Psalm 95
A Call to Worship and Obedience
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
Comedian Henny Youngman once said, “My neighbor knocked on my door at 2:30 am this morning, can you believe that..... 2:30 am?! Luckily for him I was still up playing my bagpipes.”
Let us make a joyful noise! I am not sure that bagpipes at 2:30 in the morning would be considered a joyful noise.
What comes to mind for YOU when you hear that phrase – a joyful noise? How would you define it?
There are many things that come to mind for me. A cello well-played. An acapella group with perfected harmony. A brass quartet. A sweet soprano solo. A saxophone-piano duet. A spirit-filled praise band. An old song that brings back memories. A guitar at a camp-fire gathering with children singing songs of faith. A gathering of 30,000 plus at a youth gathering praising God with one voice.
And there are more – the cry of a new-born. The laugh of a child. The wise words of a saint. The familiar voice of a loved one. The whisper of encouraging words. The song of birds in the morning. The sound of wind through the pines. The lapping of water on the lake shore. The roar of the crashing ocean waves.
What would you add to these lists?
And all of these are gifts from God. Gifts given to us as a reminder of the Creator of all.
May we use our gifts to give back to God a joyful noise. Even with bagpipes!
Let us Pray: Almighty God, you are a great God, and a great King above all gods. In your hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are yours also. The sea is yours, for you made it, and the dry land, which your hands have formed. For this we worship and bow down, and kneel before you, the Lord, our Maker! For you are our God, and we are the people of your pasture, and the sheep of your hand. For this, we bring sounds of praise to you! We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.