Worship: more than music, Pt 2

Message by Ben Crosthwaite, Creative Arts Director Part 2- The Psalms Worship can refer to: - Voluntary Action (church attendance, private prayer, scripture reading, etc.) - Involuntary Reaction (felt experience of love, awe, devotion) The Psalms give us permission to come to God with our full humanity -- It's not selfish to bring our full selves to God. The Psalms: What We Expect Songs of Praise (ex. Psalm 8, 19, 103, 136) Lyrical Theology (ex. Psalm 23, 78) Poetic Wisdom (ex. Psalm 1, 90) ______________________________ "God, I Need Help" (ex. Psalm 25, 70) "God, I'm sorry, I have sinned" (ex. Psalm 51) "God, I'm angry." (ex. Psalm 58, 109, 10, 6, 13) "God, I'm doubting/suffering." (ex. Psalm 88) The Psalms don't use praising God as a way to avoid the pain of life -- they praise God from within the pain. ______________________________ Praise without honesty is shallow, but we also don't want to get stuck in self-absorption in the name of honesty. Psalms of Beauty and Comfort (ex. Psalm 23, 18, 139) It is not selfish... to bring God our full selves (in all of our messiness) -- it's an act of worship... Psalm 150 Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute. Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!