"1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."  ~ Psalm 95:1-7a

Use that passage as some kindling for worship tomorrow as we celebrate the Rock of our savation. If you are in Dahlonega, let me invite you to Creekstone Church. Cafe' at 10:00 a.m.; singing, shouting and extoling begins at 10:30 a.m. Wherever you attend, look to Jesus and be stunned by the wonder of the cross. 

I hope that you were encouraged by the reminder this morning as we began our gathering that we do not invite God to join us, but that God invites us to join and enjoy Him. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, "Come unto me those of you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Did you notice. He says "come to me" and that He will give to us. In worship, we do not come to display our faithfulness, but to become more mindful of His. We do not come to offer God our goodness, but to receive His—and to rest, be renewed and rejoice. Worship is drinking from the fountain of living water and responding with joy and gladness. I trust that you were filled and satisfied with the riches of God's grace today. We've got a long week ahead. It's good to be full.

I am reading Larry Crabb tonight. I don't know him personally, but wish that I did. Here is a nugget from his book, The Safest Place on Earth.

We moderns tend to think of our spiritual journey as a God-directed adventure until something goes seriously wrong or until certain problems persist past the time we give God to take them away. Then we think about solving the problems more than about finding God in the midst of them. We focus more on using God to improve our lives than on worshipping Him in any and every circumstance. We think more about pathology—what can be fixed—than about the journey we're on.

That, my friends, will preach. 

I've been in the kitchen this week preparing a banquet for Sunday. No, not that kind of banquet—not the kind that fills the stomach, but the kind that satisfies the soul. As the LORD says in Isaiah 55, "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food."

That is what I want for us on Sunday, and every Sunday. I long for us as a community of grace to delight ourselves in the rich fare of the gospel. Food for our souls. Life. Health. Strength. So would you pray that as I prepare, that I would crave the sweet and savory aromas of God's kindness to us in the person of Jesus, and that I would be enabled by grace to serve you well the banquet of the gospel?

Why go to church? Not a bad question, actually. To make the answer reasonably short, we could say that there are two possible options: we go to give or to get. The law says go to church that you may give to God. But the gospel says that we go to church so that we may get from God. The later approach emphasizes God as giver and sinner as recipient. Thus, from a gospel perspective, worship becomes a "means of grace," whereby through the songs, prayers, sacraments and teaching, I am strengthened by the promises of God in the gospel (2 Tim. 2:1). When the law calls me to worship, I feel guilty and burdened. When the gospel calls me to worship, I feel hungry, hopeful and glad. Law demanding worship ("I should go") is like required attendance at a civic club meeting. But gospel inviting worship ("I get to go") is like the banquet following the wedding of a King.

Now, part of the problem is that we who lead churches are not very skilled at preparing banquets of grace (and that in itself reveals a need for heart/grace revival among church leadership- myself being first in line). And so will you pray that those who lead Creekstone will become master chefs, who prepare a feast for the people, so that God will be overflowingly glorified by our gospel-imbibed joy (which is the response to grace that entails the giving on our part).

For some of the best worship resources on the planet, check out Sovereign Grace Ministries.