June 7, 2020

Every summer at Park Church, we spend several weeks in the Psalms. 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. This annual series, now in its ninth year, is called Christ in the Psalms. This Sunday is week one of Christ in the Psalms 2020. We’ll be in Psalm 100.

Two resources you need to know about:

  1. Christ in the Psalms sermons for Psalms 1–99 are available here. If you can’t wait for Sunday, take a trip back in Park Church history and listen to the sermon from one of your favorite Psalms. You can also return here as a way to study the Psalms on your own or to share a message about a particular Psalm with a friend.
  2. Since 2015 (starting with Psalm 41), different artists within our community have done a piece of artwork for each Psalm, going week-by-week in step with the sermon series. This week’s piece for Psalm 100 is an acrylic painting by Jennie Pitts Tucker. See the piece and read about the art and the artist here. For all Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces, click here.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday!

1. Read our text, Psalm 100.

See passage
A Psalm for Giving Thanks

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100 is a call to joy and thanksgiving. But what if you are feeling sorrow and pain? Are joy and sorrow mutually exclusive? Does the desire for joy require you to suppress the realities of pain and sadness? Not at all. Psalm 100 was written by and for suffering and oppressed people, and it is inviting us to look to the loving presence of the Good Shepherd—who was a Man of Sorrows—as the source of joy in the midst of the sorrows of life.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

Don’t have Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 100:

See passage
A Psalm for Giving Thanks

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

House of God Forever (Jon Foreman)

CONFESSION & LAMENT: Adapted from Apostles Church Uptown:

Lord, this morning as we gather together-though apart-
We praise you that you see us, you know us, and you love us.
We also gather today with heavy hearts,
lamenting the evil at work in our world.
We lament the racism and violence against the black community.

Among others, we lament the loss of your image bearers,
Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd.

When we are apathetic to violence, forgive us.
When we are numb to compassion, soften our hearts.
When we are confused and bewildered, comfort us.
Be with us, Jesus.

Grant us the humility and the courage
to be your hands and feet to our neighbors,
pursuing justice, loving mercy,
and walking humbly with you.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 8:35–39

See passage

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh God (Dustin Kensrue)

PASSING THE PEACE

What is Passing the Peace?
(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

King Of My Heart (John Mark McMillan, Sarah McMillan)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Psalm 100—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Jennie Pitts Tucker

Originally from Austin, Texas, Jennie graduated with a BFA from Baylor University in 2012. She started her own art business in 2014, “Jennie Lou Art,” and now works as a full-time artist in Denver. She specializes in live wedding/event painting and custom pieces. Learn more at jennielouart.com or on Instagram at @jennielouart.

Piece: Acrylic Painting

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing! (v.1–3)

As I painted this piece, I began to wonder if perhaps the world’s ways have lulled us to sleep. We have become ignorant to the beauty, magnificent signs of hope, and evidence of His character which our Father has so kindly placed all around us. In the wise words of C.S. Lewis, “You understand sleep when you are awake, not when you are sleeping.”

When I first moved to Colorado, I would stop in my tracks, overcome by the sheer majesty of the mountains every time I faced west. Years later, and I still love the mountains, but I seem to have lost the overwhelming sense of wonder. I have become desensitized to the majesty the mountains once imposed on me, and the glory they once awoke in me.

Is it possible we have all fallen asleep the most remarkable signs of hope our Father has placed in front of us? Have we lost the overwhelming praise and thanksgiving that results from the awe and wonder? Have we allowed the extraordinary to become ordinary?

“The original word [joyful noise] signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king appears among them. Our happy God should be worshipped by happy people; a cheerful spirit is in keeping with His nature, His acts, and the gratitude which we should cherish for His mercies.”
(Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 100)

For me, painting is how I sing.

God has gifted me with a voice through art, more than with my actual singing voice. There is so much freedom in the ability to express with a paintbrush. So for me, making “joyful noise” and “serving the Lord with gladness” through my artwork results in a loud burst of colors and powerful shapes; it is expressing God’s design to the world in a way that demands the viewer to admire His Creation and thank Our Father of Good Gifts.

For this piece, I chose to paint the mountains in such vibrancy that it might, again, shock the viewer into the awe of God’s creation all around us in Colorado. I really pushed myself to paint out of my comfort zone by choosing colors and marks I am normally nervous to use, for fear of overpowering the composition. My hope is this painting will mobilize us as Christians to sing and bless His name for the Beauty that surrounds us and beckons us to adore the Creator.

