Jump Start # 2406

Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

Our verse today is one of those great worship passages that are sprinkled throughout the Psalms. Of the thirteen words in this sentence, or verse, three of them are about the participants, the worshippers. It’s not simply magnifying the Lord, but O magnify the Lord WITH ME. It’s not only exalting His name, but let US exalt His name TOGETHER. With me. Let us. Together. This is what makes worship so special. You and me, all of us, together, praising the Lord. Young and old. Male and female. Common and complex. All together and all worshipping.

These thoughts crossed my mind the other day in worship. There sat an old believer who came in with canes in both hands. There were young people sitting on the front row. I saw someone wearing a foot boot. She had a recent injury. There were walkers folded up in the aisles. I saw someone with a band-aide on his hand. Some of our younger members had dates sitting with them. There were among us some having tests that week. Some were having surgeries. This was a common mixture of a typical Sunday morning.

However, long ago, in ancient Israel, this scene would not have taken place. The worship in the temple was very different from our Sunday worship. Women were only allowed to go into the temple compound as far as the court of the women. Gentiles could only go as far as the court of the Gentiles. Those who were considered unclean, would not be allowed to enter. So, what we have on Sunday, families sitting together, likely wouldn’t have happened back then. Some of us would not have been allowed in because of medical reasons.

What a joy and what a blessing it is for families to worship together. Many of us remember worshipping with our parents. My dad would always carry some mints in his suit pocket. We kids knew that and would take turns sticking our hands in those pockets to get a mint. When computers first came out, programs were run on individual computer cards. My dad would bring those discarded cards home and they would be just the right size to fit in his Bible to take notes on. He still has some of those.

Worshipping with family—it’s such a blessing. When the children are small, parents often wonder if it’s worth all the effort, with all the hushing, picking up, taking out, holding that is required with small children. At the end of services, moms and dads leave looking like they have just finished a twenty mile hike. But deep down, lessons are being taught and lessons are being learned. That’s why they keep doing these things.

It’s hard to imagine wanting to come to worship but not being allowed to because of being considered unclean. The lepers knew that feeling. The woman with the issue of blood knew that feeling. Not allowed because you are unclean. And, yet, sometimes, we keep ourselves away from worship because we feel morally unclean. We do not feel worthy to worship the Lord. We recognize that we have sinned before God. We have not made the right choices and even though God welcomes us to Him, we often keep ourselves away because we feel so unclean on the inside.

And, yet, where do we find Jesus throughout the Gospels? Around the unclean. A sinful woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears. A woman at a well in Samaria, with so many broken relationships. A group of lepers standing at a distance. An unloved tax collector up in a tree. Unclean. Outcasts. Dirty. Social misfits. Not the ones most would invite over for dinner. Not the ones that we’d choose to build a church around. Not the ones whose pictures we’d put on posters and website to welcome others.

And, this is the very reason why, you and I, unclean as we sometimes are, can find a place to worship God. The Lord accepts us. The Lord wants us. Only the Lord can really change us. Only the Lord can really cleanse us. If we had to go away and become clean before we would be allowed to worship, most of us couldn’t do that. It’s not dirty hands that soap can take care of. It’s unclean hearts and unclean minds. It’s thoughts we shouldn’t have. It’s forgiveness that we refuse to extend. It’s attitudes that are not like Christ. It’s prejudice. It’s hatred. It’s selfishness. It’s indifference to others. It’s stubbornness. It’s self-righteousness. It’s viewing others with contempt. It’s pouting like Jonah. It’s refusing to accept like the prodigal’s older brother. There are moments when we ought to be thankful that God allows us through the front doors. And, there we sit, looking at the girl with pink hair, or the black guy who is sitting with a white girl, or the guy with tattoos, and we wonder, “What are they doing here?” And, yet, God allows us to come and worship Him. There’s a teen wearing shorts. There is someone recently divorced, sitting with someone else. So soon. Already? We look around, and we see someone not singing. We see someone who didn’t put any money in the collection plate. We see someone playing with their phone. Oh, the thoughts we can have.

The unclean couldn’t come into the temple. And, today, we can simple miss the blessing that God allows us to worship Him and come into His presence, when we are unclean. And, when we think about this for a moment, we stop focusing upon others and what they are doing and the way they look, and realize that God has allowed us, as we are, to be with Him. Enough thinking like that, and we begin to feel pretty small and very humble. And, what should happen, is that from the bottom of our hearts, we reach upward and ask God to forgive us for being so unclean.

