Corporate Gathering October 2, 2011

Proverbs 7 warns a young man of the foolishness of following his desires because it only leads to death.  Hosea is a book about redeeming the foolish person from death, set within the context of a lover chasing after his adulterous and wayward spouse.  Hosea is filled with the longing of a scorned lover while Proverbs 7 gives the perspective of a rebellious prostitute enticing the foolish.  We are guilty of being both the prostitute and we are guilty of being the foolish young man.  The imagery is a mingling of lustful desire and violence against others and the result is death.  In Hosea, God pleads with us not to be a rebellious prostitute and not to be led away by foolishness into the grave.  Dispight the pleading God knows what we are capable of and he has set in motion our rescue.  In spite our lustful treachery the Lord snatches us from the grave, destroys the lies that we follow and makes us part of the new creation, a resurrection community that is raise to new life in Christ.  Meditate on this as you prepare for Sunday…

We are gathered in the name of the Lord.

Thanks be to God! 

The Author of Life – Deuteronomy 33:26-29

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you   and said, Destroy. So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew. Happy are you, O Israel!  Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Exodus 15

Hans Plum, 1888005

              

Who among the gods is like you, Oh Lord?

Who is like you, Majestic in holiness?

Awesome in glory and working your wonders

Who among the gods is like you, Oh Lord?

I will sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted

The Lord is my strength and my song

I will sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted

He has become my salvation

There is none like You!  There is none like You!

Desire Gives Birth to Sin—Proverbs 7:21-27

With much seductive speech she (foolish desire) persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

Rock of Ages

Public Domain / Augustus Montague Toplady CCLI#1888005

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee;

let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed,

be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure

Not the labor of my hands can fulfill thy law's demands;

could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow,

all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling;

naked come to thee for dress, helpless look to thee for grace;

foul I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when my eyelids close in death,

when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.

Sin Grows into Death—Confession

Father, we have followed our desires into a life that is full of death.  We have been filled with hatred, anger, lust, condemnation and angst and it has filled us with guilt and shame.  Open up our graves! Pull us out of this life of death, which we crave.  Give us true life, the resurrection life, which Jesus began on that first Sunday of the new creation, for the glory of the Father, to the praise of the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Death is Defeated!—Isaiah 25:8-9

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

This Is Our God

2001 worshiptogether.com songs Chris Tomlin sixsteps Music (Admin. by EMI) CCLI#1888005

A refuge for the poor, a shelter from the storm. This is our God.

He will wipe away your tears and return your wasted years. This is our God.

So call upon his name, He is mighty to save. This is our God.

This is the One we have waited for

This is the One we have waited for

This is the One we have waited for

Jesus Lord and Savior. This is our God

A Father to the orphan a healer to the broken. This is our God

He brings peace to our madness and comfort in our sadness. This is our God

So call upon his name, He is mighty to save. This is our God.

A fountain for the thirsty a lover for the lonely. This our God

He brings glory to the humble and crowns for the faithful. This is our God

So call upon his name, He is mighty to save. This is our God.

Our’s is the Victory – 1 Corinthians 15:55-56

                                                                                         1

“O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and  the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Behold Our God

© 2011 Sovereign Grace Praise Jonathan Baird, Meghan Baird, Ryan Baird, and Stephen Altrogge

Who has held the oceans in His hands?

Who has numbered every grain of sand?

Kings and nations tremble at His voice

All creation rises to rejoice

Behold our God seated on His throne

Come, let us adore Him

Behold our King—nothing can compare

Come, let us adore Him

Who has given counsel to the Lord?

Who can question any of His words?

Who can teach the One who knows all things?

Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds?

Who has felt the nails upon His hands?

Bearing all the guilt of sinful man

God eternal, humbled to the grave

Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign

You will reign forever!

(Let Your glory fill the earth)

Joyful Song of Sending

O Love that Will Not Let Me Go

©1997 Christopher Miner Music. Words: George Matheson. Music: Christopher Miner.

