Study Guide: Celebrate God

Sunday September 27, 2009 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:

• Psalm 66:8

  Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;

Brief Summary:

We see many examples of celebration in the Bible. By reading through these verses we can learn a lot about what celebration is and how it was done during biblical times. [Focus Scripture: Psalms 66:8]

Extended Summary:

Worship is ascribing “worth” to God. Praise is expressing the truth about God to God directly and personally. Celebration is proclaiming the truth about God both to God and to one another.

We see many examples of celebration in the Bible. Some of them are reflected in the key scriptures for this week, but there are many more. By reading through these verses we can learn a lot about what celebration is and how it was done during biblical times. Here are some of the themes that emerge from these texts:

• Celebration can be loud and joyous
• Celebration can include clapping hands
• Praise and celebration can include lifting of hands
• Praise and celebration can include dancing
• Praise and celebration can be instrumental (for example: a soloist playing an instrument to the glory of God)
• Praise and celebration should be culturally diverse (the vision of Revelation 7:9-11 sets the vision for worship, our worship should reflect the cultural diversity of our body)

Reflection Questions:

• What stood out to you most from this message and the supporting texts?
• The last point above is perhaps the most controversial. Reflect on what style or culture of worship you were raised with. Even if you were not raised in the church, everyone has a history, what styles or cultures of worship were you exposed to growing up?
• Are any of the forms of worship listed above a stretch for you? Challenge yourself to try new expressions of worship, sometimes it helps us connect to God when we get out of our usual patterns.

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