This is the last week of 2020’s Christ in the Psalms series. We’re in Psalm 109. You can find all the other Christ in the Psalms messages from this year and previous years right here.
Our artwork for Psalm 109 is an acrylic painting by Benjamin Rogers. See the piece and read about the art and artist here. To learn more about this weekly art series for Christ in the Psalms, click here.
What will we do next week? At the end of each summer, we take about three weeks to revisit our mission as a church (you can listen to Mission series messages from 2017–2019 here—they’re rad). For our mission weeks this year, we’re focusing in on Following Jesus in this Cultural Moment, and we’re using the book of Matthew (which we’re really in the zone on from this year’s ongoing Matthew series).
But back to Psalm 109—here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday!
1. Read our text, Psalm 109.
See Passage
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! May his days be few; may another take his office! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life!
But You, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for Your name’s sake; because Your steadfast love is good, deliver me! For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.
Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to Your steadfast love! Let them know that this is Your hand; You, O Lord, have done it! Let them curse, but You will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but Your servant will be glad! May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 109:1–2, 26:
See passage
Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to Your steadfast love!
Your Name Is Good (Psalm 54) (Joel Limpic, Scott Mills)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:
Lord, You are a God who keeps promises.
In our prayers and songs
we say that we want to be Christians,
but then we forget our promises.
Our actions do not match up with our words.
We say mean things to other people,
we hurt their feelings,
we think of ourselves first,
and, worst of all, we ignore You.
Lord, forgive us and hear our prayer for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:8–10
See passage
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The Gift Of God (Ephesians 2:8) (John Petterson)
PASSING THE PEACE
What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)
(Click to Read)
When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”
While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.
It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.
SERMON & COMMUNION
Way Maker (Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
Person: Benjamin Rogers
Benjamin Rogers is an instructor of Painting and Drawing at Red Rocks Community College. He received an MFA in painting from Arizona State University and his work has been published in New American Paintings, Create! Magazine, Fresh Paint Magazine and ArtVoices. He lives in Arvada with his wife Emma, and two children.Piece: Acrylic Painting
This piece examines King David in a place of darkness, doubt, loneliness and despair. I painted the piece in acrylic to emphasize the plastic nature of the Little Tike toy, which represents King David. He is seated on a black surface lit by a single light source. This psalm is a lamentation for the circumstances that David finds himself in, surrounded by wickedness and deceit. The black surrounding the toy in the painting illustrates the wickedness surrounding him and the evil that happening to him. The light source is symbolic of a source of hope in God, as the only means of restoration.
We’re in Psalm 108 this week, continuing our annual Christ in the Psalms series. You can find sermons for the previous 107 Psalms here. Kind of crazy to write that. So why the Psalms? The Psalms provide a “hymnal” for God’s people, teaching us how to bring the whole range of human emotion before Him in prayer and in worship.
Our artwork for Psalm 108 is an oil painting by Kari Langford. See the piece and read about the art and artist here. To learn more about our weekly Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces and see them all (they go back as far as Psalm 41!), click here.
Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, August 2:
1. Read our text, Psalm 108.
See Passage
My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth! That Your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by Your right hand and answer me! God has promised in His holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have You not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.
At times it feels like God doesn’t care. Though the past has proven how faithful and good He is, we long for Him to work on our behalf in this moment. And when it seems like God has rejected our pleas for help, it is easy to rely on self-made solutions that always disappoint, at least eventually. What we long for—what we need most—is God with us. And indeed He is. Jesus, called Immanuel, has taken on our rejection, has emerged victorious on our behalf, and now joins us in the struggle. We may now joyfully anticipate His constant work in our lives, hungering for His glory and pleading His pursuing grace.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 108:1–5:
See passage
My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!https://www.parkchurchdenver.org/2020/07/30/august-2-2020/ Let Your glory be over all the earth!
10,000 Reasons (Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman)
Psalm 108 (My Heart Is Steadfast) (Joel Limpic)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on Psalm 108:
Father, we confess that our hearts are often not steadfast toward You. Truth be told, our allegiances are divided and we are half-hearted creatures.
Jesus, find us in our slumbering ways and awaken our sleepy affections. Open our eyes to see Your beauty and grace with a new freshness.
Spirit, shine a spotlight on any wayward way in our lives. Plant boldness and courage and strength to love and follow You.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Psalm 103:10–13
See passage
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him.
PASSING THE PEACE
What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)
(Click to Read)
When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”
While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.
It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.
SERMON & COMMUNION
Praises (Be Lifted Up) (Josh Baldwin)
Victory Belongs To Jesus (Todd Dulaney)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
Person: Kari Langford
Kari, originally from Houston, is currently pursuing her BFA at the University of Denver. Growing up in a small waterfront town, she has always connected to God through the ocean. Nature is an important means to relate to God and the people around her. She has recently been exploring color, light, and form in her paintings, as well as performance and ceramic work.
Piece: Oil Painting
The last couple of months have been hard. They are unprecedented and difficult times that have caused an aching and longing in my soul for God to restore. All the day long, I cry out for the Lord to redeem this land, to wipe away the tears.
In the midst of this season, I have been home in Texas; I have once again returned to the water and greenery of a Texas landscape. So many times, I have woken up in the morning to look out the window and see warm, beautiful hues of greens and yellows. This time has forced me to slow down and look around—as if the Lord was calling me to “Awake!”
While I have been spending time in Psalm 108, I have been reminded of the Lord’s goodness. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.
My heart is steadfast, O God!
I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
(Psalm 108:1–4)
I was struck by this image of worshiping with all of my being, with awaking the dawn with praise. In response to this, I woke up at 5am, went to the neighborhood dock, and greeted the dawn with praise for our holy God. The clouds and the sun and the water and the trees, all point us to the Creator. They show us glimpses of His steadfast love—of His faithfulness—that reaches beyond the things we can see.
My prayer is that in the midst of sorrow, we can rejoice in who God is, and that one may look upon this burst of color and light and be moved to praise our incomprehensible God.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
Person: Lou Ann Summers
My name is Lou Ann Summers. I grew up in Littleton, Colorado and since then have lived in Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah. We have now been in Arvada for five years. I have been married to Brent going on 38 years and am a mother of four and a grandmother of six. I come from a very artistic family, a few of whom are professionals. It was not until adulthood that I discovered a knack for painting. I am an amateur artist and make art for the sheer joy of it. I was fortunate to have the chance to teach art to sixth graders for five years in public school.
Piece: Acrylic
Being in my 60s, I have had the opportunity to practice my artistry plenty, and like they say, practice makes perfect. Haha! Not that I’m perfect! but that I have had plenty of practice. I never went to school for it. My sister became a professional artist and because i grew up beside her, I absorbed much of her eye for color, light and shapes. As children she and I had a drawing game we would play together in church while we were listening quietly. In later years we would paint together as she instructed me. I have also enjoyed watching painters on TV, learning much from them. I feel God’s joy when I am creating!
This particular piece was inspired from Psalm 107. It speaks repeatedly of the people crying out and God providing for, and saving them. V.35 says, “He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs, there He brought the hungry to live and they founded a city where they could settle.”—an oasis in the middle of dry sand! Like our children cannot stay out of the water in the summertime, I cannot live without his living water! I can’t count the number of heart-scorching times during “Covid” where I have had to run to the fountain of life to drink, or die. And He offers me an oasis of water where my heart can settle 🙂