Glory to God

Glory to you, O God, Creator and Father,

for the universe in which we live, 

and for men made in your own image. 

Glory to you, O Christ,

who took a human body and redeemed our fallen nature. 

Glory to you, O Holy Spirit, 

who made our bodies the temple of your presence. 

Glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

 whose will it is that we should be made whole

 in body, mind and spirit. 

Glory to God to all eternity.

~ ~ ~ George Appleton (1902-1993)

Turn Our Face

Merciful stars above us,
Good earth below us,
Noontime sun and midnight moon,
Shine your light with holy praise—
And turn our face to God's embrace. --- Monte Lee Rice

PALM SUNDAY - 2013

Scripture:

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:37-40

Reflection:

Today is Palm Sunday. Jesus is just a few day away from his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. People have been gathering from far and near for the celebration of Passover. Many have never seen Jesus, though most have likely heard of him. The word on the street is, "This could be the promised Messiah!" They were excited! Perhaps the time had come; perhaps he would now free them from Roman oppression and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

As the people begin to shout, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" the Pharisees, the leaders of the religious elite, tell Jesus to rebuke his disciples for the commotion they are causing. But this moment was a glimpse into his glory. This was a little foretaste of eternity. The moment must have been electrifying.

Jesus' response silenced the holier-than-thous. "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out!" There are those today who might want to silence our praise and enthusiasm for the Lord. They might call us fanatical or religious nuts. I don't know about you, but I don't want some rock offering to the Lord the praise that I should be offering.

Prayer:

Blessed are you, Lord Jesus. We proclaim that are our King! Your name is above every name. Your worth far above all riches. We praise your for your goodness and grace. We exalt you, for you are truly worthy of all praise, glory, and honor. Hosanna in the highest! Amen.

The Silence of Worship

With thankful hearts
We enter into the courts of the Lord in praise;
As we draw closer to the Holy of Holies
Our praise turns to worship;
Bowed before the Holy One
Our worship becomes... silence.

Discontent in the Outer Court

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name." - Psalm 100:4

The picture here is of the tabernacle. There is at least a sense of awareness that people are gathering in the Name of Yahweh. I imagine busyness, the noise of people, the noise and smell of animals being brought for sacrifice, commotion, much activity and, perhaps an atmosphere of celebration as people draw near with thanksgiving and praise. This was good. This was necessary.

This was the outer court.

There was and is another place, a holy place, the Holiest of Places, where none of those outer court practices will be tolerated. The Overwhelming Presence demands, requires, compels: silence, reverence, a breathtaking sense of awe as we approach with holy fear... the very throne of God. There... the Almighty speaks to us and we are... broken so we can be made whole, humbled so we can be raised up, made to see our sinfulness so we can fully appreciate and experience His forgiveness. In that Place and only in that Place we are truly... changed.

The veil of separation has been torn asunder; access has been granted; the Father, with outstretched hands, beckons us to "Come."

May we and our churches never be content with mere "outer court" worship.