Gathered Worship (Psalm 107)
Opening remarks:
Gathering for worship is something which has been sorely missed during the Pandemic. Even though we have been able from time to time to take part in a few “in person” services, these have had to be restricted due to the risks and so limited our scope for worship.
Our Online worship has grown and been established as part of the parish offering and has been of enormous value in terms of bringing us together and keeping in touch. The Zoom coffee meetings and other meetings on online platforms have also been unbelievably valuable.
But our longing is surely that we may go up to the House of the Lord and worship again in His holy place. We have a need to meet to worship without restrictions and to respond to what God has done for us in the manner appropriate for our needs and to honour Him.
Today’s Psalm and the reading from Hebrews give us a reminder of how we respond to God and give him praise as he watches over us through all the ups and downs of life.
Take a Moment:
What is your response? - How have you personally coped during the times of lockdown and separation from the church family? Are you in a good place or are you struggling? Where will you go to get the support you need, and who will you encourage in your turn?
(If you wish, you may like to discuss as a group your answers to those questions)
Read together: Hebrews 10: 1 – 25
The writer to the Hebrews is clearly speaking to them at a time when they were in danger of turning away from regular meetings and reducing their commitment to God.
“25. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
The Pandemic has forced on us a separation which we did not want, but now, as we tentatively re-connect, we need to encourage one another of the value of meeting in person.
Attending a service within a church building is not the only way to connect with God but it is a way in which we, together as a church household, can meet and benefit from the worship which we can bring as a group. Music, Prayer, bible Reading, Sermons and talks, times of quiet and times of rejoicing are all part of the worship experience with which we need to re-connect and to bring others to enjoy with us.
Q What are you missing about our church experience at this moment?
Q. How do you feel we should re-connect with other members of the church?
Q. What do you hope will return to be the same and what could be new?
In the light of these thoughts Please read Psalm 107 together.
Q. What are your initial responses to this Psalm?
Q. Do you see a pattern in the way the writer speaks?
Q. Do you blame God for the times when things go wrong?
Q. Do you thank God for the times when things go well?
You may now like to read some sections of the Psalm again to pick out the points which matter to you as a group.
The Psalm was written as an exhortation to praise the Lord for his unfailing love in that he hears the prayers of those in need and he saves them. It was written for liturgical use at one of Israel’s annual religious festivals. It appears to have been written after the Babylonian exile in thanks for a safe return and a rescue from bondage and from the sea.
There is an introduction (verses 1 – 3) and conclusion (Verse 43)
In between there are stanzas about deliverance from the punishments of foreign bondage
Or disease, Deliverance for those lost in the desert.
Q. Do you see foreign bondage, or disease as punishments?
Q. Does God always respond by saving people and restoring them?
Q. Can we be sure that God will always hear our cries for help?
Then there is a section from verse 17 where there is an acknowledgement that people chose to go wrong – “their rebellious ways”
Q. How do we turn back to God when we have rebelled and how does he respond?
Personally, I relate to the section from verse 23 speaking about going out to sea in ships.
The writer has clearly had this experience and understands the feelings of fear and peril and then the resulting delight in reaching the safe haven.
Q. Even if you have not actually been sailing – can you understand the feelings expressed?
Q. God is there for all of us – why do we still turn away from him?
The last section from verse 33 is reminding us of all the amazing things God does.
Spend some time in thought and prayer reminding yourself of what God has done for you personally and for the people and world around you.
“Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.”
You might like to end the session by listening to a worship song or singing along to it together (you could do this on mute if you like) Be encouraged, God is good and he loves us all.