The unclean standing in the presence of the pure God can certainly have an impact upon our hearts. Remember the tax collector who went to the temple to pray? He beat his breast and asked God to forgive him. He understood the concept of the unclean standing in the presence of the clean. The Pharisee, standing nearby, missed this. He never saw God. He only saw this tax collector and he was so glad that he wasn’t like him. But, in truth, he was worse than he was. He was more unclean than he was.

So, a young man doesn’t get everything said just right in a prayer. He’s trying. The brother fumbles at the table talk. He’s trying. The song leader can’t get the song right. He’s trying. And, there we can sit, fuming, fussing and imperfect like everyone else.

Let us magnify His name together. That’s you and me. Give it our best, but even then, we are imperfect, reformed sinners, who are often unclean in the presence of His Holiness. I’m glad that the Lord invites us, includes us and wants us.

Light years ago, when I was in a preacher training program, one of the members in the congregation was involved in a serious car accident. I was mowing the yard when I found out about this. I went straight to the hospital. The person was in ICU. I told them I was a preacher. They looked at me and wouldn’t let me in. Frustrated, I went home and put on a suit and returned to the hospital. They let me in. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t do that for us? We may frown at others, and look at each other with a stinky eye, but God welcomes us.

It is a joy to worship the Lord together!

Roger

Jump Start # 2222

Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

Our verse is about worship. All through the Bible the people of God gathered to praise, thank and honor the God that they love, believe and follow. Seems simple enough. However, have you ever noticed, especially in conversations, that each of us have different parts of worship that we like better than other parts. All of it is necessary, but we have our favorite aspects. And, have you noticed that the different aspects of worship does different things to us.

We get our news in different ways. Some watch the local news every evening on TV. Some are devoted to one channel to get their news. I like keeping up with what’s going on, but I rarely watch local news and just about never watch national news. I go to my phone and have certain places I look at. I usually just scroll through the headlines. If something grabs my attention, I will dive in more deeply. Sports, for me, comes from ESPN website. About the only time I will really watch the local newscasts is for the weather and only then, if a storm is approaching. I pick and choose is the way I get my news. Many would say that’s missing too much and that’s too scattered for them.

Now, back to worship. Every aspect of our worship is important and it’s hard, if not impossible to declare what part is the most important part. Years ago, it seemed to be the Lord’s Supper. Some would leave as soon as the Lord’s Supper was over. Maybe they had to go to work, maybe they thought that was the only part of worship that mattered or was commanded. I don’t see that happening very much these days. It’s also easy to assume that prayers are merely fillers that are placed here and there before the big stuff comes. In many ways it often seems like everything leads us to the sermon and after the sermon it’s the two minute warning before we leave.

Singing is important and to those who love music and sing well, it may seem even more important. Have you noticed that singing is the only time the entire congregation is allowed to be verbal. We bow our heads during prayers and someone leads us. During the Lord’s Supper, someone directs our thoughts and we participate in silence. In the sermon, the preacher is heard, but no one else. However, in singing, all of us get to blend our voices together. The little ones right along with the old ones. We are heard. We express ourselves through the songs. And, singing is something that we can do on our own. I doubt that most of us preach a sermon while driving alone in a car, unless you are a preacher and you are thinking out loud. Singing has a way of adjusting our moods and our spirits. So that must mean singing is the most important part of worship. Right? No.

Praying is essential because it allows us to more than just communicate to God, it is an avenue that we get to pour what’s in our hearts to God. With singing, we are singing someone else’s words and thoughts. They may not be mine. I may have other things on my heart and the songs just don’t go there. Prayer is personal. It’s like our signature. I need to slow down when I write, because it’s usually sloppy and even I have a hard time reading what I wrote. Prayer allows us to take our world and life to God’s eyes. It’s inviting God into our world and our heart. It’s through prayer that the child of God begs for mercy and forgiveness. We pray for healing. We pray for insight. We need prayers. Like singing, praying is something that we can do on our own and in that avenue it becomes even more personal and more stream lined to my life and what’s going on. So, prayer must be the most important part of our worship. Right? No.

