Psalm 117
Praise GOD, everybody!
Applaud GOD, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
GOD’s faithful ways are eternal.
Hallelujah!
(The Message)
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship.
(TNIV)
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
(The Message)
“For you are awesome, God of the Nations, Lion of Judah/ Rock of the Ages, Alpha, Omega/ You’re worthy of all praise/ More than these hands I’ll raise/ I’ll live a life of praise”
Those are the lyrics to a song called “Life of Praise” by Casting Crowns. Maybe you remember hearing it some this week.
Living a life of praise is what MOSAIC is all about. It’s easy to come together and go out and work on houses in the Long Beach community. But that is only part of what God has called us to do. God has called us to life our lives as “living sacrifices.” That is what true worship and praise is all about.
Read both versions of Romans 12: 1. What do you think it means to be a living sacrifice?
Psalm 117 has been our theme for the week. Only two verses long, it is the shortest of all the psalms. Even so, it has a powerful message. All people, all over the world and called to praise God. Why? Because God’s loving kindness has taken over our lives. Everybody is to praise God because God loves his people! In addition God is faithful and is faithfulness is eternal!
In what ways has God shown love to you?
How have you seen God’s faithful ways in your own life?
Hallelujah is a word we do not use very often. It ends Psalm 117 and sums it up perfectly. Hallelujah means “praise the Lord!” May “Hallelujah!” be the perfect explanation for your encounters with God this week.
HALLELUJAH!
A Prayer
Dear God, thank you for being with us this week at MOSAIC. It would be pointless to be here without you. We know that you have worked in our lives while we have been working in the lives of others. We give you praise for your work in and through us.
As we leave this place and return to our homes keep teaching us! Help us to constantly be learning what it means to fellowship, pray, worship, and serve. Help us grow into better people, more loving examples of people who follow after you. Conform us into the image of Jesus, who is both our sacrifice and our salvation. Make us more like him!
We want to live lives of praise for you, God. Give us the strength to keep living what we say we believe. Lead us out into the world to shine for you. May the world know who you are as it sees us. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
iServe (or, giving ourselves to others) june 7
Psalm 134
A Pilgrim Song
Come, bless GOD, all you servants of GOD!
You priests of GOD, posted to the nightwatch in GOD’s shrine,
Lift your praising hands to the Holy Place, and bless GOD.
In turn, may GOD of Zion bless you- GOD who made heaven and earth!
(The Message)
**Priests were people who lived and worked in God’s temple. They offered sacrifices to God and took turns being on duty day and night. This Psalm instructs those priests to bless God and God will in turn bless them.
Already this week you have had the opportunity to give of yourself by serving someone else. Maybe you have painted someone’s living room. Maybe you helped build a shed. Maybe your hands were helpful in carrying limbs or boxes or furniture.
In what ways have you been able to offer yourself in service this week?
Sometimes our service is very visible to those around us. Sometimes our service is behind the scenes and we get no recognition for it. No matter what kind of service you do, let it be as an act of worship and praise to God.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us we should not give our gifts to people or serve them as a performance or act. This is not pleasing to God. Rather than looking for the applause of the world we should work quietly behind the scenes, like God so often does.
Has there been a time in your life when your service was for the applause of other people and not for God?
Psalm 134 calls the priests of God to bless him and lift their hands in praise. Through Jesus, we Christians are now God’s priests on earth. We do not offer animal sacrifices, but we do offer God a living sacrifice, which is our own life. As you serve, remember to bless God in all you do. Do your work today as an act of praise to Him. You just may find he blesses you in return.
How can your work today be an act of praise to God? How will you worship him through your service?
A Prayer...
God, you know it is going to be hot outside today. We may find it hard to do our work. We may find ourselves at odds with someone else on our team. We may find that we like to work, but we do for our own glory, not yours. Whatever we may face today, please be with us God. Give us strength to work for you.
Thank you for sending Jesus to serve you and people while he was on the earth. Thank you for giving us the perfect example of what a servant should be. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. He died for us! May Jesus’ sacrifice be our inspiration as we live our lives for the good of other people.
