Baptism (February 13th, 2022)

This is the sixth sermon in the ‘Liturgy for Life’ series.

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:37-47

In the sacraments, God has given us signs and seals for our own spiritual growth and nourishment. One of the most underutilized gifts and resources God gives us is our baptism. When we remember our baptism, we can rest in the truth that we are the Father’s beloved child, whom he is well pleased in. Our baptism announces the reality that we are clean before God and have been given new hearts.  

The Priority of Baptism

The First Thing the Church Does: In Chapter 1 of Acts, Jesus ascends into heaven and tells his followers to wait for the Holy Spirit. In Chapter 2 of Acts, the Holy Spirit is poured out and the people ask Peter and the apostles what they should do. Peter says “repent and be baptized (2:37).” Baptism was given priority in the first church. When people gathered together and received Jesus, they were first baptized. Baptism came before teaching, communion, and fellowship because baptism signified a new beginning. 

• Repenting means a complete change of direction, change of mind/heart, turning from the way you are headed, turning to a whole new way of life… centered on Jesus.  

• To be baptized with water symbolizes a new beginning.

Baptism is the sacrament of entrance. On one side of this water is a life oriented around ourselves. On the other side of this water is a life oriented around Jesus Christ. Baptism is a reminder to Christians of what it means to be a Christian. It us that believing in Jesus means the end of our old self and the start of a new self. We don’t fit Jesus into our plans and lives; we fit our plans and lives into Him. Many churches place their baptismal font at the entrance of the church to be a reminder of this new life in Christ.

The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism is also a “means of grace” – one of the main ways God gives us the grace to live this new way of life. However, it isn’t a magic button. Rather, God gives us baptism as a sign and seal, similar to how we think of a wedding ring. Baptism works as a sign that points us to Jesus and a seal that confirms what he has done is real and true for us personally. 

A Sign and Seal of…

• God’s pleasure over us–We are baptized in the name of Christ, and thus we are baptized into who Jesus is. When God looks at us, he can call us his beloved children with whom he is well pleased, because we are in Christ. 

• God’s pardon for us– We are baptized for the forgiveness of sins, meaning our shame and guilt are removed. 

• God’s power in us– We are given the Holy Spirit and should not look to our strength to empower us. 

• God’s promise to us– Our faith is strengthened when we remember those promises which baptism points to. 

• God’s pursuit of us– Baptism reminds us not to look to our pursuit of God but God's pursuit of us, no matter how much our faith wavers. 

• God’s people and us– We become a part of a new family when we are baptized: the Church.

Our need for these signs and seals is like our need for road signs on a long journey. We can be discouraged, filled with doubt, anxious, and tired on a long journey where there are few road signs. Baptism is like a road sign that reassures us by pointing to Jesus and what is true of all who believe in him. It is a great comfort to those who might feel lost, broken and need strength to continue on the road of following after Jesus.

The Liturgy of Baptism

• Sunday: Baptism is not something we do for ourselves. It is meant to be a part of the liturgy of the church. It signifies the official welcome, entrance into the church. This is important for the person being baptized and for everyone else who is witnessing the baptism. We welcome individuals into the people of God as a family! We witness their entrance into new life and should seek to remind each other of this.

• Everyday: Martin Luther, the leading Protestant Reformer, struggled his whole life with doubts and fears. It’s said that he wrote the words “I am baptized” in chalk on his desk. Consider making baptism part of your liturgies, such as knowing the date you were baptized or remembering it in your mind when you struggle with doubts or fears. 

REFLECT OR DISCUSS

1. Share if and how you were baptized. If you can remember your baptism, what did this event in your life mean to you?

2. How has your perspective on baptism changed or developed throughout the years?

3. In what ways do you underutilize the resource of baptism? 

4. How does baptism remind Christians what it means to be a Christian (and show non-Christians what it means to be a Christian)? See Romans 6:1-4 for help.

5. How is baptism a sign and seal? How can it assure and encourage us? How might having a physical, visible and tangible sacrament help us when we doubt the reality of our faith, the reality of God?

6. What promises does baptism point to that most you struggle to believe? (see section A Sign and Seal of…)

YOUR DAILY LITURGY 

In this series, we will be encouraged to “take ownership” of our daily liturgies (patterns, habits). Saying, “I’m so busy,” “I go with the flow,” or “I just go about my day” are examples of not taking ownership of the shape and structure of our lives. How can the shape and pattern of my daily life be built around the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

1. What are some practical ways you could remember your baptism in your weekly liturgy?

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Click here to watch the sermon on YouTube.

