Oh Lord, be my helper!” Both those sentences with exclamation points at the end. And then it’s a cry of faith here at the end.

The joy of the Lord changes everything in our lives.

Verse 11, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.” And I just want to encourage you with that declaration today. For anyone listening to this right now who is mourning in any way. I exhort you, look to God, who alone has power, love, mercy, who alone is able to turn your mourning into dancing.

He is able to loose your sackcloth. The whole picture is to put aside mourning and clothe you with gladness. Is this not what Revelation says at multiple points, is what history is headed toward for all who trust in God. For the day when he wipes every tear from our eyes. It says it in Revelation chapter seven, Revelation chapter 21.

When we see his face and mourning, and suffering, and sorrow, and sin, and death are no more. And everything is new. And we are satisfied in him, and there are no more tears in our eyes when he clothes us with gladness. And will clothe us with gladness for all of eternity, that our glory, so what he has done in our lives, this transformation from mourning to dancing, that we may sing your praise and not be silent.

And then the last phrase here, last sentence in verse 12, “Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.” That word forever. Forever. Be encouraged today in your mourning, in the hurt and the pain of this world that seems like it won’t go away, be encouraged there is a day when your mourning through trust in Jesus, who has conquered sin, and death, and the grave. Through trust in Jesus there is a day when your mourning will turn into dancing.

Hear the words from Psalm 30:11-12,

You turned my wailing into dancing;

    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.