This will be week eight of ten for Christ in the Psalms 2019 at Park Church. Each year we spend about ten weeks in the Psalms. We tackle one Psalm at a time, taking them in order. Why do we do this? The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus.
As an additional way to engage with the Psalms, we have a different artist in our community make a piece each week to be displayed in the foyer. Last week, our piece for Psalm 96 was done by Alyssa Beck. Read more about that here. See and read about all past Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces here (they go back as far as Psalm 41). Lastly, be sure to visit the side gallery (where you get coffee) each week to see all the originals for this year’s Christ in the Psalms series displayed together.
Here’s how you can prepare for this week at Park Church:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 97.
Psalm 97 is a celebration of God’s reign over the earth. The reign of God is the source of joy, security, and hope for those who love the Lord, as well as the basis for judgment for those who oppose His reign and vainly attempt to forge alternate paths to joy and life. In the midst of the complexities of our world, this Psalm calls all “lovers of God” to “hate evil” and to hold fast to the hope that the darkness in our world will soon give way to the dawn of God’s New Creation.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 97:1–6, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!
Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)
This Is My Father’s World (Maltbie Davenport Babcock arr. Gungor)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on The Worship Sourcebook:
God of grace,
we confess that we have elevated
the things of this world above You.
We have made idols of possessions and people
and used Your name for causes
that are not consistent with You and Your purposes.
We have permitted our schedules to come first
and have not taken the time to worship You.
We have not always honored those who guided us in life.
We have participated in systems
that take life instead of give it.
We have been unfaithful in our covenant relationships.
We have yearned for, and sometimes taken, that which is not ours,
and we have misrepresented others’ intentions.
Forgive us, O God,
for the many ways we fall short of Your glory.
Help us to learn to live together according to Your ways
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 1:3–5
Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION:
Psalm 32:10–11 (Sean Brage)
VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: Law
Let Justice Roll Like A River (Rebecca Elliot, Bobby Gilles)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Alyssa Beck
Wife to Justin, mom to Calgary and Wilkie, in the graphic arena by trade.
Piece: Oil
Week after week I would walk into my church in Hong Kong where the nations physically joined in praising God. People from all over, of every color, were singing the same worship song in their own languages. I remember this emotional, staggering feeling being there. It was an awakening for me to the broadness of God’s reign and joy in seeing the evidence of His pursuit of creation.
I chose to paint a trumpet weaving in all the skin tones because I wanted to depict that booming sum that Psalm 96 stirs in me: the nations coming together singing one song to their King.
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This is week seven of Christ in the Psalms 2019 at Park Church. This annual summer series dates back to 2012. Why do we do this? The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus.
As another way to engage with the Psalms, we have a different artist in our community make a piece each week to be displayed in the foyer. Last week, our piece for Psalm 95 was done by Taylor Powers. Read more about that here. See and read about all past Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces here (they go back as far as Psalm 41). Lastly, be sure to visit the side gallery (where you get coffee) each week to see all the originals for this year’s Christ in the Psalms series displayed together.
Here’s how you can prepare this week:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 96.
This Psalm calls us to praise God, not as dictated by the circumstances of life, but for His great acts in creation and redemption. It also points us forward to the future coming of Christ Jesus who will judge all with righteousness and truth, making all things new for good.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 96:1–4, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!
10,000 Reasons (Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman)
Great Are You Lord (Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on The Worship Sourcebook:
We confess that we have sinned against You
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In Your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways,
to the glory of Your holy name.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 5:8–9
His Mercy Is More (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
Kids: Joshua 1:9 (John Petterson)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION:
O Praise The Name (Anástasis) (Benjamin Hastings, Marty Sampson, Dean Ussher)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Taylor Powers
Taylor is a photographer. She grew up in the mountains a few hours away from Denver in Woodland Park, CO. She got her start working in the non-profit industry, photographing and storytelling for a few non-profits in the anti-trafficking arena. She’s passionate about telling stories honestly and beautifully through the visual medium of photography. Taylor now works with couples and families sharing adventure photo sessions, and spending time in the mountains with her clients. She also does branding and lifestyle photography for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Denver area. Taylor lives in Arvada with her husband Alex and their puppy Luna. They are expecting their first baby in September this year!