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

Liturgy as Transformational Drama

(Part 1)

My wife and I used to live in  Spain and we would often have what I called “Miss America” days.  These were days in which (no matter how much we love Spain) we would have a negative encounter with Spanish culture or we would just find ourselves missing some aspect of American culture.  On days like these we would set up the computer and watch a few episodes of Lori’s favorite sitcom, “Friends.”  Over the course of our time in Spain, we ritualistically worked our way through most of the seasons.  What I’m saying is, we got addicted to this show!  We were watching so much that it became almost an alternate reality.  If we missed our real friends back home we would put on “Friends” and get a false sense of friendship from these characters and their lives that began to seem so very real.  I realized that immersing ourselves in this show was altering our current reality.  I would find myself in situations in which I would say to myself, “What would Chandler say in this moment?” or “That girl is acting just like Rachel!”

Now I don’t recommend making this or any sitcom your alternate reality of choice because there are, as we will see, better narratives that we can find altering our reality.  What I found happening in our time spent with our “Friends” just proved to me the power of narrative.  Narrative or drama has the power to actually alter reality.

I realized that facts and cognitive data do not shape our reality as much as the narratives, the stories of life that influence and shape us.  Of course those sitcom characters weren’t actually our friends, but they were enacting something true.  They were enacting community—so much so that to this day, if Lori and I feel a little lonely, we put on “Friends” and that old nostalgic feeling of community comes back.

It’s not that watching a TV show is a sin.  After all, everything points to the one True narrative.  Only we need to be careful not to let the many competing narratives begin to trump the great overarching Grand Narrative.  The best way to do this is to spend some time immersing yourself in the Great Story.  That is where the weekly gathering is crucial. 

We Christians enact a story on a weekly (and yearly) basis.  Sometimes and in some churches that story is not very interesting or engaging or life changing and there are a lot of reasons for that, one being that we don’t follow the story that was given to us and we begin adding or subtracting the elements that actually make the story great.  Or we may not understand the story very well so we don’t’ tell and retell it very well. 

No matter what we do in the gathering, no matter how well we retell the Grand Narrative of the Gospel, no matter what elements we use and the quality and excellence of our use of them during the hour or so that we are gathered together, our reality is being altered.  We are being transformed.  So my desire is to reenact that drama in all its fullness and glory so that a stupid sitcom, though mildly entertaining, comes under the Grand narrative and is reinterpreted in light of the Grand narrative that is rehearsed on Sunday.  Notice I didn’t say, “Make the church service so great that you don’t want to watch sitcoms anymore.”  That is a false dichotomy that does not bring God’s redemption into every facet of life.  So after having my reality altered (recalibrated) by the Word, Sacrament, Prayer and Song, I can go out into the world and participate in the drama that I just acted out (as if the Sunday gathering is a dress rehearsal) bringing God’s redemption to this broken world.

Think about the elements of your Sunday gathering.  How are they transforming you?  In what way are they altering your reality?  Are you, body and soul, being recalibrated so that Jesus is the focus of your story?

Corporate Worship September 18, 2011

Psalm 133

This is a psalm about going up together to the presence of God to be washed, to be anointed and then to anoint and bestow blessing upon the world. THe psalm seems to progress in this way.

This is a royal psalm, a psalm of ascents that sets pilgrims apart (sanctifies them), transforms them and then sends them out to be kingly agents of redemption.  We see this because the act of anointing with oil sets one apart and endows them with authority

What if Jesus spoke this Psalm?  How would we understand it from his perspective?  Our unity (found in our union with Christ through his death and resurrection--see John 17) is the oil that anoints Jesus as King.  Unity is the crown of Aaron in the same way that the unity of the church is Jesus’ crown.

The dew that settles on Mt. Hermon is a picture of what happens when brothers live together in unity.  It is a blessing that spreads out across the land covering it with blessing.  So it is easy to see the missional component in the progression of the psalm. 

