Call to Worship by Joan Stott
We gather to praise you O God,
for all the things we can see, and sometimes understand:
the sun, moon and stars; the clouds and changing weather:
We join in their eternal chorus of praise to God.
We gather to praise you, O God,
for all the things that we cannot see or understand:
all heaven’s angels, outer space; and the skies above us;
We join in their eternal chorus of praise to God.
We gather to praise you O God,
for all the things in life that we experience:
the created world, people of all ages and circumstances,
all God’s creations.
We join in their eternal chorus of praise to God:
whose name is glorious, and whose ways are holy. Amen.
Scripture Reading Psalm 19:1-4
A Reading from the Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter 7
GOD CREATED ALL THINGS. This good and almighty God created all things, both visible and invisible, by his co-eternal Word, and preserves them by his co-eternal Spirit, as David testified when he said: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth” (Ps. 33:6). And, as Scripture says, everything that God had made was very good, and was made for the profit and use of man. Now we assert that all those things proceed from one beginning.
Scripture Reading – Isaiah 55:12
Song – This is My Father’s World – Wheaton Academy Choir
Scripture – Psalm 148
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
Video Sermon
Prayer of Praise by Chris Altrock
Lord, your greatness is so considerable
I’d need a cosmic chorus to proclaim it.
If I invited every vocalist in heaven–
sun, Mercury, moon, Big Dipper, and all the angels;
and I summoned every singer on earth–
Humpback whales, the Rockies, apple trees, mice,
eagles, kings, presidents, boys and girls, men and women;
my glee club would still be powerless
to truly proclaim the praise you deserve.
Song – All Creatures of Our God and King – David Crowder Band
Benediction
Praise the Lord, this day, and every day to come. May we never run out of reasons to marvel at the majesty of our good and gracious God. Amen!
Questions for Reflection
When was the last time you were astounded by a new revelation?
What aspect of nature never ceases to amaze you?
What aspect of ordinary life, something you may normally take for granted, can you now see as an opportunity to praise?
Rewrite Psalm 148 for our modern world. What references to science, exploration, or modern marvels would you include?
David,
I have to say that whenever I’ve read through the Bible I always wished that I could skip most of the Psalms. I didn’t quite relate or understand their importance. Anytime that I have been in a Bible study and we are deciding what to read for the next study I would always vote for anything other than the Psalms. However, this recent Psalm series of sermons that you have been using has opened my mind up to the beauty of this part of scripture.
In general, since you have been preaching at Emmanuel I have continually marveled at your ability to take a piece of scripture that I’ve read many times and opened my mind up to a new view or realm of it’s meaning. You are a gift to Emmanuel.
I really enjoyed the service.
Something that came to mind that had never occurred to me before– David mentioned that praise involved MAGNIFYING God, and I thought about why magnification is used in science. — to see more clearly something of interest. So when we look into the details of creation, of nature, of acts of love and mercy and understand them more deeply, realizing they are from God, I think we magnify Him. We don’t just make Him bigger, we see Him better, in more and greater detail.
Then I thought, a fractal is something with similar patterns and complexity at every level of magnification, and God seems to be like this only more so — as I get to know Him better, to see him at each level of magnification He seems to reveal new complexities and amazing things – not just in the physical universe, but also in His relationships with me and others and mine with them! Praise the Lord!