Piece: Digital Artwork
This piece was something completely different than the work I normally do, which usually includes a person as the subject. Spending time reading Psalm 95, I was always brought back to the description of the way God’s hand is in all of creation in verses 3-7:
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
The sea is His, for He made it,
and His hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for He is our God…
(From Psalm 95:3–7 NIV)
I had a clear vision of a few specific places all blending together to make a collage of color and form, both celebrating His creation and responding to the call to sit in worship, in awe of the beauty of the natural world around us. These included the small details of pines trees in Colorado, the large red rock formations in Utah, and the teal waters of Lake Michigan. Creating this piece felt like such a personal form of worship, as I reflected on the natural and secluded places that have brought me closer to God. I felt called to sit in awe of His creation, and to make the choice to try and not “harden my heart” as this passage says in verse 8.
This week we’ll be in our sixth week of Christ in the Psalms at Park Church. This is an annual summer series dating back to 2012 when we started with Psalm 1. Why do we do this each year? The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus.
As another way to engage with the Psalms, we have a different artist in our community make a piece each week to be displayed in the foyer. Last week, our piece for Psalm 94 was done by Nikki Rasmussen. Read more about that here. See and read about all past Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces here (they go back as far as Psalm 41). Lastly, be sure to visit the side gallery (where you get coffee) each week to see all the originals for this year’s Christ in the Psalms series displayed together.
Here’s how you can prepare this week:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 95.
Psalm 95 comes to us in two main parts, a call to consider our God and worship Him (v.1–5), and a call not to harden our hearts when we hear His voice (v.6–11). In regards to the second part, the example given is the rebellion by God’s people at Meribah and Massah, where the people were given water from the rock Moses struck: “And [Moses] called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?'”(Exodus 17:7; Massah means “testing” and Meribah means “quarreling.”).
As Christians, we’re called to remember the Rock that was struck for us in the wilderness, our Lord Jesus, who was given to us in our testing of and quarreling against God. Hear again the charge of the Psalmist, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 95:1–5, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!
Psalm 92 (It Is Good) (Joel Limpic)
Come Thou Fount (Above All Else) (Shane Barnard, Robert Robinson, John Wyeth)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on The Worship Sourcebook:
Lord, we are like sheep, and we get lost.
We forget the needs of our neighbors and do not love you above all else.
We need a Savior, so we long for Jesus. Come, fill our lives, Jesus. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Isaiah 53:4–6
Man Of Sorrows (Matt Crocker, Brooke Ligertwood)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION:
Twenty Three (Aaron Strumpel)
Jesus Paid It All (Elvina Hall, Kristen Stanfill)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Nikki Rasmussen
Nikki Rasmussen is a digital artist and designer who graduated with a BFA in Illustration (Children’s Book emphasis) from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2014. She loves getting to utilize her creativity to bring imagination to life—getting to see the look on someone’s face when they see their ideas become real, tangible things is the greatest gift of all.
Piece: Digital Artwork
Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O Lord,
and whom You teach out of Your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
(Psalm 94:12–13)
As I read through Psalm 94, I was struck by the way the writer cried out to multiple aspects of God: God the righteous Judge, God the Protector, and God the loving Father. For me, it brought to mind the image of hands cradling a heart, a picture that has always been a powerful way for me to visualize our relationship with God. It’s such a simple concept, yet it manages to incorporate so many different facets of what God does in our lives. God is righteous in His judgment, carefully and lovingly lifting up the hearts of those who know and obey Him.
The thorny vines in this piece display the other side of that judgment: the wrath that, for all intents and purposes, should have been directed at us, was instead satisfied through the work and sacrifice of Christ. In God’s hands we are blessed with His discipline and law, and given the opportunity to grow in unimaginable ways we could have never managed if not through Him. The flowers blooming from the heart in this piece represent that unique and beautiful growth, while the gilded nature of the heart itself shows the value our lives gain through God; a worth that could never have been achieved through striving on our own, but only through the grace and glory of God.