Building Our Future

Psalm 150

Connecting Questions

· What is your favorite holiday? Why?

· What is a word of praise you have received that stuck with you?

Prayer for Illumination

Let us pray, Loving God, we pause today grateful for this next breath. We are grateful for the chance to connect with others today for we all carry such hurts and hope. Open your Word to us. Open our hearts to let your word speak to us and change our lives. We pray in the name of the Jesus, Amen.

Context

This Sunday, we conclude our worship series, Building Our Future. As Easter people, we are living into the next chapter as a church community by rediscovering the stories of God at work in and among us. We have explored many a “building” theme. Has there been an image from the series that has stuck with you?

Don’t miss Pastor Kevin’s sermon in the Building Our Future series. Sermons can be found at Easter.org/worship.

From Pastor Fred Gaiser at EntertheBible.org:

The psalms have served believers in every generation as a biblical source of prayer and praise and as models for their own response to God. The book is an invaluable resource for worship. The people of God have also heard God addressing them in the psalms, as the prayers and hymns bear witness to the nature and work of God. The Psalter is unique, bringing together human word and word of God in an inseparable unity.

Look at the Book

Open Psalm 150. Read it aloud. What immediately stands out to you?
Drumroll, please! The previous five psalm all start with the same word. What is it? What does it mean in English?
The previous five psalms are all building up to Psalm 150, which is the final psalm in the entire book. It’s the grand finale. Knowing this, what do you notice?
Jesus used the psalm as his prayer book with the people of God. How are psalms like prayers? What kind of prayer is this?
Verse 1 makes an important connection between two places. What are the two places mentioned? What is another important Christian prayer that connects...”on earth...as in heaven?”
Who is doing the mighty acts? What is a mighty act that you have been a witness to in your life?
Is there an instrument or sound that speaks to you in worship or helps you to be fully present in worship?
Starting in verse 3, there are a number of instruments named. One rabbi said, “we have a grand roll call of instruments—winds, strings, percussion—that are used to create the music.” What does this image create for you and why does it matter?
Do you ever regret giving a noisy toy to a child in your care? Verse five lifts up the joy of noise. One instrument with two different sounds. Why do you think the author gets so specific?
Verse six shows God’s heart to be in relationship with all creation, not simply one specific people or group. What do you make of “let everything that has breath?”
Take a deep breath right now. What are some places you remember breath being important in the Bible? Here are two places to explore: Genesis 2 in creation. And, Jesus’s resurrection in John 20. What do you notice?
How would you encourage someone to praise God?
What do you want to talk about that has not been brought up yet?

Taking it Home

Praise a child this week. Use praise to build someone up.

Find a song that speaks to you about your relationship with God and share it with someone.

Grow Guide | Sept 3, 2023