Life in Community (February 6th, 2022)

This is the fifth sermon in the ‘Liturgy for Life’ series.

Scripture reading: Romans 16:1-16

Every week, at some point, we have a time we call “life in community” greetings, “announcements,” and whoever is up front asks you to stand up and greet each other. This may feel like an interruption in the service rather than part of a liturgy. However, Paul reminds us of the importance and power of community in Scripture as a model for church and daily liturgies.

The Need for Life in Community 

Paul’s extended greetings in his letters show us how connected he was to other people. We might be tempted to think of Paul as an amazing individual Christian, but Paul never writes a letter without mentioning the members of his community. Paul is modeling something for the church - his life was a life in community, so ours should be too. Paul’s call to “greet” others is much more than a polite “hello,” the greeting he has in mind is an opening up of your life to receive someone else into your life to enrich it and strengthen your relationship with God. In a world suffering from an epidemic of loneliness, we need practices to pull us back together. 

How to Build Life in Community 

In this passage, there is a very practical step Paul gives to build the kind of life in community we all need: the holy kiss. It’s found in verse 16 and commanded four other times in the NT. A holy kiss was a warm, affectionate greeting in the culture of this time. It was more common among Jews than Gentiles but practiced in both. Many historians say it was a kiss on the lips(!) and mostly among close relationships/family. It became a part of the common liturgy of the early church to express and strengthen the unity believers had as a new family in Christ. 

Applying the holy kiss today means considering the importance of a time for life in community in church liturgy and challenging our narrow individualistic approach to church. As one pastor says, “the story that we believe in is the story that we live out.” A regular week-in, week-out liturgy of “life in community” and greeting reminds us that our story is not an individual story but a story of life in community. We build life in community by making intentional time and space in our gathering to greet and welcome one another personally and affectionately. 

The Power of Life in Community – The regular liturgy of greeting one another with a holy kiss might seem simple but it had great power in the early church to produce a community such as the world had never seen: 

1. Power for Equality - There is a diverse group of people mentioned in Paul's greeting, including women, slaves, former slaves, Jews, Gentiles, and those from poverty and wealth. A greeting with a holy kiss brought everyone together as equals in a warm, affectionate family. This kind of equality was unheard of at the time across race, gender and social class. 

2. Power of Embodied Community - You cannot greet someone with a holy kiss unless you are in person with them. Christian worship is not just a matter of the soul but also of the body. The holy kiss reinforced the Christian belief that we are whole beings – our souls and our bodies matter to God. This was a constant reminder to care for both the spiritual and physical needs of others. 

3. Power to Re-personalize - Paul mentioning people by name means that he values them, their stories, and how their faith encourages his own. There are so many forces that depersonalize us at work in our world, a liturgy of greeting by name communicates to each person – you matter. 

4. Power for Peacemaking - Romans is well-known for its theological content, but one of the main reasons Paul wrote the book of Romans was to strengthen the unity of the churches in the city of Rome suffering from many divisions. To genuinely offer a holy kiss to another Christian first meant you were reconciled to them. In fact, the early church placed the liturgy of the holy kiss prior to the Lord’s Supper for just this reason. 

5. Power for Everyday Community - We might not consider church announcements very theological, but Paul includes one about Phoebe right in this text (which was read aloud to the church)! He asked the church to host and help her. Announcements, done righty, encourage the gathered community to connect beyond Sunday into in their everyday lives.   

The Challenge of Life in Community 

What we are called to is not easy or comfortable, but it is necessary for your emotional and spiritual health in the context of a church family. To open up your heart to others in a genuine greeting is to open up your life to share in the stories of others, receive their gifts, and move from being unknown to known. Jesus himself knew all the risks you might be imagining now and though he was betrayed by a holy kiss, he still loved Judas, welcomed him, ate with him, and opened his life to him. Jesus died so we could have eternal life in community with the Trinity and with everyone who he has welcomed in. If he has welcomed us in this way, how can we not welcome one another with warmth and openness?   

REFLECT OR DISCUSS 

1. How does the NT concept of a liturgy of “greeting” challenge or encourage you? How do you experience the weekly practice of greeting one another? Like it? Hate it? Why? 

