Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this last Friday of October. Today is All Saints Eve, so tomorrow is All Saints Day. All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows or Hallowmas, often shortened to All Saints, Today is also Reformation Day. On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 Theses, which Luther nailed to the Castle Church doors. This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. Also, the theses were written in Latin, the language of the church, and not in the vernacular. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran tradition was born. This, in turn, would later ease the creation of the Reformed and Anabaptist traditions.
As we get ready for worship on this coming Lord's day I would draw our attention briefly to Psalm 100. Of all The PSALMS after PSALM 23, this [PSALM 100] is perhaps the best known among faithful Christian people! It’s appeal spans the thousands of years of Hebrew worship and into two millennia of the Church! This is no wonder, for as Spurgeon says, “It is ablaze with grateful adoration, and has for this reason been a great favorite with the people of GOD ever since it was written.” Indeed, this PSALM is often sung to the tune of “The Old Hundredth,” a song of the faithful Church, unto GOD for His great love and blessings showered upon we His people!...
PSALM 100 – “A PSALM OF PRAISE” TO THE LORD! 1 Make a joyful noise unto The LOD, all ye lands. 2 Serve The LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. 3 Know ye that The Lord He is GOD: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. 5 For The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth to all generations. Many of The PSALMS indicate who wrote them in their title line, but this is not the case with PSALM 100. We don’t know who wrote this PSALM, but we certainly know its purpose, for it is titled simply “A PSALM of Praise.” The Hebrew Text gives this title as – MIZMOR LETODAH... - meaning literally “A melody for thanksgiving.” The MIZMOR... - is a technical Hebrew word for a melody designed for the PSALMS. TODAH - is a noun which means to “give praise to…, praise rendered by acknowledging and abandoning sin; thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship; [a] thanksgiving choir [or a worship] procession…” Thus the purpose of PSALM 100 is a call to the faithful servants of GOD to “Praise Ye The LORD!”
Verse 2 is a command and an invitation to serve the Lord with Joy and Gladness. As we worship the Lord and serve Him, may He infuse in us His extravagant Joy, inexpressible Joy... Joy unspeakable and full of glory.
John Piper offers 15 Biblical things we must do to fight for joy in his book, When I Don’t Desire God). This list reminds me that faith does not produce inactivity, but God-centered activity: 1) Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift 2) Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly 3) Resolve to attack all known sin in your life 4) Learn how to fight like a justified sinner 5) Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see God for who he is 6) Meditate on the word of God day and night 7) Pray earnestly and continually for an inclination 8) Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself 9) Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the good fight 10) Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence 11) Get the rest, exercise, and diet your body needs 12) Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature 13) Read great books about God and biographies of great saints 14) Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others—witness and mercy 15) Get a global vision for the cause of Christ and pour yourself out for the unreached When Jonathan Edwards was accused of promoting emotionalism in God’s people, he wrote (Some Thoughts Concerning the Revival in the Great Awakening): “I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections of my hearers as high as I possibly can, provided they are affected with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable to the nature of what they are affected with.” In God’s presence is the fullness of joy; at his right hand are pleasures forevermore. If worship is truly the uniting of the human soul with the divine presence (which is promised in the Bible) then should we not feel his pleasure? C. S. Lewis told his friend Sheldon Vanauken: “It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can.”
Please share about the following upcoming event with your congregation. The Continental Singers will be appearing in concert on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 7 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Endicott, located on 29 Grand Avenue. They will be presenting a powerful program based on the life of Joseph. Please invite your congregation to join us for a night of entertainment geared toward the whole family. The following gives more details about the program and the Continentals ministry.
First premiered in 1983, the musical “DREAMER” won the coveted Dove Award that year for Best Musical. Our 25th Anniversary Revival brings this popular musical based on the life of Joseph into the 21st century with lavish costuming, choreography and technical effects. It is all a part of our ministry’s theme for 2008, “NEW BEGINNINGS”. The concert will also feature great standards and songs that have been the hallmark of The CONTINENTALS since 1967. It is a concert event for the whole family not to be missed!
The CONTINENTALS are an empowered, enthusiastic, evangelical group of young people (ages 16-28) communicating the Truth of Jesus Christ as the only absolute, in an ever-changing world. In 2008, The CONTINENTALS continue their 40-year tradition of cutting edge music ministry with the very best of contemporary Christian music, energizing choreography and personal testimony. This group of 25-30 vocalists, dancers and technicians, will challenge and inspire audiences with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Please also share that the Russian Men’s Ensemble will be in concert on December 13, 2008 at the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott.
In Christ,
Brown
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