His upright love to praise him.
Praise the LORD with strings,
make music for him on the ten-string.
Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
For the Word of the LORD holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
Christ's covenant love fills the earth.
Yahweh merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
He gathered the seas to their boundaries
and filled the deep mines with treasures.
Let the whole world fear the LORD,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
When he spoke, the world began.
It appeared at his command.
Psalm 33:1-9
Gracious, Ever-Faithful God:
What has happened to our worship praise?
Read from books and slides and overlays?
Please don't wake the snoring!
Who made worship boring?
Why veneration of human tradition
as if God's new creation
could be confined to pew-sitting watchers
of some Chrysostomic cleric,
protected by ancient liturgy
from rebutal or from question?
Rock 'n roll worship is far worse,
shunning truth for sing-song verse,
appealing to the rock concert crowd,
entertainment played quite loud,
Bible as self-help advice,
"Do more, try harder, be nice,"
the weekly message from the pulpit,
bootstraps R us -- how to stop it.
How to cease the rot of culture
transforming church into transgendered bride?
Where is skill? Where the excellence?
Where the new song played with brilliance?
Where the overwhelming awe,
and Gospel truth about our flaws;
my quaking hand laid on my prize lamb,
knife to neck, it's life for mine?
No hocus pocus; but laser focus
on the blood that was shed for me.
Holy Spirit, infuse my worship,
with joy and song, here I belong!
Gather those made righteous by Christ's decree
like You gathered primordal seas,
and set the boundaries of our love
to the expanse of your good and justice.
Give us new songs for new creation,
hover, Holy Spirit, end lamentation;
Take us as far as we may go
in our temples here below.
Meet us in the courtyards of holiness,
near enough for You to bless us,
not holed up in sanctuaries,
but exposed to light and air and world,
exposed to Gospel grace, Your Word proclaim,
recreating all the fallen,
known to You by name,
inheritors of redemption's age.
Amen
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