glory

 This morning we begin worship with:

Psalm 115:1

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,

    for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

This is not a praise song.  This is a prayer.

Glory (kāḇôḏ) is weighty.  We cannot contribute to it.  For no matter who we are, we are but dust on the scale.

Psalm 62:9

Those of low estate are but a breath;

    those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

    they are together lighter than a breath.

So, we are asking the LORD to glorify Himself.

That glory occurs "for the sake of" (ʿal) or because of His unending, unfeigned, and for us His undeserved love.  

Yes, you should be picturing your Heavenly Father on the other end of the see-saw at the park.

May He indeed glorify Himself in our lives today.

light

 This week we begin worship with:

Matthew 4:16-17

”. . . the people dwelling in darkness

    have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

    on them a light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus had completed his time of testing (Matthew 4:1-11), and John had just been arrested (Matthew 4:12).   It was at this moment that Jesus began to preach.

Our passage is Matthew's explanation that the ministry began in Capernaum and was the fulfillment of Isaiah's great prophecy concerning the birth and ministry of Christ (Isaiah 9:1-7).

His 'preaching' did not have three points, it did not have a joke, it did not have a heart tugging story.  It had one very bright light.  He said "Repent" (metanoeō).  His presence, His love, His words, all illuminated the darkness into which they had fallen.  

We say when a new actor gets their breakthrough, that they step into the lime-light.  Not so with Jesus, He is the light.

good

This week we begin worship with:

Nahum 1:6-7

Who can stand before his indignation?

    Who can endure the heat of his anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire,

    and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

The LORD is good,

    a stronghold in the day of trouble;

he knows those who take refuge in him.

If God was not scary, He could not protect us.  This is true of husbands, police officers, soldiers, and even mothers with a raised flip-flop.  It is the next verse that makes all the difference.  

"The LORD is good . . ."

Any human institution can become corrupt and quickly turn from protection to oppression.  But God is good (ṭôḇ).  This is not His purity of holiness.  This is God's benevolent character.  

But, if a parent does not know that a child has a fever, all their other efforts to care for the child will not help.

". . . he knows those who take refuge in him."

God knows us deeper than we know ourselves.

Psalm 139:1

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 

And He wants what would be best for us. 

work

This week we begin worship with:

Philippians 2:12-13

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We are to “work out” and God “works in”.  Those English words are convenient opposites, that unfortunately hide that one is a direction and one is a position. 

In fact, working out (katergazomai) is the direction “down” like working yeast all the way through the dough. Our salvation is already present but we need to make sure it reaches all aspects of our lives and relationships. 

Working in (energeō en), like the yeast itself, God is the source of what is happening.  While we are instantly a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), we all know the struggle of Paul as a “wretched man” (Romans 7:21-24). 

So today, let us rejoice with Paul:

Romans 7:24-25a
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

consider

This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

This verse asks us to focus, not on ourselves, but on others. And that focus is not one way but reciprocal. 

The word “consider” (katanoeō) requires us to swing our eyes off ourselves, off our devices, off the distractions of the world, and onto people, and specifically believers. We are to do this to “one another” (allēlōn).  This word is a beautiful word, which takes two individuals and makes them mutually responsible for each other. 

Tonight, a group of us volunteer at Camp-of-the-Woods to run the TeePee, which is a gathering spot for guests after concerts and services. We scoop icecream, so that all the staff can have an opportunity to worship together. Collectively it is a highlight of our week.  Leading up to it we greet each other with “You going to be there Sunday?” or “See you tonight?”.  We gather, we pray, and we love on each other and the guests.

Where is your focus?  Who are you encouraging?