You never said service would be easy, God. But you did say you would be with us, even while we work in the hot sun. Thanks for working with us. We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Pilgrim Song
Come, bless GOD, all you servants of GOD!
You priests of GOD, posted to the nightwatch in GOD’s shrine,
Lift your praising hands to the Holy Place, and bless GOD.
In turn, may GOD of Zion bless you- GOD who made heaven and earth!
(The Message)
**Priests were people who lived and worked in God’s temple. They offered sacrifices to God and took turns being on duty day and night. This Psalm instructs those priests to bless God and God will in turn bless them.
Already this week you have had the opportunity to give of yourself by serving someone else. Maybe you have painted someone’s living room. Maybe you helped build a shed. Maybe your hands were helpful in carrying limbs or boxes or furniture.
In what ways have you been able to offer yourself in service this week?
Sometimes our service is very visible to those around us. Sometimes our service is behind the scenes and we get no recognition for it. No matter what kind of service you do, let it be as an act of worship and praise to God.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us we should not give our gifts to people or serve them as a performance or act. This is not pleasing to God. Rather than looking for the applause of the world we should work quietly behind the scenes, like God so often does.
Has there been a time in your life when your service was for the applause of other people and not for God?
Psalm 134 calls the priests of God to bless him and lift their hands in praise. Through Jesus, we Christians are now God’s priests on earth. We do not offer animal sacrifices, but we do offer God a living sacrifice, which is our own life. As you serve, remember to bless God in all you do. Do your work today as an act of praise to Him. You just may find he blesses you in return.
How can your work today be an act of praise to God? How will you worship him through your service?
A Prayer...
God, you know it is going to be hot outside today. We may find it hard to do our work. We may find ourselves at odds with someone else on our team. We may find that we like to work, but we do for our own glory, not yours. Whatever we may face today, please be with us God. Give us strength to work for you.
Thank you for sending Jesus to serve you and people while he was on the earth. Thank you for giving us the perfect example of what a servant should be. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. He died for us! May Jesus’ sacrifice be our inspiration as we live our lives for the good of other people.
You never said service would be easy, God. But you did say you would be with us, even while we work in the hot sun. Thanks for working with us. We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
iWorship (or, celebrating God), June 6
Psalm 96
Sing GOD a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to GOD- worship GOD!
Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, Take the news of his glory to the lost, News of his wonders to one and all!
For GOD is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
GOD made the heavens-Royal splendor radiates from him, A powerful beauty sets him apart.
Bravo, GOD, Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore! In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
Bring gifts and celebrate, Bow before the beauty of GOD, Then to your knees - everyone worship!
Get out the message - GOD Rules! He put the world on a firm foundation; He treats everyone fair and square.
Let’s hear it from Sky, With Earth joining in, And a huge round of applause from Sea.
Let Wilderness turn cartwheels, Animals, come dance, Put every tree of the forest in the choir-
An extravaganza before GOD as he comes, As he comes to set everything right on the earth, Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
(The Message)
Everybody worships something. We can worship money, music, homework, cell phones, and ourselves. These things we worship are called idols. We know we worship them if we spend time on them, make a big fuss over them, or rearrange our schedules for them. God is the only one deserving of true worship. Too often, we replace him with idols.
Do you replace God with any idols?
Psalm 96 is a psalm of worship to God. It reminds us why God is worthy of our worship. According to the song, God is victorious. God is great and beautiful. All idols look like worn out rags compared to God. God created the earth and is unique in his power.
What other things has God done that make him deserving of our worship?
How are we to worship God? We are to sing to Him. We are to remember the great things He has done. We are to bring gifts to Him, to celebrate Him by bowing at his feet.
But we are not alone in our worship of God. The whole of creation joins in: the sky, the earth, the ocean, all animals, trees, and plants. Everything God has made worships Him.
Have you seen creation worship? Have you ever seen God’s greatness through his creation? When? Where? How did it cause you to worship God?
A Prayer...
God, when we look outside we see magnolia and oak trees. We can feel the wind coming in from the gulf. We cannot imagine the creativity of your imagination; the different kinds of birds, bugs, animals you have fashioned. You even made unique people out of nothing.
