Dear Church Family,
Sometimes I think I should try to get real creative in ministry. The temptation then leads to cleaver slogans that I should use each day of the week. For example, as I ponder this on the day after Sunday, perhaps the focus of today should be “Monday Musings” or “Monday Must-Dos” or if I am in the rare crabby mood “Monday Mutterings.” (Feel free to contribute your suggestions.) Instead, I will do what I am called to do and open up Scripture for you. Here is what 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 says:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name;
let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength;
seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles,
and the judgments He pronounced.”
I will go over each day one of these five verses during this Holy Week. In light of the redemptive work of Jesus, these are rich words to chew over. So let’s take at look at the first verse (v12).
This is a Call to Worship that we occasionally use here - often around Thanksgiving - as it is a psalm of thanks. David, inspired of the Holy Spirit, wrote it after the Ark of the Covenant had been brought to Jerusalem and had been placed in the tent that served as the Tabernacle. God would be worshiped there until David’s son Solomon built the Temple in years to come.
Three imperative verbs dominate this verse. God’s people are commanded first to “Give thanks’ to God was had shown His covenant faithfulness. The spot where Abraham had almost sacrificed his son Isaac would soon be occupied by the glorious temple of God. All of God’s commands are given with deep reason behind. We should obey them simply because God says to do what He commands. We get to joyfully give thanks to God for his many blessings given to us even though we do not deserve anything from God except His righteous judgment for our sins. In the midst of doom and gloom we – of all people – know where our blessings have come from and to Whom we can direct our thanks. Stop now and tell God how thankful you are for who He is and what He had done. Of course, God’s greatest gift, as 2 Cor. 9:15 declares, is the indescribable gift of His only Son to satisfy the guilt of our sin!
The second command directs God’s people to ‘Call’ on God’s name. This points us to the high calling we have to worship God. God created humanity to worship Him. Sadly, most people worship false God. By faith in Christ, we worship as those who have been called by His name. We also call to God in prayer. True prayer remains a privilege that only God’s people can do for only we can come to Him as we pray with confidence in Jesus’ name.
Making God known among the nations constitutes the third command. If you go on a walk, even though others will stay at least six feet away from you, they still want to talk. Instead of rehashing the latest “viral” news with them, you can tell them of reasons you are thanking God. Hopefully, they will join you with their own reasons. If they don’t, you are still giving an answer for the hope that is in you. Certainly we can tell people why Holy Week has great importance to us.
So on this Monday of Holy Week, may we join together - wherever God has placed us - to “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.”
Pastor Gillikin