On Sunday’s, we have the Lord’s Supper. It’s a memorial, a reminder and a sacred event that reflects our connection through Jesus to God. Without the death of Jesus, we have no forgiveness and we have no church. The theme of the Bible is the death and resurrection of Jesus that brought us back to God. How can we ever forget that? The bread and the juice take our minds back to the body and the blood of Jesus. He suffered, when it ought to have been you and I instead. He was pure when we were not pure. He was obedient when we were rebels. His death is the crowning proof that God loves us. Taking the Lord’s Supper is a quiet time. People are thinking. Thoughts are racing everywhere. Some are back to Calvary and the scene at the cross. Some are looking inward and realizing that they do not deserve this amazing grace. Some are thinking of the suffering. Some are thinking about the empty tomb. Some read verses during the Lord’s Supper. Some look at the words of one of our hymns. We must never forget the death of Jesus. Most important part of worship? It’s up there, very high, but more important than everything else?

Then we finally come to the sermon. All week long Mr. Preacher has been working on a sermon that will take about 30 to 40 minutes to deliever. His thoughts connect our world and our lives to both Scriptures and the will of God. The sermon is intended to move us, compel us, challenge us and change us. Through the sermon, we learn. Through the sermon we grow. Through the sermon doubts and fears are chased away by solid Biblical teaching. God believed in preaching. From the early days on, God has sent forth preachers. Noah was a preacher. The prophets were preachers. The apostles were preachers. Jesus, Himself, was a preacher. Sermons can knock the polish off our toes and sting us. Sermons can comfort us. Sermons can remind us of what we already know. Sermons can prepare us to face another week. We tend to remember sermons more than any other aspect of our worship. Think about that. You can go back a month or more and remember a sermon that really helped you. Most of us couldn’t remember what songs were sung around that sermon we remembered. Most couldn’t remember what we prayed about that day. Since sermons stay with us, then preaching must be the most important part of worship. Right? No.

I’ve had this discussion more than once with folks. Which part of worship is most important? They want to rank them in order. There are a few problems with this.

First, I don’t know if we can say one is more important than the others. All of them are important and all of them serve a specific need. Now, I may have my favorite parts. And, my favorite may not be your favorite, but that does not mean one part is better than the others.

Second, when we rank things, and we love to do that. The best movie. The best place to get a burger. The best song. The best team in college basketball. The problem with ranking things, is that the items at the top of the list get a lot of attention and the things at the bottom of the list tend to be rushed because we deem that they are not so important. I find it interesting that the beaten Paul and Silas were singing praises from the jail cell. They weren’t praying. They weren’t preaching. They were singing. Interesting.

Third, the different aspects of worship are intended to do different things. During a sermon, it’s generally me and the Scriptures. It’s introspection and reflection. During the Lord’s Supper, it’s thinking about Jesus. Some times we don’t want to think about ourselves during that time. Prayers take us to thinking about others in the congregation. Singing can take us to thoughts that we didn’t have that day. So, each aspect of worship is intended to do different things.

Fourth, I need every aspect of worship. God realizes that even if I don’t. I need to sing praises to God and stop thinking so much about myself. I must remember Calvary. I need to be taught the word of God. I need to pray along with the church. Maybe I don’t sing so well, it’s not a contest. I’m singing to God. Maybe our prayers are shallow, we still need to pray and I can pray along with others. We need preaching. We need to remember the Lord’s sacrifice. I was in a place the other day for lunch. The woman in front of the line ordered a salad. It came with black olives. She didn’t want black olives. So, they left them out. That works when ordering our food, but it doesn’t work when it comes to worship. I can’t say, “I’ll skip the prayers.” Or, “I don’t like the preaching. Just leave that out.” Even though there may be aspects that I don’t like so well, I still need them. I need all of them.

Finally, worship also connects us with each other. Our verse emphasizes that. “Let us exalt His name together,” it says. The together part is important. We don’t fly solo. We need each other and we need to blend our voices and our hearts and our work together. Worshipping with others reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we are not the only ones who need Jesus. It reminds us that we all have struggles, issues and sins. It reminds us that God has been good to all of us. Together, the communion is passed among us. Together, we bow our heads. Together, we open our Bibles and read. Together, we blend our voices and praise. Worship shows us that we are the people of God. We are His church. Together, the doctor and the mechanic. Together the CPA and the stay at home mom. Together the widow and the teenager. Together the college student and the retired. Together, black and white. Together, male and female. Together, young and old. Together, we all need the Lord. Together, the Lord has been good to us. Together, it reminds us that the church belongs to God, not us. Worship is not about us, but about Him.

