Henry David Thoreau, in his classic Walden, sets forth two alternate paths that lie before each of us: One is broad, common and natural. The other is narrow, uncommon and supernatural: " The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. What is … Continue reading Two Alternate Paths to Take in Life
worship
Worship – A Dress Rehearsal for Eternity
Every Lord’s Day serves as a dress rehearsal for life in our eternal home in heaven. How wonderful to know that history is moving towards a great end: The worship of the one, true, living God. This is the goal and climax of human history. How do we know this? Revelation 7:9 describes the heavenly … Continue reading Worship – A Dress Rehearsal for Eternity
Word-Saturated Worship
Scripture suffuses every part of our worship services. We call one another to our awesome task of worshipping God with Scripture. We sing God’s praise with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in order to make God’s Word memorable and vivid. The Spirit uses God’s Word to convict us of sin and to show us our … Continue reading Word-Saturated Worship
Prepare Your Heart for Worship
Here is a simple prayer to pray through and reflect upon as you prepare to worship God personally and with others. It is based upon the beautiful hymn: "May the Mind of Christ My Savior." Almighty God, may my worship of you cause the mind of Christ to be more fully present in me this … Continue reading Prepare Your Heart for Worship
A Three-fold Cycle of Worship
There is a notable pattern to many of the worship encounters that we find in the Bible. For example, the prophet Isaiah’s encounter with the great God of heaven in Isaiah 6 offers us a three fold cycle for corporate and personal worship: Praise-Pardon-Petition. This pattern serves as a broad structure to our church's worship … Continue reading A Three-fold Cycle of Worship
Is there one right worship style?
There is not one right style or form for worship. Reggie Kidd writes: Jesus Christ our Worship Leader (Hebrews 2:11-12) has taken innumerable forms of worship across the centuries and across the world and made them His own; The chants of the Gregorian monks. The Psalms of the Scottish Presbyterians… the beloved hymns of our … Continue reading Is there one right worship style?
Worshipping with Handicapped Hearts
Lord,free us from our handicapped hearts. May we worship You in such a way that our consciences are quickened by Your holiness. Our minds feed upon Your truth. Our imaginations are purged by Your beauty. Our hearts are opened to receive Your love. Our wills are devoted resolutely to Your purpose. Gather all of this … Continue reading Worshipping with Handicapped Hearts
Worship Reflections based upon The Rich Man and Lazarus
Of all the winds that blow on love, The demand for money is the coldest and most destructive. - Gustave Flaubert A reversal at the outset of the story is that the beggar is given a name and the rich man is not. That single fact ought to alert us that the story we are … Continue reading Worship Reflections based upon The Rich Man and Lazarus
The Marks of a Missional Church – Acts 13
At our Vespers service this week, we delved into and prayed concertedly through Acts 13 for our church. Acts 13 is a transition chapter in Dr. Luke's letter. The gospel begins to go to the nations. It chronicles the first stages of Paul's first missionary journey. In the process, it highlights the distinguishing marks of … Continue reading The Marks of a Missional Church – Acts 13
Pain that Prompts Worship – Part Two
Let’s be honest. Our earthly pilgrimage often involves pain. Genesis 47:1-12 does not fit our notion of a good testimony. In this passage, Jacob tells Pharaoh that his life has been short and sour. That isn’t a very good case for Christianity is it? The thrust of much evangelism today is that trusting Christ and … Continue reading Pain that Prompts Worship – Part Two
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