Mark your calendars for women’s meeting this coming Saturday at 11 am (just a time for women to spend time together, with a little craft and lesson) and Book Club starting up for everyone next week Thursday! The first book is The Women of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream. And as usual Food Pantry on Tuesday evening and Bible Study on Wednesday evening. All welcome!
Call to Worship: Psalm 98
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Message Reading: John 15:9-17
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Message: “The Mountains Burst, with New Song”
In all of the world, there is music, and then there is music. Sounds created by our Lord that carry feelings so strong, you could say it is melody holding “heavenly blasts of bliss”! (Say that three times)
God is the creator of such things so beautiful, they evade description, and it is almost impossible to explain what they do to your heart, mind and soul. And yet it all begins with our being open to hearing the Lord’s work in action, and responding accordingly.
In times past, many of us had our filters on. That technique we employ to not listen to what is going on around us, so that we can concentrate on the important things in life. You know those things society has been telling you are important and supreme to living the life you are intitled too. Stuff like;
- The perfect career
- The right house in the right place
- The right car
- More stuff
- Popularity
All the things that don’t really satisfy deep down. Those things we labor for that Isaiah talked about all those years ago. From Isaiah 55:2 we have his instruction;
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
When we take time to really listen to our Lord, He opens up a whole new way of perceiving the world around us. For many of us, this takes time and practice, but it is worth the effort.
This last month, I have been trying to make a real effort to watch what God is doing in our stunning mountains just above and to the east of us here in our beautiful Ogden Utah. If a person listens close, they can witness God’s majesty in action.
What a symphony of exquisite interactions our Lord conducts, with His Birds, small animals, and even insects. Such is the sublime music, that no Bach, Beethoven, neither Mozart, Mel Tillis, or a Lynyrd Skynyrd composition could ever hope to rival.
And yet again, it all begins with our being available to act as the Psalmist instructs in scripture. From Psalm 46:10;
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
To take the time to be still and open to the promptings of the Spirit of our God. Once we do, it’s like opening a door to your soul, because it is now listening in ever bigger time frames, and ever more discernable ideas and concepts. Perhaps, this is when we begin to really dwell in our Lord and He in us, because we can begin to discern His voice in all of the creation.
Scripture confirms this line of thought throughout our Bible, and reassures us that we are never alone in the darkness of our thoughts. Because He knows that place to go when you are brooding and mad at the world. He knows and He is ready and able to shepherd you home with a world of tools, and music to match at His command.
This leads my thoughts back to today’s Call to Worship reading from Psalm 98. This time versus 7- 9
7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Could it be that in the wilderness of our own walk, in life, we were being sung to by a God that loves us so much, that He will employ even nature to get your attention? Serenaded in God’s love, marinated in the Lord’s grace, and held in arms of majestic consequence by a Spirit that sustains our every need in faith.
It makes me want to follow the Psalmists direction in the beginning of Psalm 98, and sing back to my Lord who created all that we hold so dear, most especially, each other, the people we love so deeply in this life. Now reading again from Psalm 98, this time versus 1-6;
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
*Side note: You will notice nothing is mentioned about singing on tune or even well. (Thank goodness for me!)
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Our celebrating here in the inter-mountain region of our nation, Utah, is symbolic of our joy in being in relationship with our Lord and in each other. The mountains truly do have a new song each time we take the time to listen, appreciate, and respond.
Responding by rejoicing in our Lord. We rejoice when we notice something God has been and is doing before our very eyes and then tell Him our love for Him. This can be done in privet, alone, with another one close to you, or with your family in this room. Your call. It’s the doing, the responding, that we are being serenaded by the Lord to do.
By the way, there is no one way to sing, shout, rejoice, or celebrate your happiness in our God. So, if someone is imposing their own thoughts of how things are to be done, on you, thank them and explain, your joy comes from a place so deep down, that not even differences of opinion can extinguish your care for them. Love that person even more, and then continue on. Because you are writing your story with our Lord.