Sunday will soon be here. Aren’t you glad?

Roger

Jump Start # 2052

Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

Over the weekend I was able to experience two different forms of live-streaming. Modern technology has made it possible for us to witness things without actually being there. And in many ways this is changing the face of how things are done. I was also sick this past weekend. Had the flu for the second time. I told my wife, next year I’m getting every shot known to mankind. Bring them all on, the flu short, pneumonia shot, shingles shot, rabies shot, distemper shot. I want them all. Having the flu two times is terrible. So, I was resting at home over the weekend.

On Saturday, two local high school teams were playing in sectional finals. They played about an hour from here. More than 7,000 were in the crowd. I got to see the game via live-streaming. I was glad that I didn’t have to fight the traffic home and had my own concession stand, my kitchen. On Sunday, I watched our worship services on live-stream. I was singing with the church family, praying with them, and I listened to two good sermons and got to focus upon the Lord. I was glad that I was able to do that. Live-streaming—a ballgame on Saturday night and church services on Sunday. Any difference? Any take-a-ways from that experience?

Here are some thoughts I’d like to share:

First, watching the ballgame was fine. I wanted to see the game and that’s what I saw. I really didn’t care about the crowd, the band, or the kids. It was the game that I was interested in. The next day, on Sunday, it was a different experience. Watching worship services is not the same as being there. Certainly, it allowed me to worship, but the church family didn’t know I was participating with them. There wasn’t a connection. It was ok, but not great.

Our verse today brings out an important aspect of worship that live-streaming will never fill. The Psalmist declared, O magnify the Lord WITH ME, and LET US exalt His name TOGETHER.” The “with me,” and “together,” represents fellowship. The key ingredient in fellowship is being together. Worship is more than hymns, prayers and preaching. Although the central piece of worship is God, it also involves us. All of us. There is something about us being together and doing the same thing.

Second, the value of live-streaming, is that it allows people to see what something is like before they come. They can, as some say, “check you out.” But the down side of this is thinking that simply watching “church” from my phone is all that there is to worship.

The very concept of worship means to give value or “worth.” We are esteeming God. We are telling God what He means to us. Why do I need you to do that with me? Why can’t I just stay home and do that? Why can’t I just watch it on my tablet and that be enough? Because God wants us to come together. Multiple times in 1 Corinthians, Paul said when you come together as a church. Coming together to worship. Our verse today emphasizes that.

It takes some effort to do that. You gotta get up and get cleaned up and get down to the church house. It’s easy to stay in bed in your jammies, and just pick up your phone and watch it. Little effort required for that. Worshipping with the church reminds us that we belong and we are connect to others. It’s not just about me. There is a work that we are engaged in together. There is a common love and a common concern that we share. You miss that at home in bed watching on your phone.

Third, that social interaction, fellowship, helps us spiritually. Our times are missing that. A person has hundreds of friends on Facebook, but what do you notice before the movie starts or at a restaurant? Everyone is sitting beside someone, yet they are all on their phones. We can text. We can post. We can share. We can like. But we have a hard time simply talking to someone face to face. Fellowship does that. It is among each other that we realize that we are not alone in this journey. It is among each other that we get encouragement, strength and help.

Fourth, will live-streaming replace church services? For some, it already has. But they are missing out. They are missing the interaction that takes place before and after services. They are missing the faces that they do not see on live-stream. They are alone and watching. They are not connected with others and participating mutually with others. They are worshipping from a distant. It’s like looking through the widow or being on the inside, sitting at the table and enjoying the meal. Which is better?

There is a vital place for live-stream. It is helpful for those who are at home, like I was. It is helpful for those in other places, who are wanting to learn and grow. But live-streaming should never replace the need for you and I to be together down at the church house. Watching doesn’t replace my being there.

While I was watching our worship on live-stream, I was looking at the audience and I thought, “My the crowd seems small today. Must be a lot out of town or sick.” I got down to the church building on Monday and looked at the attendance board, and the number was massive. A huge crowd. That really made me wish that I could have been there. All those faces. All those hearts wanting to magnify the name of the Lord.

