May 4, 2016

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!  Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!…
Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 148:1-4,11-14

We hear these words from the Psalmist and we remember that one of the most important parts of being a follower of Jesus is to gather for worship, to give praise and thanks to G-d for all that G-d has done in our lives. Paul, when he goes to Macedonia, in the city of Philippi, he goes to find a place of worship when it is the Sabbath. It is there that he meets a group of women, and in particular meets Lydia, who eventually is baptized along with her entire household. Going to worship means we meet people who may benefit from our knowledge and understanding of G-d’s activity and G-d’s Grace in our lives.

The greatest thing G-d did for all of humanity was to become human and dwell among us as Christ, who frees humanity to be more loving and merciful toward one another. Week after week, Sunday after Sunday, we join with family, friends, and even strangers to worship G-d who continues to choose us, despite our failures, chooses us to be agents of love and mercy and Grace in the world.

G-d arrives in the form of Jesus. G-d loves in the ministry and person of Jesus. G-d frees us from the bondage of sin in the cross of Jesus. G-d abides, calls, and sustains us through the sacraments which we receive in worship. Following begins with worship – and throughout our lives we continue to return to worship to be equipped for the continual journey.

Pastor Dave