We cannot thank you enough. It is hard to find the right words, or enough of them. Our only response then, is worship. Hear our shouts of praise. Accept our silent awe. We join creation in celebrating you. We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sing GOD a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to GOD- worship GOD!
Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, Take the news of his glory to the lost, News of his wonders to one and all!
For GOD is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
GOD made the heavens-Royal splendor radiates from him, A powerful beauty sets him apart.
Bravo, GOD, Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore! In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
Bring gifts and celebrate, Bow before the beauty of GOD, Then to your knees - everyone worship!
Get out the message - GOD Rules! He put the world on a firm foundation; He treats everyone fair and square.
Let’s hear it from Sky, With Earth joining in, And a huge round of applause from Sea.
Let Wilderness turn cartwheels, Animals, come dance, Put every tree of the forest in the choir-
An extravaganza before GOD as he comes, As he comes to set everything right on the earth, Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
(The Message)
Everybody worships something. We can worship money, music, homework, cell phones, and ourselves. These things we worship are called idols. We know we worship them if we spend time on them, make a big fuss over them, or rearrange our schedules for them. God is the only one deserving of true worship. Too often, we replace him with idols.
Do you replace God with any idols?
Psalm 96 is a psalm of worship to God. It reminds us why God is worthy of our worship. According to the song, God is victorious. God is great and beautiful. All idols look like worn out rags compared to God. God created the earth and is unique in his power.
What other things has God done that make him deserving of our worship?
How are we to worship God? We are to sing to Him. We are to remember the great things He has done. We are to bring gifts to Him, to celebrate Him by bowing at his feet.
But we are not alone in our worship of God. The whole of creation joins in: the sky, the earth, the ocean, all animals, trees, and plants. Everything God has made worships Him.
Have you seen creation worship? Have you ever seen God’s greatness through his creation? When? Where? How did it cause you to worship God?
A Prayer...
God, when we look outside we see magnolia and oak trees. We can feel the wind coming in from the gulf. We cannot imagine the creativity of your imagination; the different kinds of birds, bugs, animals you have fashioned. You even made unique people out of nothing.
We cannot thank you enough. It is hard to find the right words, or enough of them. Our only response then, is worship. Hear our shouts of praise. Accept our silent awe. We join creation in celebrating you. We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
iPray (or, a conversation with God) June 5
Psalm 141
A David Psalm
GOD, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears - it’s my voice you’re hearing!
Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.
Post a guard at my mouth, GOD, set a watch at the door of my lips.
Don’t let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.
And these people who only do wrong - don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk!
May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me,
Don’t let sin anoint my head. I’m praying hard against their evil ways!
Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music.
Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.
But GOD, dear Lord, I only have eyes for you.
Since I’ve run for dear life to you, take good care of me.
Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge.*
Let the wicked fall flat on their faces, while I walk off without a scratch.
(The Message)
*subterfuge means deceiving someone in order to get what you want
There are as many ways to pray as their are people on the earth. God has never put limits on how we talk to him. Neither has God given us strict instructions on how to pray. Prayer at its basic level is having a conversation with God.
We have conversations all the time. We talk to our family members. We talk to our friends. Sometimes, after we have spent a lot of time talking with a friend, we feel like we can finish their sentences or know what they will say next. We can even tell what they will say by the way they stand or their facial expressions.
How do you talk to your best friend? What kinds of things do you talk about?
Do you think you could talk to God that way? Do you spend time talking to God like you spend time talking to your best friend?
When we talk to God, we can talk to him about anything. We have the freedom to ask God for anything. According to Psalm 141, what kinds of things does David ask of God?
When you pray, what do you ask of God? Do you confess your sins? Do you ask God to help you not to sin? Do you ask for God to set you straight? Do you cry out for God’s justice?
A Prayer...
Father God, sometimes we don’t do a good job of praying. Some days we forget to pray altogether. Some days we do not know what to pray for. Will you help us? Forgive us for not knowing how and when to pray. Help us be aware of the Holy Spirit in us. We know the Holy Spirit helps us pray and even prays for us. Help us hear him.
Keep us from sin. Help us not follow people who are doing wrong. We do not want to fall into evil’s traps. Give us strength, confidence, and power to be good examples to our friends. Take care of us.
Bring justice, God. Free people who are oppressed. Heal people who are broken. Comfort people who are hurting. Keep your people safe. We pray to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
A David Psalm
GOD, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears - it’s my voice you’re hearing!
Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.
Post a guard at my mouth, GOD, set a watch at the door of my lips.
Don’t let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.
And these people who only do wrong - don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk!
May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me,
Don’t let sin anoint my head. I’m praying hard against their evil ways!
Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music.
Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.
But GOD, dear Lord, I only have eyes for you.
Since I’ve run for dear life to you, take good care of me.
Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge.*
Let the wicked fall flat on their faces, while I walk off without a scratch.
(The Message)
*subterfuge means deceiving someone in order to get what you want
There are as many ways to pray as their are people on the earth. God has never put limits on how we talk to him. Neither has God given us strict instructions on how to pray. Prayer at its basic level is having a conversation with God.
We have conversations all the time. We talk to our family members. We talk to our friends. Sometimes, after we have spent a lot of time talking with a friend, we feel like we can finish their sentences or know what they will say next. We can even tell what they will say by the way they stand or their facial expressions.
How do you talk to your best friend? What kinds of things do you talk about?
Do you think you could talk to God that way? Do you spend time talking to God like you spend time talking to your best friend?
When we talk to God, we can talk to him about anything. We have the freedom to ask God for anything. According to Psalm 141, what kinds of things does David ask of God?
When you pray, what do you ask of God? Do you confess your sins? Do you ask God to help you not to sin? Do you ask for God to set you straight? Do you cry out for God’s justice?
A Prayer...
Father God, sometimes we don’t do a good job of praying. Some days we forget to pray altogether. Some days we do not know what to pray for. Will you help us? Forgive us for not knowing how and when to pray. Help us be aware of the Holy Spirit in us. We know the Holy Spirit helps us pray and even prays for us. Help us hear him.
Keep us from sin. Help us not follow people who are doing wrong. We do not want to fall into evil’s traps. Give us strength, confidence, and power to be good examples to our friends. Take care of us.
Bring justice, God. Free people who are oppressed. Heal people who are broken. Comfort people who are hurting. Keep your people safe. We pray to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
ifellowship (or, getting along with others) june 4
Psalm 133
A Pilgrim song of David
How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!
It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.
It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion.
Yes, that’s where GOD commands the blessing ordains eternal life.
(The Message)
**Anointing oil was used in the Old Testament to show God had chosen someone. The oil was poured on a man’s head. It was expensive and always taken seriously. In this psalm, our unity with our brothers and sisters is compared to the anointing oil used to show Aaron was God’s chosen priest. Aaron was the first priest of God’s people.
Another image in this Psalm is that of dew. Apparently, dew was common on Mt. Hermon. The writer of the Psalm says our unity is like the amount of dew on Mt. Hermon, but flowing down Zion- a mountain where the people believed God dwelt. Zion was God’s chosen place.
God’s blessing of eternal life flows down, like anointing oil on God’s chosen people or dew on God’s chosen place. God thinks our getting along is worthy of such a blessing.
One day in a crowded department store, a little girl was crying. Her little brother kept touching her and picking at her as their mom waded through racks of clothes. Finally, the little girl decided she had had enough and screamed! Her mother scolded the girl’s bad behavior. Through her tears, the little girl responded, “But I never wanted a brother, anyway!”
If you have a brother or sister in your immediate family, you probably know what it’s like to not get along. There are days you want to slam the door in each other’s face or yell because you want to be left alone. You probably also can remember a time when you and your siblings did get along. How did it make your parents feel?
Not everybody has a sibling in their immediate family. But, as Christians, we have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. God is pleased not only when we get along with our natural family members, but also when we get along with our youth group family, church family, and family of believers across the earth. We spend time together a lot. It’s called fellowship.
Think of a time you did not get along with your siblings or a close friend. How did you feel? How did your family feel?
Think of a time when everybody in your family did get along. What were you doing? How did it make you feel? How did it make the rest of your family feel?
How does your youth group get along? How do you think it makes God feel?
A Prayer...
