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Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. For... (Psalm 33:1, 4a)

The opening part of the worship services in many Christian congregations include \u201ca call to worship\u201d. Most often this is a passage of scripture like the beginning of Psalm 33. These verses are like invitations that cannot be declined. They call us to worship God and they give us reasons why we ought to do so.

This is an important component of Christian faith and spirituality. It is true that worship is multi-faceted and singing \u201cjoyfully to the Lord\u201d is only one facet. Yet, this invitation comes to all God\u2019s people, even to those who do not feel like it; maybe, especially to those who do not feel like \u201csinging joyfully to the Lord.\u201d

Jesus tells us that we need to approach God in \u201cspirit and truth\u201d. He says that true worshippers of God come this way (John 4:24). This means we need to acknowledge to him that we are currently finding joy difficult.

That was my reaction when I opened my Bible to Psalm 33 this morning. The feeling of joy is not present. The past couple of days, I have been listening to the deliberations of my denomination\u2019s Synod meeting. They have disturbed me deeply.

As some of you know, I have my doubts that the Christian denomination I am part of will survive her current struggles. This week that doubt has deepened. We live in a culture in which our ears are closed. We don\u2019t hear each other. We live in silos. I had hoped that our Synod would be different. But I don\u2019t think it has been. I might be wrong. But I did not get the impression that the delegates listened to each other in order to weigh the issues at hand. They had made up their minds before they came. I fear that our ruptures have grown.

But Psalm 33 is a balm for the distressed soul. It does not tell us to come and sing joyfully because we feel like it. It tells us to come because \u201cthe word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does\u201d (4).

A significant reason why the church gathers to worship the Lord our God is \u201cto remember.\u201d Life in this world is difficult. We come battered and bruised to our weekly Christian reunions. Often, we batter and bruise each other. Life causes our faith to weaken, our hope to get dented and our love to dim. By the time Sunday dawns, we are all mixed up, scratched, and confused.

Therefore, we gather to remember. We remember who our God is as we recount the things He has done and said. As we remember, our faith is renewed, our hope is varnished, and our love is strengthened.

No one is sure of the context in which Psalm 33 was first composed and sung. Verse 20 suggests that Israel may have been in some difficulty. The psalm was used to renew the hope of His people.

There is value for Christians to sing joyfully before the Lord when they are all alone. Yet, worship is naturally a communal activity. Partying alone is, well, lonely. God uses our communal worship to renew those who are dented and banged up. Worshipping God together ought also to renew fellowship.

Psalm 33 sings of three things about God:\xa0 He is large and in charge, He is everywhere and always here; and He is passionate for those who look to Him in faith.

Through worship we renew our faith that God is able to weave all the circumstances of our lives together to create a wonderful tapestry that accomplishes His purposes. We see this most thoroughly in Jesus\u2019 life. He was able to endure the Cross because of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). In baptism our lives are wrapped up in His destiny. In worship, we remember.

So, people of God, gather together and worship our great God together. Whose knows what he has in store for us.