So let us ascend the hill of the Lord, find ourselves bound together in the unity of the Spirit through the washing of the blood of Christ so that we may be anointed kings and queens of a new kingdom that brings redemption and restoration to a broken world…

The Glory of Unity—Psalm 133

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

God of Wonders

© 2000 New Spring / Storm Boy Music / Meaux Mercy / Mark Byrd & Steve Hindalong / CCLI#1888005

Lord of all creation, of water, earth and sky;

The heavens are your tabernacle.  Glory to the Lord on high!

     

God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy.

The universe declares your majesty.  You are holy, holy.

Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of heaven and earth.

Early in the morning I will celebrate the light.

When I stumble in the darkness, I will call your name by night.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy.

The universe declares your majesty.  You are holy, holy.

Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of heaven and earth.

Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy.

Precious Lord, reveal your heart to me.

You are holy, holy, holy, holy.

Humbled by God’s Glory—we all say:

Father, we have not believed through our thoughts, words and deeds that you are the Almighty Lord of all creation.  Forgive us and reconcile us unto yourself.

Come, Ye Sinners

©2000 Detuned Radio Music (ASCAP). Words: Joseph Hart. Music: Matthew S. Smith. #1888005

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched, Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

Jesus, ready, stands to save you, Full of pity, joined with power.

He is able, He is able; He is willing; doubt no more.

Come ye needy, come, and welcome, God’s free bounty glorify;

True belief and true repentance, Every grace that brings you nigh.

Without money, without money. Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Bruised and broken by the fall;

If you tarry ’til you’re better, You will never come at all.

Not the righteous, not the righteous; Sinners Jesus came to call.

Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requires Is to feel your need of Him.

This He gives you, this He gives you, ’Tis the Spirit’s rising beam.

Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended; Pleads the merit of His blood.

Venture on Him; venture wholly, Let no other trust intrude.

None but Jesus, none but Jesus Can do helpless sinners good.

Receiving Jesus’ Gift—we all say:

Brother Jesus, we have not believed through our thoughts, words and deeds that your death and resurrection are sufficient to give us a kingdom-of-heaven-life in the midst of our present circumstances.  Forgive us and reconcile us unto yourself.

Renewal

Renewal is recognizing what we’ve treasured more than God and seeking his gracious forgiveness.

Forever Reign

© 2009 SHOUT! Publishing Jason Ingram | Reuben Morgan CCLI 1888005

You are good. You are good when there's nothing good in me.

You are love. You are love on display for all to see.

You are light. You are light when the darkness closes in.

You are hope. You are hope. You have covered all my sin.

You are peace. You are peace when my fear is crippling.

You are true. You are true even in my wandering.

You are joy. You are joy. You're the reason that I sing.

You are life. You are life. In You death has lost its sting.

(Oh) I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms.

The riches of Your love will always be enough.

Nothing compares to Your embrace.

Light of the world forever reign.

You are more. You are more than my words will ever say.

You are Lord. You are Lord. All creation will proclaim.

You are here. You are here. In Your presence I'm made whole.

You are God. You are God of all else I'm letting go.

My heart will sing no other Name, Jesus, Jesus.

Responding to the Spirit—we all say:

Holy Spirit, we have not believed through our thoughts, words and deeds that the power that raised Jesus from the dead has brought us to life and dwells within us. Forgive us and reconcile us unto yourself, for the glory of the Father, to the praise of the Son by the power of the Spirit. Amen.

The Glory of Unity – Colossians 1:19-22

For the fullness of God was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

In Christ Alone  

© 2001 Thankyou Music / Keith Getty & Stuart Townend / CCLI#1888005

In Christ alone my hope is found, he is my light, my strength, my song.

This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save.

'Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied,

for every sin on Him was laid.  Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain.

Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again.

And as He stands in victory sin's curse has lost its grip on me.

For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.

From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand.

'Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Public Domain / Trevor Francis / CCLI#1888005

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!

Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!

Underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love.

Leading onward, leading homeward, to thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread his praise from shore to shore!

How he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!

How he watches o’er his loved ones, died to call them all his own;

How for them he intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!

‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing, ‘tis a haven sweet of rest!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ‘tis a heaven of heavens to me;

and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to thee!