Should a church use live-stream? It’s a tool. It’s like listening to a sermon on CD. It’s helpful, and useful. But nothing beats being there! Is there a fear that folks will just stay home and watch services on the phone? That will get old pretty fast. They are hurting themselves if they do. They will feel distant from others. They will not get the benefits of fellowship.

I had the chance a couple of years ago to go to the Rose Bowl game. I’ve always watched it on TV. TV or be there? Nothing beats being there! There is an atmosphere. There is something special about all the things surrounding it.

Remember the “with me,” and the “together,” when it comes to our worship. You really need to be there. Nothing beats it!

Roger

Jump Start # 1728

Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

  Worship is a powerful experience. It praises God when it is according to His will. Not all worship pleases God. The modern church has forgotten that. They believe anything that they do God will love. The story of Cain and Abel reminds us that God doesn’t accept nor approve of every worship. The story of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offering strange fire, illustrates that God doesn’t want us to be different, original, unique or unusual when it comes to worship. He has shown us what He wants. He wants heart felt, genuine worship that follows His will.

Worship is good for us. It changes us. It opens our eyes. It has a way of getting our perspective in the right order. It gets our attention off of us and our problems and upon the God of Heaven and Earth. Worship  is good and right.

Our verse today emphasizes the importance of worshipping with others. Three times this is stated in one sentence. It is “with me;” “let us;” and, “together.” This passage is inviting others to worship with him. It is the call to come together and join heart and mind in worship. There is such a good effect when we worship with others.

First, it reminds us that we are not alone. In our times we can feel that way. Most of us are spread out. We don’t live in small villages, and we don’t walk to everything. We don’t walk daily to the market place as they would have in those early Bible years. It is not uncommon for brethren to only see each other at the church house a couple of times a week. The rest of the time, our homes, jobs and distance from each other leaves us isolated from each other. It is easy, especially in our times, to feel alone, discouraged and doubting. Coming together, and seeing others, lifts our spirits. It reminds us that we are not alone. There are others. Elijah thought he was the only one who was serving the Lord. God reminded him that there were thousands who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Somehow, ole’ Elijah didn’t know about that.

Second, worshipping together encourages us. We may enter the church building with our heads down and are hearts heavy with the toils of the world. Problems, stresses, worries can simply drain the life out of us. But then we see each other. Hope arises. A prayer. A certain song. An encouraging comment. A smile. A hug. And suddenly our problems do not seem so large after all. Suddenly we realize that God is greater than our problems. Encouragement is oxygen for our souls. We get that from our togetherness.

Third, we get inspired, challenged and motivated when we are together. We see spiritual giants among us. We hear of what others are doing. We see needs that we can help out with. We learn. Questions are answered. Hearts are filled with hope and love.

Fourth, we see unity in practice. We look around during worship and notice grandparents and little ones and teenagers and young couples. We notice businessmen and farmers. We see those who are in college and those who never went to college. We see blue collar workers and white collar workers. We see different races. We see different backgrounds. Each person has a story. Each person has a past. Each person comes because they need and love Jesus. Red and yellow, black and white—our souls are the same to God. With each other, we are color blind. We notice the big ones helping the little ones. We see laughter and joy and smiles. We are one. This is a picture that our nation doesn’t understand. It wants to separate us all into different categories. The unity of worship dissolves those lines of division. We shouldn’t define ourselves as white churches or black churches, but rather, God’s church. We stand as one. One voice. One mind. One heart. This only happens when we worship together.

Fifth, God is glorified. Our verse uses the word “magnify.” The thought is not that we are making God larger than what He is. You can’t do that. You can’t put God in a box, a building or even in a definition. He’s too big for all of that. The thought is focus or attention. Let us focus upon God. Let us magnify God. We do not gather to hear our story. Our stories end up the same. We disappointed and disobeyed God. We all have. Rather, we come to hear His story. His story of how He loves us and wants us back. His story of righteousness, blessings and patience. Too many books today, and too many sermons today focus upon us. I have a collection of books on the prodigal son. It’s one of my favorite themes in the Bible. Current books on this parable always tell the author’s own story of rebellion. Why? Is his story better than God’s story? We do not magnify each other. We magnify God. Our attention is upon God. Standing in His presence ought to humble us. He is always right and we are not. He is always pure and we are not. He is always good and we are not. It is God that we are drawn together.

