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Continous Discipleship - Joyful Worship
Prayer: O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise! Amen.
Psalm 95:1-2
Christian worship joyfully ascribes all
praise and honor,
glory and power
to the triune God.
In worship the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives.
As they respond to God's claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers are transformed and renewed.
In worship the faithful offer themselves to God and
are equipped for God's service in the world.
Book of Order W-1.1001
The Spirit of God quickens people to an awareness of God's grace and claim upon their lives.
The Spirit moves them to respond
by naming and calling upon God,
by remembering and proclaiming God's acts of
self-revelation in word and deed, and
by committing their lives to God's reign in the
world.
Book of Order W-1.1002a
I did an online search of the set of words, joyful worship presbyterian and received thousands of hits most of which were to the Home pages of Presbyterian church websites. Proof that joyful worship is a strong theme in our churches.
The first question in the Westminster Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man [humans]?" The answer: "To glorify God and enjoy him [God] forever." How joyful was your worship last Sunday? This does not in any way imply that we should be giddy, goofy or glib, but was there much true joy evident on the part of worshipers or worship leaders?
an article by Paul Detterman, part of a Presbyterians Today series called “What Presbyterians Believe” http://www.pcusa.org/today/archive/believe/wpb0106.htm.
Joyful worship does not mean that there is not sorrow, consternation, angst, and all other human emotions felt by the worshipers and worship leaders. Worship that is “all about God” then is not about our feeling. It is a challenge but we can be feeling low yet joyfully praise God, the most high.
Prayer: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. With joy we respond to God’s grace and claim upon our lives. Amen. (words from Isaiah 12:3 and Book of Order)
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