Because of who God is, what He has done, and who He has made us to be - we can now live out the rhythms of life with intention, bringing the good news in all areas as we bless, listen, eat, speak, and sabbath.
People With A Purpose
Four Essential Questions
To wrap up our series in the Psalms, we look at some of Jesus' words at the end of his sermon on the mount side-by-side with Psalm one. The wisdom in these words bring us to our starting point in coming to the Scriptures, as well as our starting point in current life circumstances. We must begin with the question of who God is and how He is at work in the world, rather than beginning with ourselves, in order to rightly understand our place.
Psalm 98 - Sing Praise
Psalm 136 - His Faithful Love
A call and response psalm: where the call reminds us of the Story of God at work in His world, and the response is praise. God is a god who has chosen to make a covenant with His people and He will never give up on that promise. His relentless, unfailing, unending love and solidarity with His people leads to salvation and life!
Psalm 90 - God, Our Eternal Home
Psalm 90, perhaps the only psalm we have from Moses, is a story of coming home. Though Moses lived in many different places, from the palace of Egypt to the mountains to the wilderness of the Exodus, he always found his home in the eternal loving arms of God. When we wander from our home with Him, our days become numbered and we enter into the limits of man. Thank God for His work through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ which brings us back home! Now may we enter not only into our eternal home, but also into the work of Christ.
Psalm 89 - God's Promises
Psalm 65 - God at Work in His World
The psalms show us God's people longing to return to the house of God, to His dwelling place. At the start of the world there was an overlap of God's dwelling (heaven) with humanity's (earth) in Eden. This was lost because of mankind's rebellion. The temple for Israel was a picture of this, where God's dwelling would overlap with humanity's. Israel also lost their home and access to the temple because of their own rebellion. Psalm 65 shows us a virtual return to God's house and reminds us that God has not given up on His creation. He is still very much at work in His world, bringing healing and reconciliation to the land and to the people. One day, His home will overlap again with man's.
Psalm 1 - The Two Trees
In the beginning of creation there were two trees at the center of the story holding out a choice to humans: will you trust the Creator to show you what is good and what is not, or will you rebel against Him to try and make yourself king of your own life? Psalm 1 reminds God's people that one of these choices leads to life and the other leads to death. How have the first humans chosen? How have you and I chosen? If we've already gone to the wrong tree, is there any hope to find our way back to the right one?
Psalm 145 - The Truth About God
As we begin our series in the Psalms this summer, we start by looking at four eternal truths about who God is. So far 2020 has been a tumultuous and strange year. These truths about who God is and how He is at work in His world give us anchors during the storm - something to hold onto and to rest in, knowing that no matter what may change in our present circumstance, God is always Good, Great, Glorious, and Gracious.