Dear HBIC Church Family,
With our Sunday services cancelled for this week, we wanted to share with you a few worship resources that may aid you, either individually or with your family, in lifting your heart in worship to the Lord, experiencing his presence in your life, and feeding on his Word.
Call to Worship:
Come to the water, all you who thirst—
come drink deeply from the river of life.
Come to the water, all you who are weary—
come rest in the quiet pools of God’s love.
Come to the water, all you who long for peace—
come be renewed in God’s ever-flowing stream.
For God is here among us,
washing away the dust and grime of our lives,
and pouring out the Spirit on all who thirst.
Let’s worship God.
Prayer:
Great God,
you are an ever-present help in times of trouble,
and that’s why we’re praying now.
We are troubled and we’re worried things
are going to get more troubling.
This virus is spreading around the world:
so many are seriously ill
or will be seriously ill,
so many health care systems are stretched
or will be stretched.
Be with front line medical workers,
give them courage to do their work
and keep them safe.
Be with public health officials
as they make decisions for the common good,
and politicians as they roll those decisions out.
Help us to be kind to one another,
because anxiety can make us snappy.
Help our communities to be resilient
and expansive as we reach out to help
all who are isolated and afraid.
In these times of shutdowns and slowdowns,
when travel is restricted or banned,
as routines are disrupted and we spend
less time together or more time together,
help us zero in on what is essential.
Thank you that love is also contagious
and stronger than any virus.
You will be with us,
and we will be with each other
in sickness and in health.
Amen.
Worship Songs to Remind Us of God’s Goodness:
·
Travis Ryan – The Goodness of the Lord
·
Tasha Cobbs Leonard – Goodness of God
The Word:
Psalm 63 NIV
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8
I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9
Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Psalm 63 The Message
God—you’re my God!
I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts.
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.
I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
If I’m sleepless at midnight,
I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you’ve always stood up for me,
I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
and you hold me steady as a post.
Those who are out to get me are marked for doom,
marked for death, bound for hell.
They’ll die violent deaths;
jackals will tear them limb from limb.
But the king is glad in God;
his true friends spread the joy,
While small-minded gossips
are gagged for good.
Questions for Reflection and/Discussion:
·
What does it mean to you to
earnestly
seek God?
·
Can you think of a time in which you beheld God’s power and glory? How did God reveal it to you?
·
In what ways is God’s love better than life?
·
When you are awake during the night, unable to sleep, what kinds of thoughts occupy your mind?
·
In what ways can you cling to God right now in your life?
·
Are there any promises in this psalm that give you hope?
·
Are there any actions that you will follow today or this week?
May God bless you as you worship him at home this Sunday!
Pastor Lynda
