In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln established an annual national holiday of Thanksgiving to be observed on the last Thursday in November. Most of us look… Read More »Thanksgiving: The Primary Worship Response
Last week in our discussion of Psalm 130 for today, we saw that this is one of seven of the penitential psalms, psalms that express… Read More »A Song of Corporate Worship
Psalm 130 is one of seven psalms that church tradition has labeled the “penitential psalms” (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), another way of… Read More »A Song of Penitence
First John 1:9 commands us as Christians to regularly confess our sins to God as part of our progressive sanctification: “If we confess our sins,… Read More »Should We Sing Repentance?
This year we celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, a theological movement that restored many biblical doctrines and emphases that had been… Read More »The People’s Work: A Reformation Recovery
In order to grasp the essence of Christian worship, we must start in the beginning. Creation provides the foundation for understanding not only the nature… Read More »Drawing Near to God as the Essence of Worship
Many pastors and Christian leaders believe they are purifying Christianity and worship when they remove any kind of formality from corporate worship. Formal dress, an… Read More »Sincerity and Profanity
It appears today that “authenticity” has become the most important virtue. In one sense this is good. Hypocrisy is a vice condemned by Scripture (Mathew… Read More »But we never talk like that in real life!
When the topic of music and worship comes up, a favorite slap-down argument against thoughtful discrimination of music is that pastors need not study music… Read More »Pastors – Become Literate in Christian Culture
It is time to complete our discussion of Psalm 137 by looking through stanza 3, verses 7–9: Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of… Read More »Looking through Psalm 137, Stanza 3: Worship that Trusts in God
We have considered our experience as God’s people in exile through stanza 1 of Psalm 137; now look at stanza 2, verses 5–6: If I… Read More »Looking through Psalm 137, Stanza 2: Worship that is Pleasing to God
In our study of Psalm 137 over the past several weeks, we have looked at the historical context of the psalm, the analogical relationships between… Read More »Looking through Psalm 137, Stanza 1: Worship in a Pagan Culture
Last week I presented the historical context for Psalm 137, a context of the people of God living in exile among a pagan people. Now once… Read More »A People in Exile
97. What is our ultimate hope? Our ultimate hope is to see God’s glory in His realized presence (Rev 21:2-3, 22:4; Joh 17:21-26), where we… Read More »A Worship Catechism (15)
Last week I began a series looking at Psalm 137. I am going to do two things with the psalm; first, I will look at… Read More »The Historical Context of Psalm 137
91. What are the disciplines of perpetual worship? The disciplines of perpetual worship are gratitude, discernment, fasting , and stewardship, which seek to behold, reflect,… Read More »A Worship Catechism (14)
By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres.… Read More »God’s People in Exile
84. What are the disciplines of public worship? The disciplines of public worship are recognition, service, discipleship, and corporate worship, which seek to behold, reflect… Read More »A Worship Catechism (13)
76. What disciplines will nurture faith and maintain abiding in God’s presence? We must embrace disciplines of private worship, public worship, and perpetual worship. 77.… Read More »A Worship Catechism (12)
67. How is faith nurtured? Faith is nurtured through the grace-enabled practice of the spiritual disciplines (2 Pet 1:5-7). 68. What is spiritual discipline? Spiritual… Read More »A Worship Catechism (11)