2. Does the concept of a “holy kiss” make you feel uncomfortable? Why do you think it was so significant that Paul and Peter include it in their instructions to the churches? 

3. Look at section 3 – which of these 5 descriptions of “the power of life in community” do you feel are most important for you/our church right now?

   1. Special Focus - Digital services are a great convenience, but they can and should never fully replace our embodied participation in the body of Christ, the church. You greet someone with a holy kiss on a livestream. How should this impact our thinking on the place of online worship? 

4. How is living your life in community with the people in your church uncomfortable or risky?   

5. Read the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32.  Notice how it says the Father kissed his son. 

   1. What did this kiss symbolize?

   2. What discomfort or risk was involved for the Father to kiss his son?

   3. What does this tell us about the heart of God for us? 

   4. How does this move us to enter the discomfort/risk of greeting each other with a “holy kiss”? 

YOUR DAILY LITURGY 

In this series, we will be encouraged to “take ownership” of our daily liturgies (patterns, habits). Saying, “I’m so busy,” “I go with the flow,” or “I just go about my day” are examples of not taking ownership of the shape and structure of our lives. How can the shape and pattern of my daily life be built around the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

1. What’s the difference between attending events (church, community group, bible study) and doing these same things as living a life in community?

2. Who is someone you know that might need a “greeting” or a “holy kiss” in these turbulent times? 

3. What are some practical ways for you to build life in community on Sundays and throughout the week?

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Click here to watch the sermon on YouTube.

Singing (January 23rd, 2022)

The third sermon in the ‘Liturgy for Life’ series.

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-17

Introduction: In this teaching series, we’ve been thinking about how our Sunday liturgy can guide us in our everyday liturgies. Just as our faith in Christ extends beyond Sunday mornings, the things which we practice in service should extend into our day to day lives. Consider the habits in your own life. This might include doing a devotional, checking your phone before you get out of bed, watching the news at a specific time, buying the same drink, exercising in the morning. Ask yourself why you do the things you do? How is this liturgy directing or shaping your heart?

These day to day liturgies may seem insignificant to us, but “our liturgies are formed based on what we value, seek, consider important, and our liturgies have the power to re-direct/re-shape what our hearts value, seek and consider important.” In this sermon series, we’re not simply trying to gain good habits and feel accomplished. This understanding of Christian liturgy lacks depth. We implement liturgies such as worship, confession, assurance, and singing into our day to day lives so that we can more greatly honor, glorify, and enjoy God. Our liturgy has to do with remembering who we once were when we were far off from God and resting in who we are because God has brought us near by the blood of Christ. These liturgies also give us practical ways in which we can let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16)

Everyone has a unique relationship with singing; Some enjoy doing it, some enjoy hearing it, some enjoy leading it, some enjoy performing with it, some don’t enjoy doing it. The Bible has some things to say about singing, one of the main ones being that when followers of Christ get together, they should sing!

What is singing? Singing can be defined as a) a short piece of music with words meant to be sung or 2) a poetic composition meant to be sung to music. In short, singing is words and music, put together in order to move the heart. In scripture, the word ‘heart’ refers not only to feelings/affections but represents the control center and core of our being. Unlike simply reading poetry, a song does something powerful inside our hearts.. Think of a song that has moved you in some way, whether it be to tears, joy, hope, empathy, or anger. 

There is singing all over the Bible! In Psalm 108:1-4, David says “My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.”

Why do we sing? We can’t help it. Every culture and people group sings. Singing relieves stress, boosts immunity, releases good brain chemicals, it has a myriad of helpful benefits. For the Christian, singing is not only all over the Bible, but also commanded of us in many places. What is important to realize is that both the Bible and our own observations confirm that singing is an important and natural part of our lives. 

While it is enough to do something if God tells us to do so, the fact of the matter is that we are enriched in singing if we know why God wants us to sing! Paul tells us in Colossians 3:16 that we sing so that “the word of Christ would dwell richly among you.” This means that we sing so that we might be assured of the truth of Jesus’s message such that we can receive it and rest upon it. The word of Christ here refers not just the things that Jesus said - it refers to the message of the gospel (the message of all Jesus has done, is doing and will do). Sometimes we can hear true words but be in such a state of sorrow or pain that we have a difficult time accepting them to be true. Likewise, sometimes the importance of the gospel can be lost on us because things are going well. Singing can reach us in situations like these in a way that words sometimes cannot, they can help us both understand and feel the truth of the gospel.

Since singing is a vital part of our spiritual health, it is important that we sing even when it is hard. There are many reasons that might be the case. It can be hard to sing if we have experienced trials, but sometimes singing just isn’t our thing. When we experience trials, we must remember that worshiping God in song includes singing songs of lament. When we don’t feel like singing, we must remember both that God has commanded us to sing and that he delights in our singing. He wants us to sing for our own benefit, but also because he enjoys it. He enjoys hearing your voice.

When we sing? If we had to choose the most important time to sing, it would be when we are gathered together as a church. We see in Scripture that Christians sang when they gathered together, and they have sung together ever since for thousands of years. For Christians, singing is a communal event which we do to glorify God, build one another up, and witness to the world. When we sing as a church, these are our three audiences! Above all, God is our audience, and we sing to him because he deserves it and because he desires us to.  We are also audience to our own singing. When we sing together, we are receiving and resting upon the truth of God’s word together as one body. Finally, when we sing as a church, the whole world sees. It's not as if everyone is watching us when we sing, but when we worship together we are making a statement to the world that our God is worthy of praise and that we are his people. Singing is a form of testimony to one another to strengthen our faith but also the whole world to proclaim that God is worthy to be praised.
Singing together is important, but the reality is that there really is never a bad time to sing. In the highs and lows of life, when we are alone, when we are together, it is always a good time to sing God’s praise, it is always a good time to remember his promise. Singing can lift us up when we are down, it can humble us when we are proud, it can help us deal with everything we encounter in life. Singing is a great source of comfort for us. May we be a church who sings more and more in every station of life.

What do we sing? Paul says in Colossians that we should sing “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” As was said in there sermon, There is some debate as to what these three kinds of songs are, but what we can know for sure is that we should sing a variety of songs. Because worship is first and foremost about God, sometimes we will have to lay aside our preferences and sing songs that might not be our first choice. Paul tells us in Romans 12:15 to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Sometimes singing as a church family will mean singing alongside people who are weeping when you would rather rejoice or vice versa. This can be difficult, but it is an important spiritual exercise to come alongside one another in life, but also in song. 

Even if there are times when we do not sing or cannot seem to find the right words, God is signing. All our songs are a response to the song he sings over us in Christ. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God rejoices over his people with gladness and delights in them with singing. Through the work of Jesus God has taken away our sin and defeated all our enemies. To do this, Jesus had to be willing to sing the song we’d never want to sing in our place– a song of being forsaken and forgotten by God (see Psalm 22). By singing the song we deserved to sing Jesus took the punishment our sins deserves and defeated all our enemies – all our singing is a response to the reality that it is God who first sings over us. 

REFLECT OR DISCUSS 

What is your relationship with singing, is it something you look forward to? What level of importance would you say it has in your life?

1. What kind of songs are easy for you to sing? What kinds are hard? What do you think someone can learn from singing songs that they do not prefer?

2. In what ways could singing together strengthen/build up the church? Have you been built up by singing?  

3. How can singing cause the “word of Christ to dwell in us richly”? as individuals? how does singing do this for a church as a community? 

4. Do you have a favorite psalm, hymn or spiritual song? What about it speaks to you in a way that normally spoken words might not? Look it up online and share with the group. Pick a few to sing together. 

5. Read Zephaniah 3:14-17. What difference would it make in your life if you knew God was singing over you with delight? 

YOUR DAILY LITURGY 

In this series, we will be encouraged to “take ownership” of our daily liturgies (patterns, habits). Saying, “I’m so busy”,  “I go with the flow, “I just go about my day” are examples of not taking ownership of the shape and structure of our  lives. How can the shape and pattern of my daily life be built around the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

1. Are there any times outside of Sunday morning when singing, either alone or in a group, would be appropriate and encouraging in your life?  How might the songs we sing on Sunday be a part of your weekly liturgy? 

2. How can regularly singing help you grow in your spiritual life? 

3. Are there any kinds of worship music that you would like to learn to enjoy or appreciate?

Some ideas include – Listening to music/singing in the car on the way to or from work, Singing at the dinner table as a way to pray before the meal, singing at community group, humming a song when it comes to your mind, reading the psalms, creating worship playlists for different occasions like joy or mourning.

Click here for the full pdf version.

Click here to watch the sermon on YouTube.

Confession and Assurance (January 16th, 2022)

The second sermon in the "‘Liturgy for Life’ series.

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:5-2:2

Confession | Why should we spend time regularly confessing our sins as a part of our Sunday liturgy? and as part of our personal liturgies? John gives us three reasons: 

1. We confess our sins whenever we truly recognize and acknowledge who God is. There is a biblical logic to our regular order of worship. Tt goes like this - when we recognize and acknowledge who God is in his holiness, glory and greatness (which is what the call to worship is calling us to do), we recognize and acknowledge v5“God is light and there is absolutely no darkness in him.” When this happens we recognize and acknowledge all the ways we have sinned and fall short of the glory and holiness of God. This pattern is repeated throughout Scripture when anyone gets even a glimpse of God’s glory. 

2. We confess our sins because it’s the truth. Light is an image of God’s pure moral holiness. Light is also an image of how fellowship with God reveals what is true and exposes deception, lies and things that are in the dark. When we encountered God, light is shone on things we want to hide or that are hidden to us until He shows us. “Walking in darkness” in this passage doesn’t mean not having any sin or never sinning - it means living in a way where we don’t see or admit our sin.  The word confess simply means “to say the same thing”. Confession is telling the truth about our sin; it’s bringing it to the light. 

3. We confess our sins, so that we have fellowship with one another. v7 states something surprising. Confession gives us fellowship with one another. How? Confession of the truth of who we are before the glory and holiness of God enables us to be ourselves as we are with one another. Our pride is cut down. We don’t see ourselves as above others but as sinners in equally in need of a Savior. Here is the starting point for true relationship. The masks come off. Judgment, competition and suspicion can be left behind. We give others the grace we know we so desperately need ourselves. 

Assurance | Confession is just one side of a two-sided coin. Every time our liturgy includes confession, we always follow that confession with “words of assurance”. Why? Here are 3 reasons from the text:

1. We need assurance because confession without assurance is a misrepresentation of the gospel. Assurance without confession is self-deceit (ie not living in the light) but confession without assurance is self-condemnation. It is not living in the truth of verse 9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Amazingly, John doesn’t say if we confess our sins, He is gracious and merciful to forgive us. Here’s what he is saying - If Jesus has already taken the judgment and condemnation our sins deserve (see 2:2), God cannot and will not condemn us, judge us or punish us for the sins Jesus has already died for! To do so would make him a liar and unjust! Thus, to call for confession and not give assurance is to misrepresent God and the gospel of Jesus.  

2. We need assurance of forgiveness, because we can’t give it to ourselves.  Many of us try to be our own advocate when we sin or fail. We tell ourselves, “it’s ok, everyone makes mistakes, we are all sinners, right?” etc. This may help us to move on but it doesn’t give us any of the liberation and joy of real assurance. John tells us we need an advocate outside our ourselves – and that is who Jesus is. He speaks for us and to us reminding us that He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He is sufficient to cover, cleanse and forgive all our sins – none of our groveling, attempts to atone or punish ourselves are needed. 

3. We receive assurance so that we may not sin.  Does constant assurance of forgiveness time and time again lead us to not to use it as a “free pass” to sin? It will for those who don’t really confess and don’t really understand the promise of assurance.  If we see and confess sin for what it is –what breaks our fellowship with God and others, what leaves me alone in the dark, in lies and self deceit AND we see Jesus for who He is – the One who took what my sins deserve, so that we have what he deserves – a 100% unbreakable assurance that God, the Father loves us, approves of us, delights in us and is committed to our ultimate and greatest good… if that is what we taste in confession and assurance, why would we turn back to sin? The rhythm of confession and assurance leads us into a turning away from sin and its dead-end emptiness and a turning to Jesus in his loving fellowship. In this is the power for change – week after week and day after day.

Reflect or Discuss

1. What about this sermon most impacted you or left you with questions? How do experience our weekly time of confession and assurance? 

2. “To not make time for confession on Sundays is like saying we don’t expect to really meet God in his holiness, glory and greatness” Do you agree? How does the pattern in Scripture of people meeting God support this statement? 

3. If confession is telling the truth about our sin, why is this important for us to do regularly? Why can’t we just do it alone? 

4. Have you seen how confession actually strengthens your fellowship with someone? How so?

5. It was said Christians need to practice “non-selective” confession. ie confession of all the bible calls sin.  Do you agree that we avoid confessing sins that may “score a point” for those who see on the “other side” or “opposing side” of disagreements?

6. Do you struggle more with assurance without confession? How do we know when our confession is more for us and not for God? Or do you struggle more with confession without assurance? How is not accepting assurance a way of trying to be our own Savior?

7. Why is it not enough for us to tell ourselves we are forgiven (ie being our own advocate)? How does knowing Jesus is your advocate help us not wallow in guilt or despair? 

8. Describe how the regular practice of confession and assurance can lead us not to sin.

Your Daily Liturgy 

In this series, we will be encouraged to “take ownership” of our daily liturgies (patterns, habits). Saying, “I’m so busy”, “I go with the flow, “I just go about my day” are examples of not taking ownership of the shape and structure of our lives. How can the shape and pattern of my daily life be built around the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

1. How can confession and assurance become a regular part of your daily liturgy? 

2. Why would it be important for you to include this as a regular personal habit?

3. How might it make a difference for how you experience challenges and failures of each day? 

Some ideas include – nightly prayer of examen, daily time in the “C” of A.C.T.S. based on the passage of scripture, developing the habit of confessing your specific sins vs blanket prayers of confession, the practice of having “short accounts” with those close to you – confessing sin, no matter how small, as quick as possible, from a genuine heart. 

Click here for the full pdf version.

Click here to watch the full sermon on YouTube.

The Call to Worship (January 9th, 2022)

The first sermon in the ‘Liturgy for Life’ series.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 95

Introduction: Our teaching series to begin 2022 is called, “Liturgy for Life”. To understand the heart and goal of the series, we need to know what is meant be the word “liturgy”. It comes from a Greek word that meant, “a work of the people; a public work or service”. It came to be used to describe what Christians did when they gathered together publicly for worship. We use the word today to describe the order or pattern of the public worship service of a church. From this definition, we can make two key observations:  

1. Every church has a liturgy. Some are elaborate, some are simple, but every church has a regular order/pattern to their worship. A church’s service order or liturgy will be shaped by what they believe about God and how to best lead people to worship Him.  

2. Every person also has a liturgy. If we understand a liturgy to be an order or pattern built around what we worship, in this sense every person has a liturgy for life. We all have regular structures, patterns, habits that are ultimately built around what we worship, value and consider most important. 

Our series will focus on 1) why we do what we do on Sundays at Trinity; how each part of our worship service shaped by the story of the gospel and the role each part of the liturgy can have in our formation and 2) how what we do on Sunday is meant to be a pattern and a model for our own daily personal liturgies.

1. The Reason We Are Here | Our services begin with “the call to worship”. As the first part of our service every week, the call to worship reminds us of the reason we are gathered together - to worship God. There are a lot of other reasons the bible gives for why we gather together, but Psalm 95 and other passages tell us that there is a reason that is primary. There is a reason that comes first. All the other reasons flow from it. 

We do not gather first and foremost to follow rules or enforce rules/a moral code; not to ask God for what we want; not to learn new things about God; not to get direction from God; not to change our lives for the better; not feel inspired/better, not even to serve each other. Our first/primary purpose when we gather together is to worship God. In fact, if those other things are done without worship, they will actually lead us away from God, not to Him. 

Verses 3 and 7 of Psalm 95 help us arrive at a simple definition of worship - Worship is recognizing and acknowledging who God is (v3 For is a great God; v7 For He is our God). Worship is recognizing and acknowledging the supreme worth, value, glory, importance, weight and greatness of who God is and how this is revealed in what he has done, is doing and will do in Christ. So, the call to worship is the ultimate reality check. Being called to worship is  being called to recognize and acknowledge the most fundamental, basic and essential reality – who God is. 

The call to worship not only reminds of the reason we gather as the church, it reminds us of the reason we are here at the most foundational level. It reminds us why we exist. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism begins its summary of the Christian faith, What is the chief (highest, primary and first) end (or purpose) of humanity? To glorify and enjoy God forever. Worship is not just the beginning, it is our end. A regular call to worship reminds us - God is not a means to an end, He is the end (the highest goal) of our lives. 

2. The Way We Proceed | The call to worship doesn’t only begin our services or begin our daily liturgies, it provides us with the way we proceed into everything else we do. If we proceed into the rest of our Sunday gathering apart from a posture or attitude of worship, the rest of the service becomes lifeless and loses its power. Confession is shallow. Assurance is bland. Singing is ok – if the music is good. The sermon is more about the preacher than than “Today, if you hear HIS voice” (v7b), the benediction is just a way to say, “it’s over”. But in the presence of the God who is – as we recognize and acknowledge his sovereignty, glory, greatness, grace, mercy and compassion – every other part of the service is given a holy power. 

We need to be called back to the reason God gathers us, to be called back to the reason why He made us - because we so often forget. We lose sight of who God is – our desires and problems become our greatest reality. Our desires can only be rightly directed and ordered; our problems only addressed when He becomes our greatest reality. It is then that our confession, the assurance of pardon, the songs we sing, the Word we hear, the bread and wine we take, the benediction we receive become invigorated and energized with the presence and power of God. 

2. Why We Need It Every day  | Verse 7 is a transition in the Psalm. In what seems like such an abrupt turn, we see how the call to worship is brought into the everyday. Psalm 95 is not just a liturgy for a gathered community in a worship service; it is a liturgy for “today”. Here is the thing we all must realize - every day we are called to worship; to give something the place of central value, importance and worthiness in our lives. If we don’t hear the voice of God calling us to worship every day and respond to Him, we will hear the voice of something calling us to worship and respond to it. 

The lesson of Psa. 95:7-11 is that for Israel in the wilderness, the reality of God had little to no impact on their daily challenges, tests and trails. They worshipped him in the big moments (ie the Red Sea) but forget him in their daily struggles. When confronted with a test, they doubted God was really with them and were ready to return back to the gods of Egypt. Our hearts are not any different. Without regular rhythm of remembering who God is and adoring and praising Him, we turn to other “gods” to save us, provide what we need.  

The Psalm invites us to remember the rest of this story. Instead of striking the people in judgment, God told Moses to strike the rock and out of the rock flowed life-giving water for a sinful and forgetful people. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, we are told “the rock was Christ”. The rock was foreshadowing of Jesus. Here is how God softens the heart that hard and cold to who he is - Every other “god” that call us to worship, says “if you sacrifice for me and give me what I deserve, I’ll give you what you deserve”.  Only Jesus, the rock that was struck in our place says, “I sacrificed myself for you, I took what you deserve, so you can have what I deserve”. 

Reflect or Discuss

1. What about this sermon most impacted you or left you with questions? How do experience our weekly call to worship? Be honest! How might it become more meaningful for you? 

2. What difference might it make for you to remember the primary reason for a weekly worship service is worship? How might this impact the way you experience the rest of the service? 

3. We can sometimes see a weekly or daily call to worship as vaguely spiritual but not practical. Consider the following list of examples of meditating on the reality of who God is for common struggles:

• Fear – the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what can man do to me?

• Discontent – the Lord is my Shepherd, I lack no good thing.

• Troubled – The Lord is a refuge in times of trouble.

• Weary - Do you not know? Have you not heard the Lord is the everlasting God he will not grow tired or weary

• Uncertainty - The Lord is King forever and ever

• Inner wound, hurt – The Lord is near the brokenhearted, he saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

What is currently your greatest personal challenge? How might God meditating and adoring God for who He is practically address this challenge? Find a passage of scripture or attribute/action of God that speaks to this challenge. If discussing as a group, have the group help.

Your Daily Liturgy 

In this series, we will be encouraged to “take ownership” of our daily liturgies (patterns, habits). Saying, “I’m so busy”, “I go with the flow, “I just go about my day” are examples of not taking ownership of the shape and structure of our lives. How can the shape and pattern of my daily life be built around the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

1. How can a call to worship become a regular part of your daily liturgy? 

2. Why would it be important to include this as a regular personal habit?

3. How might it make a difference for how you experience the challenges of each day? 

Some ideas include – finding simple calls to worship in Scripture to meditate on in the morning, using historic tools or prayer books, going outside to be in the stillness of creation and meditating on who God is, listening to a worship song focused on the adoration of God…. 

Also consider giving focused attention to the “A” in the A.C.T.S. method of meditating on Scripture (as we encourage in using our bible reading tool, CBR)

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