Sixth, without God, most of us would not even know each other. It is because of God and His church that we have come to know and love each other. There would be no “let us,” or, “together,” if it were not for God. The greatest people I know are Christians. My best friends are Christians. I know people all over the world because of Jesus. My network is huge. Some would say, “It’s a small world.” The truth is, “It’s a large family.” It’s a family that loves and wants the best for each of us. Because of God, we have surrounded ourselves with some of the best people in the world. People who love and care for you. People who will tell you the truth, even if it hurts. People who want you to go to Heaven. Quality people. People of character. People who are honest. God’s people.

With me, let us, together—the joy of worshipping God with others. Now, what does all of this say to the guy who doesn’t connect with the church or doesn’t go very often. He’s alone. He’s isolated. He’s not sure. His network of friends are mostly people of the world. He is pulled constantly to return to the ways he has left. He is weak. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t have the hope that others have. All of this could change if he would jump in with others and worship. Worship often. Worship weekly. Worship every time the doors are opened. Get to know the church family. Get to know God. What a profound difference this would make in his life. There would be positive changes that would effect his eternity.

With me…let us…together—magnify the Lord. Another Psalm states it this way, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (122:1). Let us. Glad. Go to the house of the Lord. Powerful words that show what happens in our worship.

Magnify the Lord together!

Roger

Jump Start # 780

Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

I love this verse. It brings together two great themes: first, honoring and praising God; second, worshipping with others.

Magnify means to enlarge. We think of a magnifying glass and looking at a bug under it. The bug looks larger because of the magnification. The thought is not making God bigger than He is, because we cannot do that. God is big. We tend to make God smaller than what He is. We limit Him and stuff Him in a church building and try to confine Him there. In church, some reason, it’s God’s business, but outside the church building, it’s our business. WRONG. God is big. If politicians grasped that, many of the things they do would be different. God belongs in our church buildings, our office buildings, our schools, our homes and our hearts. If we magnified God as He deserves, we would not attempt to redefine marriage. God has already defined it. We would not allow abortions. God considers the unborn a child, not a fetus. But more than that, we would clean up our language, our thoughts and our attitudes. Magnify God. Emphasize God. Promote God. Honor God. Dwell upon God. The Lord doesn’t want just a couple hours from you on Sunday, He wants you. He wants you to live a life that glorifies Him, honors Him, recognizes Him, obeys Him. This is what we call godliness—a life of God.

We magnify all the time, it’s that we don’t magnify God. We tend to magnify our problems. We like to magnify ourselves. We magnify pleasure and sports. In doing this, we spin our wheels, become negative and complaining and miss the noble qualities of life. The best way to magnify God is looking closely at Jesus. How did He conduct Himself? How did He deal with people? How did remain godly? Magnify God!

The other thought here is worship. It is an invitation. The verse is inviting another person to magnify the Lord with him. He is asking, “let us” exalt His name “together.” The call to worship. The invitation to worship. This brings an interesting thought to our minds. We invite a friend to church by asking, “Would you like to come to church with me on Sunday?” They are not sure what to expect or don’t see the real need and politely decline. Instead, “Come, let us magnify the Lord together.” This invitation has a direction. It’s about God. It’s not about hearing a preacher. It’s not about the great time we will have. It’s not about the cool people you’ll meet. It’s not about the music, the building, the children. It’s about GOD. Exalt God’s name. Magnify GOD. Just maybe, we’ve left that out.

There is something special about worshipping with someone you know. We share so much of life with each other. We eat meals with friends. We go to ballgames with friends. We shop, go to movies, babysit each other’s kids, share special tips on cooking, finances, and where to buy the latest whatever. It’s just natural that we share God. With me, let’s magnify the Lord. Together, let’s exalt His name. Friends connecting on the spiritual and together praising God.

This one verse gives us so much to think about. Do I magnify the Lord or am I too absorbed with the externals and myself? Can I see past the songs, the preaching, the prayers to God? Am I asking my friends to come and worship God with me? Come…let us—inviting words and encouraging words!

It just makes us want to say, “See you Sunday!” That’s a great thought. Hope we do!

Roger