Joy to the World
Psalms 98
1 Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
his holy arm has shown his saving power!
2 The Lord has announced his victory
and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
3 He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
break out in praise and sing for joy!
5 Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song,
6 with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
9 before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with fairness.
Joy:
A Disciplined Approach
- look for and see beauty...
- express gratitude
- nurture positivity
- resilience / contentment
- rejoice in small victories
- embrace hope
- intentional meaning making
Outcome based Joy
- fulfilling work
- meaningful relationships
- effort
- perseverance
- values alignment
- authentic living
- overcoming adverstiy
- achieving goals
Notoriously Unpredictable
- suddenly aware...
- awe
- warmth / connection
- gift
- transcendent
- profound
- sacred
- wonder
Joy is not only an emotional state but a dynamic, holistic experience
that we can actively cultivate, celebrate when it comes, and cherish when it surprises us.
John 15:11
- the night Jesus was betrayed
- "I have told you these things that my joy may be in you, and your joy will overflow..."
"Happiness turns up more or less where you’d expect it to
- a good marriage, a rewarding job, a pleasant vacation.
Joy, on the other hand, is as notoriously unpredictable as the one who bequeaths it."
Frederick Buechner
Psalm 98
- Victorious Creator King
- Divine Judge
"new"
- the old songs won't do anymore...
- they can't capture what God is doing now.
"coming"
- God is now coming (present)
- God judges in fairness
- God comes and judges in order to set things right
Questions to Consider:
- What is joy?
- How does joy happen?
- Do you think of God as joyful?
- What is one way you can foster joy this week?
- Who might the Holy Spirit be leading you to share joy with this week?
Liturgies
Wayfinders Family Blessing
Gracious God,
We gather before You as a family, grateful for Your loving presence with us.
Bless our children:
Guide them in Your truth and lead them in Your ways.
Help them to walk in faithfulness, seeking Your will in all that they do.
May Your Spirit empower them to love one another deeply,
to forgive as You have, and to extend grace and mercy to all.
May the lessons they learn and the stories they share grow their love for you.
Help them to know how deeply loved they are by you and this church.
In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.
Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
(whooooo!)
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty,
From there He will come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
A Call To Worship
From different lives
we come to worship.
From good weeks
and bad weeks
we come to worship.
Bringing great times
and painful memories
we come to worship.
Needing healing,
needing peace
we come to worship.
With hope in our hearts
we come to worship.
To the Almighty God
we come to worship.
To the King of Kings
we come to worship.
Together
we come to worship.
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Eucharist
Our practice of communion as instructed by Jesus is a remembering of the Lord until he comes again...
It is also a re-membering of the body of Christ... In this act of faith we are reminded that we are made one in Christ and one with Christ...