GATHERING
THE CALL | Matthew 19:14–15 [ESV]
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.
CONFESSION
Father, all human life bares your image and is a blessing, but we treat some as more important than others. We value each other for our utility, beauty, skill, or entertainment and we treat children as tiresome distractions from our ambitious desires. We neglect the elderly and pretend that we ourselves will never age. We rise up early and go to bed late in order to advance our careers just a little bit more; we are building our own kingdoms where only the strong can survive. Jesus, teach us to welcome the children, elderly, and marginalized into our lives. Holy Spirit, help us to rely on your promises and live within your kingdom, a kingdom of love and rest. Amen.
ASSURANCE | Matthew 7:24–27 [ESV]
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
SING: Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father
And to the Son and to the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning
Is now and ever shall be world without end
Amen Amen
WORD
Read: Psalm 73
2nd Reading: Co1 3:1-4
I received a set of “airs pods” as a gift for Christmas. (They are mini speakers for each ear which link to my cell phone.) I have found that I can walk around in with one eye piece in while doing daily chores such as shopping. I can talk on the phone when necessary or listen to a quiet soundtrack while doing otherwise mundane activities. I’ve been surprised by how much pleasure it has brought me to listen to some of my favorite songs while slogging through the grocery store. At times I forget that not everyone is having the same experience. I almost expect the other shoppers to be enjoying wonderful “head music”, but they are not hearing it. We have the same outward circumstances, and are doing the same activity, but we are having a very different experience.
Psalm 73 is about the way a wrong perspective can drastically shape the way we experience the world around us. During the course of the psalm, the author swings between very different perspectives on his surrounding world, but the actual circumstances don’t change. Only the way that they are viewed. This is a reminder that sometimes the biggest battles that we fight in the Christian life are in our own heads.
In the beginning, the psalmist affirms God’s goodness and contrasts it with his own wrong perspective. “But as for me… I was envious (v.2-3) Then, the next section (vs.4-15) recount a distorted way of thinking in which the author envied the wicked for the material advantages. We don’t regard envy as seriously as the Bible does, but it is really a grave concern because it reveals our perspective on what is good and desirable and whether we trust God in all of it.
But, then the psalm changes. The Psalmist encounters God in the sanctuary. None of the surrounding circumstances change, but his perspective changes. The next section (v. 18-20) describe a very different way to view the wicked. Not as desirable, but as those whose situation is in peril before God. AT this point, the psalm turns back to the authors own thought processes. He reveals that his former wrong perspective was even more problematic than it first appeared. “When I was embittered… I was brutish and ignorant (v. 22-22.)” He reveals that his heart attitude to God made him like a brute beast. We see that when we allow our hearts to envy sin our relationship with God is affected. We are allowing ourselves to live in a mental world where God does not exist and his power and holiness are not determinative.
Part of what we see in this psalm is the way that the authors encounter with God in the sanctuary brings a spiritual recalibration. This is often a benefit of real worship. When we behold God as he really is – in his holiness and power – our wrong thinking is exposed and our desires are re-centered on God. The battle for our minds is more consequential than we can imagine and Biblical worship is part of God’s plan to restore and renew us.
ABIDING
SING
- Psalm 127 [recording] [chord sheet]
— copy and paste the corresponding day in the blog —
SUNDAY
MONDAY
LECTIO DIVINA | Psalm 127
We memorize things we value. The brain has an incredible ability to remove information that we don’t need. As we make an effort to memorize the Psalms, the beginning of each week seeks to establish the value of God’s Word in our hearts before we view it as information to be remembered. Read more about the Lectio Divina HERE.
- Receive God’s Word from Psalm 127 as a gift as you read or listen.
- Re-read and meditate on the meaning of the Psalm. If you are in a group, briefly share an idea that applies to your life.
- Re-read and pick an attribute of the Psalm and pray from it in your own words.
- Re-read and silently contemplate how God has spoken to you through his Word.
TUESDAY
READ | Psalm 127
Spend time understanding and memorizing the outline of the Psalm, taking special note of the flow or transition points. If you are in a group, discuss the main themes and emphasis together.
WEDNESDAY
CONTEXTUALIZE | Psalm 127
Consider ways that you can let the Psalm form your imagination, that you might share it with others. Perhaps you can journal about it, write poetry or prose, learn a song, create visual art, or reexpress it in ways that speak to your context. If you are planning to fellowship with other people this weekend, consider how you might share these imaginations with your community.
THURSDAY
MEMORIZE | Psalm 127
– Spend time memorizing the words of the Psalm as best you can –
FRIDAY
MEMORIZE | Psalm 127
– Spend time memorizing the words of the Psalm as best you can –
SATURDAY
(see Saturday liturgy)
SENDING
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,
Amen.
Genesis 1:28 [ESV]
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
WEEKEND LITURGY
Serve Children and Youth
This weekend, consider ways you can serve and love the children and youth in your life. Instead of using your time to advance your own agenda, spend time playing with, helping, serving, or just getting to know children. If there are no children in your life, consider reaching out to Becky Toney to get involved with CRPC children’s ministry or Zachary Pitcher for CRPC youth ministry.
— INSERT LINK TO PSALM READING —
— INSERT MATT’S REFLECTION —