Worship

Serve the Lord with gladness…Psalm 100:2

Those who attended Pastor Paul’s lesson on worship were blessed from the very beginning. The first thing he pointed out was the meaning of the word in both Hebrew and Greek. In both languages the word literally means to bow down, to prostrate oneself. Worship begins with our posture. 

By bowing, at least our head, we change our point of view, literally. But there is more. By bowing before God, we acknowledge God is our Creator, and we are His creation. We admit God is our Father, and we are His child. We confess God is our Redeemer, and we are the redeemed; that is, His possession. From his notes: “Their posture becomes one of a servant before his master.” This changes everything.

Worship is fellowship with God. “God wants to have fellowship with his people. But He is holy and we are not. So we depend on the righteousness of Christ given to us at the cross.” For this reason, God wants us to not be conformed to this world (to not have fellowship with false gods) but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, Romans 12:1-2. For this reason, we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praise of the One who called you out of the darkness, 1 Peter 2:7-10. 

Worship is the full realization of what God has done to have fellowship with us. It is like bringing ourselves to God as a grain offering or a peace offering or a drink offering. So, we like Paul, can say, I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand, 2 Timothy 4:6. Before we leave, we worship God the Father who redeemed us by God the Son, who sealed us with God the Spirit.

Meanwhile we are a living Psalm 100! A living psalm for everyone to see. That they will know The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations!