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.