I usually follow one of the lectionary texts for the week.  The lectionary consists of a three year cycle of texts for each week.  Each Sunday has an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, a New Testament lesson and a Gospel reading.  This Sunday’s psalm is very appropriate for today as we celebrate Carolyn’s ministry with us over the past years.  We come together and worship God here together each week and that hopefully is why we do come—to worship God.  This psalm, psalm 100, is a call to worship God.  “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”  This psalm is a call to praise the Lord.  Worship is to be joyous, festive and alive.  “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.”  I am sure some people read that and think, “Well, it can’t really mean that literally—we couldn’t possibly shout in church!” 

          We can raise our voice at the ballgame or at the television or at our spouse or our kids for sure, but not in church—not when praising God—God forbid!  No, it seems God doesn’t forbid that—in fact the psalmist encourages it.  Now, to be fair, he doesn’t say “scream” or “yell”, he says “shout.”  In other words, don’t be afraid to sing out loudly or shout an “amen” every once in a while.  It’s ok to let God or others know that you are alive and well.  Worship in church should be a sacred and holy moment, but it doesn’t have to be stoic all the time.  We don’t have to look like the “frozen chosen.”  Worship should be joyful—at least most of the time.  We worship God in different ways because we are all different people with different likes and dislikes and preferences.  If someone likes to sing loudly and shout “amen” and another just sits there like a bump on a log—God bless them both.  They are two different people who can and do experience God in different ways. 

          The psalmist here gives us the freedom to express ourselves in worship.  We’re singing a lot of hymns today for obvious reasons—we’re going heavy on the music this morning, amen?  Why are we to come before God with joyful songs?  Verse 3: “Know that the Lord is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”  We are called to praise God and then we are told why we should praise God.  It is God who created us, He made us; we are His people.  Therefore we should worship Him.  We are His sheep and He is the Good Shepherd.  We are God’s people.  Many people, especially in this day and age like to think of themselves as the master of their own destiny—they see themselves as their own maker—they like to think of themselves as a “self-made man or woman.”  And they worship that maker.  God created us in His image and we have been trying to return the favor ever since. 

          “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name” (100:4).  Why are we to offer God our thanks and praise?  The final verse of the psalm: “For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”  Look at our Old Testament lesson for today.  Exodus 19 tells us about the Israelites and their wandering in the desert near Mt. Sinai.  Moses goes up on the mountain to speak with God and God tells him to tell the people this: “'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.  Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.  Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."  God speaks of protecting the Israelite people in the past and how He will continue to do so in the future if they will obey Him and keep the covenant.  The church is the new Israel and I believe these words apply to us.  If we are faithful and obedient in our ministry here, God will bless us.  We may feel as though we are wandering in the desert, but if we stay faithful and obedient to God and His will for us, we will be blessed. 

          Change is a part of life and a part of the church.  People come and go.  People move or pass away or are unable to come on a regular basis.  Other newcomers join and are active in the church.  Pastors come and go—organists and choir directors come and go.  We celebrate the past but we also look forward to the future and plan for the future.  If we are faithful and carry out God’s work here, God will bless us and our efforts.  This church has been blessed with much musical talent over the years which has helped us to worship the Lord with gladness.  We will continue to do that as we seek to figure out what God has for us next.  Worship the Lord with gladness.  Serve the Lord with gladness.  We are the Lord’s people—we belong to Him and He is faithful to us.  Amen.