Worship on Sunday, January 22

This week's scripture is Jonah 1:17 - 2:10, the prayer Jonah offered when he was in the belly of the whale. It is a prayer of thanksgiving—Jonah thanks God for saving him out of the deep sea. But it is also a prayer of looking forward, knowing that there is something better than this that God is calling him to.

The worship service Sunday is designed to help us enter into this prayer and make it our own. We do this by singing song and reading Scripture that emphasize thanking God for saving us and also looking forward to the life we have together. We will sing four songs. From the 12th century, we will sing this text by Bernard of Clairvaux: “Jesus, the very thought of thee/with sweetness fills my breast/But greater far thy face to see/and in thy presence rest.” This text emphasizes the joy of life in Christ here but the desire for full communion with God. From the 16th century, we’ll sing William Kethe’s O Worship the King which praises God for his marvelous works. From the 19th century, Fanny Crosby, a prolific hymnwriter, lends us To God Be the Glory which, like Bernard’s hymn, invites us to consider how sweet life with God is here and how much sweeter it will be when we see Christ face to face. We also will be singing a 20th century prayer song which uses Scriptural language to remember that we are God’s called people, and in response we worship him.

We also will be reading excerpts from Psalm 42, which form part of the basis for Jonah's prayer. This psalm as well expresses thankfulness for what God has done and longing for what God will do.

I pray that Sunday’s service is meaningful for you as we worship together, turning our hearts toward thanking God!