A Call to Worship

Sunday night, my church hosted a Night of Worship and Prayer to again, call us back to what we are. A family of believers united under and with God. We worshiped freely, made specific communal prayer requests, and had our elders pray over people who came forward for healing (in accordance with James 5). It was a wonderful time. I had the privilege to start he night by issuing a Call to Worship for our church. Since I have been studying the Psalms for the last few weeks and been writing and speaking on specific psalms I decided to use the Psalter as my inspiration for my prayer and call for the attenders to worship. I thought I would share it with you today.

In the busy-ness of life it is hard sometimes to find breathing room to truly worship. I was reading the Psalms this past week. Any time I come to the Psalter it forces me to think through all of the things the writers reference. 

How often have I taken for granted the world around me?

How often have I ignored the beauty of the trees?
How often have I missed the beauty of the sun rising "like a champion emerging from its tent” or  like “a great athlete eager to run a race"?

How often do I look at mankind and not see the wondrous work of God in the image bearers all around me?

The Psalms call us back to the life all around us. It is the prayer-book of Jesus. It holds the prayers of the cloud of witnesses speaking to us in our dire need, our pain in personal apostasy, our desperation for our Savior, and our outflow of worship to the One who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine: Jesus Christ.

It reminds us that Christian hope does not promise successful days to the rich, the strong, and the powerful, but resurrection and life to those who must exist in the shadows of death. And I have a feeling that there are many here tonight who are hurting, either by a longing for more of God, a renewed infilling of the Spirit’s mark in their life or a very real and painful time right now with the circumstances of death, decay, and sin in the world. I am right there among you. And corporate worship reminds us that we are all among each other. We are a family. We are God’s people. A people who had spent time in the wilderness, but a people who have seen a great light!

This is why we will be singing a lot of songs tonight that are based from this precious book of Scripture.

Listen to these words from the Psalms:

The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,
    and he has spoken;
he has summoned all humanity
    from where the sun rises to where it sets.

From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines in glorious radiance.

Our God approaches,
    and he is not silent.
Fire devours everything in his way,
    and a great storm rages around him.

He calls on the heavens above and earth below
    to witness the judgment of his people.

“Bring my faithful people to me—
    those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”

Then let the heavens proclaim his justice,
    for God himself will be the judge. 

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
    and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on Him when you are in trouble,
    and He will rescue you,
    and you will give Him glory.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. 
From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:  all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
    It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
The sun rises at one end of the heavens
    and follows its course to the other end.
    Nothing can hide from its heat.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
    reviving the soul.

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

Father, we have heard your words tonight and we are amazed that as we make much of you, you choose to make much of us. As we magnify you, you respond to us. So come, let your glory fall on us tonight as we worship you.

Savior, we… Apologize for the sins we have committed against you. We come with heavy, tired hearts. And we ask for your grace and forgiveness. Declare us innocent, oh Lord.

Holy Spirit, we come tonight with one desire: to have a clear of vision of Jesus. And that we may proclaim in your presence the words of Isaiah:

Here we are Lord, Send us!
We believe in your power to change us;
your creating power making relationships new,
your redeeming power saving us from despair,
your sustaining power giving us courage and strength.

God of grace:
We come with all we have;
bodies, souls, minds, all here to worship you.
We have come for a glimpse
of your kingdom of kindness--
a community where love rules over all,
a community where enemies embrace,
distinctions between friend and foe
evaporating in the light of your love.

God of all creation:
our chief end
is to glorify you,
and enjoy you forever.
Our deep delight is in your presence,
make our fondest thoughts be of you,
make our strongest longing to be for your house.
In this time of worship,
help us to become who we are meant to be--
a community that breathes thankfulness,
voicing your praise in all we do.

Jesus, tonight may we be of one voice to you as
the words of our mouths
    and the meditations of our hearts
be a pleasing sound to you,
    O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Our hearts, O God, are steadfast,

    Our hearts are steadfast;

    We will sing and make music.

We will praise you, oh Lord, among the nations;

    We will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

    let your glory be over all the earth.
 

Christ, We dedicate this time of worship to you and to your kingdom come.  Amen.

-----

 

Nathan Bryant

is a pastor at River Run Church in East Orlando, FL. As a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri he majored in Biblical Leadership, New Testament Studies, and Missiology.  In 2014 he attended the Leadership Institute in Phoenix, AZ where he continued his education from other pastors and educators at one of the fastest growing churches in the United States. He loves the outdoors, whether it is camping in the mountains or jumping through the waves at the beach, nothing is better than enjoying God’s creation. Nathan longs for unity and commitment to Jesus to be a defining element in the global church of his generation.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.

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