A Reality of Rejoicing

Welcome to the 100th post of worship.vintage21.com! The past two weeks I was away with my wife, Christin, and our two daughters, one of whom is only two weeks old. It was a busy time, not only with adjusting to two tiny ones in the house but also in finishing several house projects that were supposed to be complete prior to Hazel’s arrival. During the time away from work my mind was able to rest and think about my wife and daughters. My goal for life in general but specifically for this difficult time of little sleep and new parenting adventures is that of Paul’s command in Philippians 4:4…

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (ESV)

This is an oft-quoted verse, and personally feels like a burden when I hear it. Almost like “Get to it, and right now – dance and praise!” What amazes me is that he follows immediately with “Let your reasonableness be made known to everyone.” While I often view rejoicing as an outward act mustered up, Paul seems to be saying “If you knew, really knew, just how glorious, holy, merciful and loving God is, your reality would shift to such a place where rejoicing is not a rare event, but the state of your day-to-day existence.”

Yesterday I spent time dreaming about the next five years, simply praying and writing down both what worship would feel like as well as specific matters of logistics. The above passage has been on my mind, and so my prayer is that the through sanctification the reality of believers would grow more and more to reflect the actual reality of God. Here’s part of this vision:

“I pray that @V21Church becomes a church where the followers of Christ worship God throughout the week with a deep understanding of what responding appropriately to God looks like, and that they can’t wait to come to the service on Sunday in order to thank Him for what he’s done and who he is. This means from the moment people enter, they are worshiping God, and when the singing starts, it’s clear that we worship God fully with our hearts, and this time of singing is a continuation of that response. The seekers and doubters who are there cannot easily blend in – the song lyrics and the way they’re sung cause them to face their sin, their doubts, and their fears, and right then and there it’s an environment and a moment when the Spirit is so palpable that they are brought to their knees, confessing Jesus as Lord.”

Please join me in this prayer. Add specific names, confess your fear, pride and apathy that holds you back, and ask that God would continue his good work in you that your reality would shift. I’ll be praying this, and watching expectantly on Sundays from here on out for the fruit of God’s faithfulness. Praise the Lord.