Devotional 3-8-07

Joyful Worship

Scripture: Psalm 33: 1-3 Psalm 108: 1-2

Our church has recently adopted vision and mission statements which, it is hoped, will be used as a guide as we make decisions about our ministries and fulfilling the United Methodist Church’s mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ.” According to the General Board of Discipleship, this is a four-fold task involving welcoming others into our church; helping them relate to and deepen their relationship with God through worship, prayer, study and honest sharing; nurturing them in Christian living; and supporting them in their ministries.

We have had a series of sermons examining the various aspects of our vision and mission statements. Tomorrow, the portion of the mission statement being examined is to “worship God joyfully.” Two of the lectionary readings for today tell us how to go about this. In Psalm 33, verses 1-3, we are encouraged to “sing joyfully to the Lord...praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre...sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” Similarly, Psalm 108, verses 1 and 2 reflect the writer’s joy when he says “I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.”

When we consider the magnificence of all that God has so lovingly created, his allowing us to have control over that creation, and the great sacrifice he made for us, how can we not feel incredibly blessed and joyful? How can we not worship him with great joy? How can we keep from shouting amen and clapping and singing enthusiastically and offering praise with instruments of all kinds? The ways to show our gratitude are many, and I hope as a church we can explore different methods of worship so that all who attend can feel as though they have been able to express their joy in a way that is meaningful to them. That may involve stepping out of our comfort zone at times, but that is what being a church is all about. We must strive to respect the needs of all who are part of our congregation and to blend our worship styles such that all who enter our sanctuary can feel as though something in nearly every service touched them or fed them spiritually. Tradition has a place, but in order to nurture the members of our congregation and appeal to many who may consider attending our church, we have to be more flexible, more open-minded and willing to at least try new things and to make changes where necessary. Otherwise, we are preventing ourselves from fulfilling the mission of our church and of the United Methodist Church in general.

Prayer: Dear God, how can we possibly express our gratitude for the ways you have blessed us? Help us to remember that our worship is for you, not for each other or ourselves, and let us keep our hearts and minds open to all the ways we can express our joy in worship. Amen.

Mary Taylor