Coffee With The Lord

My post this morning is especially designed to provoke thought among those who are responsible for planning and facilitating what we call “worship services” in our “houses of worship.” As I read Psalm 100 this morning during “coffee with the Lord” this thought entered my mind – What if we planned and structured “worship services” specifically to achieve the goals this psalm speaks of? (I think many do, but there’s always room for improvement, right?) Here’s the psalm… then a few reflections…

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 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. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

What if we deliberately sought to facilitate…

• The joyful sound
• Gladness in “service” (a biblical synonym for worshipful acts)
• Preludes to worship that were characterized by the congregation singing praises
• Contexts that encouraged an awareness of Who God really is – His character, His holiness, His goodness, His faithfulness, His love!
• Contexts that encouraged reflection of who we are in relationship to Him – our Creator God, redeemed by Him, the object of His care and concern.
• “Worship services” that were characterized by thankful entrance into His promised presence, praise, gratitude, and “blessing His name” (i.e. eulogizing Him for who He is).
• All the while keeping in focus this core reality about our God… “The Lord is good! His steadfast love (His covenant love) endures forever! His faithfulness endure to ALL generations (those generations past, and present – your children and mine, and those to come by the grace of God).

You know what I think… I think our services would become incredibly uplifting and transformative! The awareness of God’s presence among us would become profound and real – like the Shekinah cloud of God’s glory among the community of Israel above the tabernacle and temple and within the “holiest of all”! Gotta tell you, I long for that – the “manifest presence of God”! To borrow the words of Isaiah 6… “And the seraphim… called to one another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!”  Thankfully I’ve been in a few “worship services” like that!