Corporate Worship September 11, 2011

Meditating on Psalm 100

The Old 100^th is a psalm that goes from liturgical commands to the “why” of the commands and back again.  These commands are calling us to worship: “shout,” “know,” “serve,” “come” and the “why” of the commands is based on certain truths: “The Lord is God,” “He made us,” and “we belong to Him.”

I continually return to this Psalm as a guide for corporate worship because it invites us to experience emotions based on the knowledge of who God is and what he has done for us.  The knowledge of who god is and what he has done wells up inside us until it explodes into shouts of joy and gladness. 

This Sunday we will meditate on Psalm 100 in such a way as to be glad that the Lord is God, to take joy in the fact that he made us and to find comfort that because of the work of Jesus, we belong to Him.

We are gathered in the name of the Lord…

Thanks be to God!

The Lord Calls His People – Psalm 100:1-2

Psalm 100 A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness!   Come into his presence with singing!

All Creatures of Our God and King

ST. FRANCIS of ASSISI; Arr. and DAVID CROWDER Public Domain. Arr. © 2003 Christian Music Publishing. CCLI 1888005

All creatures of our God and King

Lift up your voice and with us sing

O praise Him, alleluia

Thou burning sun with golden beam

Thou silver moon with softer gleam

O praise Him, O praise Him

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Thou rushing wind that art so strong

Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along

O praise Him, alleluia

Thou rising moon in praise rejoice

Ye lights of evening find a voice

O praise Him, O praise Him

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Let all things their Creator bless

And worship Him in humbleness

O praise Him, alleluia

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son

And praise the Spirit, Three in One

O praise Him, O praise Him

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Forever Reign

© 2009 SHOUT! Publishing Jason Ingram | Reuben MorganCCLI 1888005

You are good. You are good when there's nothing good in me

You are love. You are love on display for all to see

You are light. You are light when the darkness closes in

You are hope. You are hope. You have covered all my sin

You are peace. You are peace when my fear is crippling

You are true. You are true even in my wandering

You are joy. You are joy. You're the reason that I sing

You are life. You are life. In You death has lost its sting

(Oh) I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

You are more. You are more than my words will ever say

You are Lord. You are Lord. All creation will proclaim

You are here. You are here. In Your presence I'm made whole

You are God. You are God of all else I'm letting go

My heart will sing no other Name, Jesus, Jesus

We Are His People – Psalm 100:1-3

Psalm 100 A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

© 1995 Thankyou Music / Stuart Townend / CCLI#1888005

How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure

that he should give his only son, to make a wretch his treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns his face away

as wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross, my sin upon his shoulders.

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished;

his dying breath has brought me life.  I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything:  no gifts, no power, no wisdom.

But I will boast in Jesus Christ:  his death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from his reward?  I cannot give an answer.

But this I know with all my heart: his wounds have paid my ransom.

How Can We Enter His Gates? – Psalm 100:1-4

Psalm 100 A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness!   Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God!   It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Jesus Died My Soul To Save

© 2008 Dayspring Music, LLC | Pocket Full Of Rocks Pub, Word Music, Matt Boswell, Michael Farren CCLI 1888005

I stand amazed at Your love for me

That lonely night in Gethsemane

This sinner's heart can't help but thrill

To hear You pray Father not my will

What depth of love what reach of grace

Oh how my grateful heart now aches

To sing it louder the refrain

Jesus died my soul to save

Atonement full applied to me

The blood that spilled at Calvary

Has swallowed all my sin and shame

I'm reconciled in Jesus' name

Oh such pleasure oh such pain

The Father's wrath and fury lay

On Christ whom saints and angels praise

Jesus died my soul to save

Come you broken bound by sin

And let your weary journey end

Come and lay your burdens down

Where mercy rules and peace abounds

The Lord is Good – Psalm 100:1-5

Psalm 100 A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness!   Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God!   It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

O Love that Will Not Let Me Go

©1997 Christopher Miner Music. Words: George Matheson. Music: Christopher Miner.

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.