A story so unique to you and the Lord, that all the rest of us can do is thank Him that we get to be a part of your walk, and equipping you in your walk with Him. In time, each of us prepare to love and share with yet more people looking for Him. And on it goes. Reminding me of the Lord’s instruction in today’s Message Reading in John 15:9-17;
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Out of the mists of time, our Lord has loved us, picked us, chose us, and makes the offer to all of us, to love Him and His creation right back. That’s the command all of us must follow to be in His family of God. Not winning rhetorical debates on bogus metaphysical hypothetics, or meaningless arguments of form and style. Or even trouncing your enemies (which you have been taught to pray for), but by bearing fruit.
New fruit comes our way when we live by example and others want what we have. Want the joy we have found in the Lord and each other and we are willing to share what we have found on this walk, along our way towards Him!
Speaking of joy, did you pick up on the Lord’s word about His own joy. From verse 11 Jesus teaches;
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
When we follow our Lord’s example, God actually experiences joy, and our joy becomes complete. Could it be that we never really find true happiness and joy until we learn to imitate our actions, dedicate our attitudes, and follow the steps of our Lord when it comes to caring for other people.
Notice I said caring. Love and care are not giving others things that make them unhealthier. It’s not being co-dependent and living unhealthy relationships. No, you don’t give an alcoholic; alcohol, or the money to buy more, or a diabetic a Mars bar, or a gossip fuel for the grape vine by repeating scandalous junk. Our doing things, just to make people like you. If that’s the case, your love and care are as deep as a dixie cup and mean little over time. They become the seeds of our own destruction in time.
No, as the Lord teaches us in verse 13, care and love for others is so much more;
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
By laying down your life for others, you are living for other people, not dying. Here is my thought, you have the heavy lifting of praying and studying scripture alone and with others and then thinking for yourself! My thought, living for others is actually getting to know the people you want to care for. Learning what other people really need (not just want, because that’s co-dependent, superficial, and sick!), and putting them before yourself. Everything else is just throwing mud at a wall and seeing what sticks.
So, what does any of this have to do with today’s message title; “The Mountains Bursting with New Song”? A friend that I am appreciating more and more all the time said something to my wife and I when we came across him and his wife on the trails a couple of weeks ago. He said that maybe one reason that everything feels so right, so good, majestic, and wholesome (my words), when we are in nature; is because everything is doing what it’s supposed to be doing.
- The creek is running forth
- The breeze in sync with the choir of nature
- The squirls are being squirrely
- The birds are singing, rejoicing, and serenading God’s majesty
- And you are listening, digesting, and responding in kind
Maybe that’s why God chose to use forty years of wilderness to teach Israel how to live and digest ten commandments. To learn how to praise, glorify, and magnify His Hoy and Precious Name.
Without getting overly dramatic on you, here are a couple of thoughts about this music, song, and psalm, that are being created in our mountain choir of hope. When we are in step with our God and each other, music is created my beloved friends. Beloved by the way, just as scripture has reflected to us God’s love for you, over and over today.
So here are a couple examples of what is happening all around us in this Body of Christ:
- The mountains sing forth new song, when we take the time to listen to the choir of God sung in his created nature.
- That can be up on the trails, down in the city, on your walk in your neighborhood, or the frozen food section at Walmart. It is literally everywhere that your God is reaching out to you. Just listen!
- Every time we stop to listen a new song is available for our comprehension.
- Just like our returning to scripture each and every time we do it open minded, we find new meaning.
- Every time we respond in kind to our God by expressing our love for Him, we burst forth a new song of praise here on our mountain of hope.
- No matter where we are, or when we do it!
- Especially when we are silently appreciating our God.
- When we reach out to add new members to our spiritual metaphorical choral arrangement of praising God, we give Him great joy!
- A life, a time, a moment dedicated to (no kidding devoted to) our Lord, is like a celestial choral arrangement of the highest order!
My hope and prayer for all of you this week as you discover yourselves more, your loved ones deeper, and most of all explore your God intimately, that you find the rapturous sound that is our God of all!
Amen
Benediction: Psalm 24:1-3 and Numbers 6:24-26
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
You!
And now Numbers 6:24-26;
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’