The Bible is full of greetings, and our worship leader greets us in God’s name.
2 Peter 2:1
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
We begin our worship with a silent meditation on our Psalm of the Day during the Prelude. Use this time to focus your hearts and minds on God as he speaks to us through his Word.
Psalm 65
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
9 You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.
“Plein jeu. Et in Terra pax.” from “Mass for the Congregations”
François Couperin (1668-1730)
Ruth Pfister, organ
Our Call to Worship draws us into conversation with our God, and is usually taken from our Psalm of the Day. We address one another and enter God’s presence together.
From Psalm 65
Leader: Let us prepare praises for our God, and lift them from our lips to the Heavenly Zion above!
People: Let us lift our prayers to the Lord, who hosts and welcomes all his people!
Leader: How blessed it is to be chosen by the Lord, and to be brought near, that we might live in his courts!
People: Let us enjoy the good things of his house, and the splendor of his temple!
Leader: The grasslands and the hills are clothed in gladness as they flourish under his blessing.
People: We will join the meadows and valleys to shout for joy and sing!
Leader: Let us worship God!
Having called one another to God’s praise, we turn to God and ask for his presence and power.
From Psalm 65
Great God and Gracious Father, with all the creation around us spontaneously praising your name for your power and majesty, your goodness and generosity, we want to take our part in the choir of creation and shout for joy and sing. There is no place like your temple. There is no privilege like being invited into your courts. You are so hospitable to us, providing us with life and health, and promising us an eternal place in the splendor of your majesty, serving as your priests and princes. As we fill your temple courts with the songs of the redeemed, take joy in what you hear. As we sit like eager children at your feet to hear your Word, may Jesus be our teacher. As we commit ourselves to a life of fruitfulness, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that we might be empowered to go forth from here ready and willing and equipped with your own goodness to extend it to those around it, for your honor and glory, in Christ’s name. Amen.
With our Song of Praise, we begin our worship by exalting God for who he is and what he has done.
Hymn 201: “Praise is Your Right, O God, in Zion” (Psalm 65)
Text: Stanley Weirsma (1980)
Tune: GENEVAN 65, Louis Bourgeois (1643)
Ruth Pfister, organ
Music
Praise is your right, O God, in Zion
To you we pay our vows
When we your people pray, you hear us
All flesh to you will bow
When our transgressions overwhelm us
You graciously forgive
How satisfied, your chosen servants
Within your courts they live
Your mighty acts work our salvation
All earth waits hopefully
You have the strength to make the mountains
To calm the stormy sea
You calm the tumult of the people
Such awesome signs you do
That earth from sunrise to the sunset
For joy cries out to you
You bless the earth with streams and rivers
And with the gentle rain
You set the ridges, soften furrows
And bless the sprouting grain
You crown the year with ample harvest
A rich abundance springs
All flocks and grains and hills and meadows
Yes, all creation sings!