God, you know what it’s like to have relationships with others. You sent Jesus so you could have a relationship with us! We have many relationships with other people. We have families made of parents and brothers and sisters. We have families of close friends. Even our youth group is a family. Forgive us for the times we have not gotten along. Help us recognize when we hurt each other’s feelings or are at odds. Give us the ability to change our ways and sacrifice our own desires for those of others. Help us look out for each other and get along. And celebrate with us when we do get along. May our fellowship be a glimpse of a perfect relationship with you. We pray to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Pilgrim song of David
How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!
It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.
It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion.
Yes, that’s where GOD commands the blessing ordains eternal life.
(The Message)
**Anointing oil was used in the Old Testament to show God had chosen someone. The oil was poured on a man’s head. It was expensive and always taken seriously. In this psalm, our unity with our brothers and sisters is compared to the anointing oil used to show Aaron was God’s chosen priest. Aaron was the first priest of God’s people.
Another image in this Psalm is that of dew. Apparently, dew was common on Mt. Hermon. The writer of the Psalm says our unity is like the amount of dew on Mt. Hermon, but flowing down Zion- a mountain where the people believed God dwelt. Zion was God’s chosen place.
God’s blessing of eternal life flows down, like anointing oil on God’s chosen people or dew on God’s chosen place. God thinks our getting along is worthy of such a blessing.
One day in a crowded department store, a little girl was crying. Her little brother kept touching her and picking at her as their mom waded through racks of clothes. Finally, the little girl decided she had had enough and screamed! Her mother scolded the girl’s bad behavior. Through her tears, the little girl responded, “But I never wanted a brother, anyway!”
If you have a brother or sister in your immediate family, you probably know what it’s like to not get along. There are days you want to slam the door in each other’s face or yell because you want to be left alone. You probably also can remember a time when you and your siblings did get along. How did it make your parents feel?
Not everybody has a sibling in their immediate family. But, as Christians, we have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. God is pleased not only when we get along with our natural family members, but also when we get along with our youth group family, church family, and family of believers across the earth. We spend time together a lot. It’s called fellowship.
Think of a time you did not get along with your siblings or a close friend. How did you feel? How did your family feel?
Think of a time when everybody in your family did get along. What were you doing? How did it make you feel? How did it make the rest of your family feel?
How does your youth group get along? How do you think it makes God feel?
A Prayer...
God, you know what it’s like to have relationships with others. You sent Jesus so you could have a relationship with us! We have many relationships with other people. We have families made of parents and brothers and sisters. We have families of close friends. Even our youth group is a family. Forgive us for the times we have not gotten along. Help us recognize when we hurt each other’s feelings or are at odds. Give us the ability to change our ways and sacrifice our own desires for those of others. Help us look out for each other and get along. And celebrate with us when we do get along. May our fellowship be a glimpse of a perfect relationship with you. We pray to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
MOSAIC is coming!
MOSAIC, the summer mission camp hosted by our church in Long Beach starts next week. We have been busy preparing for the camp. I have been helping plan worship services, paint banners, supervise our students as they ready the church building, and playing on the new computer making videos and slideshows for worship. It's been fun but we are tired already! Ben is the camp's director and has been doing everything from coordinating volunteers to visiting worksites to answering the same questions over and over that I would not have the patience to do.
We will have 80 students living at the church next week. During the day they will go out into the Long Beach community to do yardwork, house repairs, and other such projects. Many of them are connected with Hurricane Katrina. After a hard days' work, the students will come together for worship each night at our church.
Each morning, the students will be given fifteen minutes to use as quiet time with God, and a devotional reading guide. I will attempt to post these guides each day so that you also may read and pray along with us. Thanks for checking this blog and remembering the work we do in Long Beach.
We will have 80 students living at the church next week. During the day they will go out into the Long Beach community to do yardwork, house repairs, and other such projects. Many of them are connected with Hurricane Katrina. After a hard days' work, the students will come together for worship each night at our church.
Each morning, the students will be given fifteen minutes to use as quiet time with God, and a devotional reading guide. I will attempt to post these guides each day so that you also may read and pray along with us. Thanks for checking this blog and remembering the work we do in Long Beach.
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