For the Lord is good. (v. 5)

What better reason do we need to praise the Lord? In the midst of a turbulent and fearful season in our world, may we focus on these words. May we praise Him because He promises us He is Good and “His steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations” (v.5). There is hope and there is goodness promised to us, let us sing and give thanks to the One who was and is to come.

“​When we recount to him his goodness we are rendering to him the best adoration.”
(Charles Spurgeon)

in Blog • Christ in the Psalms Artwork

May 31, 2020

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, where we remember the sending of the promised Holy Spirit. The Spirit is still among us, empowering God’s people. As we celebrate this day, we do so as people still living in its present reality!

This is also week 14 of Matthew, and the final week of Part One of the series. We’ll discuss Jesus & Integrity this week, then turn our attention to the Psalms for the remainder of the summer, returning to Matthew Part Two in the fall.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read our text, Matthew 5:33–37.

See passage
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

Jesus’ teaching on oaths might seem foreign or even irrelevant to modern readers, but the deeper issue He is addressing is something common to us all. The practice of swearing oaths by a significant person or object was common practice in first century Judaism. It was similar to the practice of swearing by the Bible, but it was used much more widely in their society with a complex set of customs and regulations.

The main issue is that people were using something outside of themselves to try to bolster their reputation or perceived trustworthiness. Jesus is pushing them away from this cultural form of manipulation and toward integrity and honest communication. In our culture, people use things like exaggeration, embellishment, spin, or deception to control or improve their image in any given relationship or scenario. Jesus is saying that this desire to distort reality is not God’s way. It comes from a place of insecurity, and it cultivates deeper isolation and distrust that damages relationships and communities. God’s people can be honest about reality, even when the truth is unpleasant, knowing that Jesus—who already knows our blemishes, failures, weaknesses, and insecurities—still loves us and welcomes us into His Kingdom.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

Don’t have Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.

CALL TO WORSHIP: Based on Acts 2:17–21:

“God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh,
and our daughters and sons shall prophesy.
Our old ones shall dream dreams,
and our young ones shall see visions,
and all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered.”

Come, let us call upon the name of the Lord.

Fall Afresh (Jeremy Riddle)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

Gracious God,
You have given us the law of Moses and the teachings of Jesus
to direct us in the way of life.
You offer us Your Holy Spirit
so that we can be born to new life as your children.
Yet, O God, we confess that the ways of death have a strong attraction and that we often succumb to their lure.
Give us the vision and courage to choose and nurture life,
that we may receive Your blessing. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Corinthians 1:20–22

See passage
For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Doxology (Amen) (Bourgeois, Ken, Owens, Wickham addl. verses JD Raab)

PASSING THE PEACE

What is Passing the Peace?
(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

Who You Say I Am (Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

May 24, 2020

It’s Matthew week 14 at Park Church. We’ll continue in the Sermon on the Mount, discussing Jesus and marriage.

Two weeks from now, we begin Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. Starting many summers ago, we’ve been going week-by-week, Psalm-by-Psalm, taking them in order from Psalm 1. We’ll start this year’s Christ in the Psalms with a little bit of a milestone—Psalm 100.

As for this Sunday, here’s how you can prepare!

1. Read our text, Matthew 5:31–32.

For many reasons, the topic of divorce is both sensitive and complex, and this instruction from Jesus is not intended to be a comprehensive teaching on the matter. Jesus’ teaching assumes that people understand the Biblical design for marriage—that marriage is to be a lifelong covenant relationship that reflects the faithful and enduring love of God for His people. At the same time, Jesus’ teachings on divorce reflect an understanding of the brokenness in our world by permitting—but not encouraging—divorce in certain scenarios related to infidelity.

The focus of this particular teaching is to confront those who were taking marriage vows lightly. People were distorting Old Testament teachings to justify divorce for almost any reason. Jesus is challenging the people of His Kingdom toward something better: to radically honor and uphold God’s design for marriage as a lifelong covenant relationship so that they might reflect the radical beauty of God’s covenant love for His people.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

Don’t have Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 8:1, 3–4

How Majestic (Brian Eichelberger)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

O gracious and gentle and condescending God,
God of peace, Father of mercy, God of all comfort:
we confess before You the evil of our hearts;
we acknowledge that we are too inclined
toward anger, jealousy, and revenge,
to ambition and pride,
which often give rise to discord and bitter feelings
between others and us.

Too often have we thus both offended and grieved You,
O long-suffering Father.
Forgive us this sin and allow us to enjoy
the blessing you have promised the peacemakers,
who shall be called the children of God.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 1:3–4

Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)

PASSING THE PEACE

What is Passing the Peace?
(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

Yes And Amen (Anthony Brown, Chris McClarney, Nate Moore)
The Blessing (Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, and Steven Furtick)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday