Praise Party Psalm 148 Sunday, September 13, 2015 1. A few words of introduction are in order because we re going to be experiencing something different in the sermon time. Instead of a traditional sermon with three or four main points, a couple of lame jokes, and one or two illustrations thrown in for seasoning, we re going to have a praise party, recognizing that praising God is like watering the roots of our faith. Parties, by definition, require more than one person, so I ve recruited Marriene to contribute her musical voice on the piano, and I m going to ask you to participate by joining me in singing and reading a responsive reading from the Psalms as we move through our praise party. The principal inspiration for our praise party is Psalm 148, which paints a picture of all of creation praising God. I give you permission to tune out just a little with your rational mind and allow yourself to simply experience praise through Marriene s beautiful music and through the poetic words of the various psalms you ll hear and read. I ve made my contribution by combing through some of my favorite photographs and including some that I think testify to the glory of God our creator. However you re wired to praise God- through music, the spoken word, or in picture- give these next few minutes wholly over to worshipping our awesome God! 2. [NO SPEAKING] {Snowy Owl} 3. [NO SPEAKING] {Butterfly} 4. LORD my God, how great you are! {Waterfall} 5. You are robed with honor and with majesty; (badlands) 6. You are dressed in a robe of light. 7. You lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. 8. You make the clouds your chariots; 9. You ride upon the wings of the wind. (osprey) 10. The winds are your messengers; 11. Flames of fire are your servants. 12. [NO SPEAKING] {Desert landscape} 13. [NO SPEAKING] {log and leaves}
14. The Lord clothed the earth with floods of water, (egret) 15. At the sound of your rebuke, the water fled; 16. Mountains rose to the levels you decreed. (Mount Rainier) 17. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas. 18. You make the springs pour water into ravines, 19. You make streams gush down from the mountains. 20. They provide water for all the animals, 21. The wild donkeys quench their thirst. (boy on donkey) 22. The birds nest beside the streams 23. [NO SPEAKING] {Bluebird} 24. You send rain on the mountains from heaven, 25. You cause grass to grow for the cattle. (buffalo) 26. You cause plants to grow for people to use. 27. You allow us to produce food from the earth 28. The trees of the LORD are well cared for 29. The cedars of Lebanon God planted. 30. There the birds make their nests, (owl) 31. The storks make their homes in the firs. 32. High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats, 33. The rocks form a refuge for rock badgers. 34. [NO SPEAKING] {rabbit} 35. You made the moon to mark the seasons (moon) 36. You made the sun that knows when to set. 37. At night all the forest animals prowl about. (armadillo) 38. The young lions roar for their food, 39. But even the lions are dependent on God. 40. LORD, what a variety of things you have made! (camel) 41. In wisdom you have made them all. 42. The earth is full of your creatures.
43. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, 44. The ocean teems with life of every kind. (Begin tern sequence) 45. Every one of these depends on you 46. [NO SPEAKING] {tern} 47. When you send your Spirit, new life is born 48. Your Spirit replenishes all the living of the earth. (horse) 49. May the glory of the LORD last forever! 50. The LORD rejoices in all God has made! 51. The earth trembles at God s glance; 52. The mountains burst into flame at God s touch. 53. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. (mountain) 54. I will praise my God to my last breath! 55. For I rejoice in the LORD. 56. [PSALM 136] Responsive Reading. Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good!. Give thanks to the God of gods. Give thanks to the Lord of lords 57. [PSALM 136 continued]. Give thanks to God who alone does mighty miracles. Give thanks to God who made the heavens so skillfully. Give thanks to God who placed the earth on the water. (All) Thanks be to God. Amen. 58. [NO SPEAKING] {horses in road}
59. Praise the LORD! Come, let us sing to the LORD! 60. Let us give a joyous shout to the rock of our salvation! 61. Let us come before God with thanksgiving. (bluebird) 62. Let us sing God psalms of praise. 63. For the LORD is a great God, the great King above all. 64. Even the mightiest mountains are God s. (Swiss Alps) 65. The sea belongs to God, for the Lord made it. 66. God s hands formed the dry land, too. 67. Come, let us worship and bow down. 68. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, 69. For the Lord is our God. (woodpecker) 70. We are the people God watches over, 71. We are the sheep under God s care. (sheep) 72. [NO SPEAKING] (Ibis) 73. Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! 74. Sing to the LORD; bless God s name. 75. Each day proclaim the good news that God saves. 76. Publish God s glorious deeds among the nations. 77. Tell everyone about the amazing things God does. 78. [NO SPEAKING] {Hawk} 79. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! (buffalo) 80. Let the sea and everything in it shout God s praise! 81. Let the fields and their crops burst forth with joy! 82. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise! 83. Let the sea and everything in it shout God s praise! (pelican) 84. Let the earth and all living things join in. 85. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! 86. Let the hills sing out their songs of joy. 87. Enter God s gates with thanksgiving; (anhinga)
88. Go into God s courts with praise. 89. Give thanks to the Lord and bless God s name. 90. For the LORD is good. 91. God s unfailing love continues forever, 92. God s faithfulness continues to each generation. 93. [NO SPEAKING] {Brown Ibis in tree} 94. LORD, the majesty of your name fills the earth! (orca) 95. Your glory is higher than the heavens. 96. When I look at the sky and see the work of your fingers 97. The moon and the stars you have set in place 98. What are mortals that you should think of us? (girl w/flowers in hair) 99. Mere humans that you should care for us? 100. For you made us only a little lower than God, 101. You crowned us with glory and honor. 102. You put us in charge of everything you made, 103. You gave us authority over all things 104. the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, (horses) 105. the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, 106. and everything that swims the ocean currents. 107. LORD, the majesty of your name fills the earth! (dragonfly) 108. [Hymn #77 How Great Thou Art (vs 1, 2, 4) 109. [NO SPEAKING] {hills} 110. The heavens tell of the glory of God. 111. The skies display God s marvelous craftsmanship. 112. Day after day they continue to speak; 113. Night after night they make God known. 114. They speak without a sound or a word; (fungus) 115. Their voice is silent in the skies; 116. Yet their message has gone out to all the earth,
117. [NO SPEAKING] (goslings) 118. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it. 119. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom. 120. It rejoices like an athlete eager to run. (fawn) 121. The sun rises at one end of the heavens 122. The sun follows its course to the other end. 123. The earth is the LORD s, and everything in it. (squirrel) 124. The world and all its people belong to God. 125. For God laid the earth s foundation on the seas 126. The Lord built it on the ocean depths. 127. [NO SPEAKING] {female bluebird} 128. Let the godly sing with joy to the LORD 129. Praise the LORD with melodies on the lyre; 130. Make music for God on the ten-stringed harp. 131. Sing new songs of praise to God; (laughing gull) 132. Play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy. 133. For the word of the LORD holds true, 134. Everything God does is worthy of our trust. 135. The Lord loves whatever is just and good, (cactus blossoms) 136. God s unfailing love fills the earth. 137. [NO SPEAKING] {Mountain} 138. The Lord breathed the word, and all the stars were born. 139. God gave the sea its boundaries (gull) 140. God locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. 141. Let everyone in the world fear the LORD, 142. Let everyone stand in awe of God. (fawn) 143. For when The Lord spoke, the world began! 144. The world appeared at God s command. (finch) 145. The LORD is the one who made heaven and earth (fall leaf)
146. God made the sea, and everything in them. 147. [NO SPEAKING] (purple flower} 148. The LORD will reign forever. Praise the LORD! (dragonfly) 149. God counts the stars. God calls the stars all by name. 150. How great is our Lord! The Lord s power is absolute! 151. God s understanding is beyond comprehension! 152. Sing out your thanks to the LORD; 153. Sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps. (frog) 154. The Lord covers the heavens with clouds, 155. The Lord provides rain for the earth, 156. God makes green grass grow in pastures. 157. God feeds the wild animals, 158. The young ravens cry to The Lord for food. 159. The Lord sends God s orders to the world (dragonfly) 160. How swiftly The Lord s word flies! 161. The Lord sends the snow like white wool; 162. God scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. 163. Then, at The Lord s command, it all melts. 164. God sends the winds, and the ice thaws. 165. Praise the Lord! 166. [PSALM 150- (Special Music)] 167. [NO SPEAKING] {rabbit} 168. Praise the LORD from the heavens! 169. Praise God from the skies! 170. Praise God, all God s angels! (dragonfly) 171. Praise God, all the hosts of heaven! 172. Praise God, all you twinkling stars! 173. Praise God, skies above! 174. Praise God, vapors high above the clouds!
175. Let every created thing give praise to the LORD (turkey) 176. [NO SPEAKING] (Antelope) 177. [NO SPEAKING] (Dragonfly) 178. Praise the LORD from the earth, 179. Praise God you creatures of the ocean depths, 180. Praise God fire and hail, snow and storm, (dragonfly/orange flower) 181. Praise God wind and weather that obey him, 182. Praise God mountains and all hills, 183. Praise God fruit trees and all cedars, 184. Praise God wild animals and all livestock, (buffalo calf) 185. Praise God reptiles and birds, 186. Praise God kings of the earth and all people, 187. Praise God rulers and judges of the earth, 188. Praise God young men and maidens, 189. Praise God old men and children. 190. Let them all praise the name of the LORD. (dragonfly) 191. For The Lord s name is very great; 192. God s glory towers over the earth and heaven! 193. Praise the LORD! (bluebird) 194. Praise the LORD! (bee in flower) 195. Praise God in the Lord s heavenly dwelling; 196. Praise God in the Lord s mighty heaven! 197. Praise The Lord for God s mighty works; 198. Praise God s unequaled greatness! (Buffalo) 199. Praise the Lord with a blast of the trumpet; 200. Praise God with the lyre and harp! 201. Praise The Lord with the tambourine and dancing; (ORCA sequence begins- to end) 202. Praise God with stringed instruments and flutes! 203. Praise The Lord with a clash of cymbals;
204. Praise God with loud clanging cymbals. 205. Let everything that lives sing praises to the LORD! 206. Praise the LORD! 207. God is so very good, all the time. Let s give God thanks in prayer [closing prayer].
Buffalo United Methodist Church serving people for Jesus Christ so that we all may know joy! 609 8 th Street NW Buffalo, MN 55313 763-682-3538 Bill Reinhart, Pastor pastorbill@buffaloumc.com