Joyful Worship: Celebrating Life's Milestones with Gratitude

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Psalm 100:4** - "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."
2. **2 Samuel 6:12-16** - "Then King David was told, 'The Lord has blessed Obed-Edom’s household and everything he has because of the ark of God.' So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart."

#### Observation Questions
1. What are the key elements of worship mentioned in Psalm 100:4?
2. How did King David express his joy and gratitude to God in 2 Samuel 6:12-16?
3. According to the sermon, what is the difference between joy and happiness? [35:33]
4. How did the congregation celebrate the achievements of the graduates during the service? [15:30]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think King David's wife, Michal, was embarrassed by his joyful worship? What does this tell us about societal expectations versus personal expressions of faith? [29:54]
2. How can the joy described in Psalm 100:4 be integrated into our daily lives and worship practices?
3. The sermon mentioned that joy comes from knowing God is with us, even in difficult times. How can this understanding change our perspective during challenging situations? [35:33]
4. What does the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem teach us about the nature of true worship? [28:04]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent milestone in your life. How did you celebrate it, and did you take time to thank God for it? How can you incorporate gratitude into future celebrations? [15:30]
2. Think about your typical worship experience. Do you find it joyful and fun? If not, what changes can you make to bring more joy into your worship? [24:48]
3. Have you ever felt embarrassed to express your faith openly, like Michal felt about David? What steps can you take to worship God more freely, regardless of others' opinions? [29:54]
4. Joy and happiness are not the same. Identify a difficult situation you are currently facing. How can you find joy in knowing that God is with you through this challenge? [35:33]
5. When was the last time you participated in communion with a joyful heart? How can you prepare yourself to approach the communion table with joy and gratitude in the future? [39:40]
6. The sermon emphasized the importance of our expressions and attitudes reflecting our faith. What specific actions can you take this week to ensure your joy is evident to those around you? [54:55]
7. How can you make your daily activities an act of worship, similar to how King David integrated worship into his life? What practical steps can you take to connect with God throughout your day? [26:22]

Day 1: Celebrate Milestones with Gratitude
Celebrating milestones is an important practice that helps us recognize the hard work and dedication that have brought us to significant moments in our lives. Graduation Sunday is a perfect example of this, as it honors achievements from kindergarten to college, and even those who have completed a Financial Peace class. These milestones are not just personal victories but are also opportunities to acknowledge God's blessings and guidance in our lives. By celebrating these moments with gratitude, we not only honor the achievements but also recognize the divine support that has helped us reach these milestones. [15:30]

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent milestone in your life. How can you celebrate this achievement with gratitude and acknowledge God's role in it?


Day 2: Worship is More Than Rituals
Worship extends beyond the music and rituals performed in church; it encompasses the entirety of our relationship with God. King David's Psalms, especially Psalm 100, remind us to enter God's presence with thanksgiving and praise. Worship should be a joyful expression of our gratitude and love for God, permeating every aspect of our lives. This means that worship is not confined to a specific place or time but is a continuous act of connecting with God in our daily activities. By understanding worship in this broader sense, we can bring joy and gratitude into every moment of our lives. [24:48]

"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." (Hebrews 13:15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate worship into your daily routine beyond the church setting? What are some specific ways you can express gratitude to God throughout your day?


Day 3: Joyful Worship Like King David
King David's example in 2 Samuel 6 teaches us that worship should be filled with joy and celebration. Despite his wife Michal's embarrassment, David danced and celebrated with all his might as he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. This story encourages us to worship God with a joyful heart, regardless of what others think. David's uninhibited worship shows that true worship is about focusing on God and expressing our love and gratitude to Him, no matter the circumstances or opinions of others. This kind of joyful worship can transform our relationship with God and inspire those around us. [28:04]

"And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod." (2 Samuel 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: Think about a time when you held back in worship because of what others might think. How can you overcome this and worship God with a joyful and uninhibited heart?


Day 4: Joy vs. Happiness
Joy and happiness are not the same. Joy comes from knowing that God is with us, even in difficult times. It's about giving God all that we have, whether it's a lot or a little, and trusting Him to multiply it. Worship is about choosing to be joyful, even when life is hard. This perspective helps us maintain a positive outlook and trust in God's provision. By focusing on joy rather than happiness, we can find peace and contentment in God's presence, regardless of our circumstances. This deeper understanding of joy can sustain us through life's challenges and help us remain faithful. [32:07]

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." (James 1:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a challenging situation you are currently facing. How can you choose joy in this situation, trusting that God is with you and will provide for you?


Day 5: Communion as a Joyful Celebration
As we come to the communion table, we should bring our joy and gratitude to God. Pentecost Sunday reminds us of the Holy Spirit's presence, ensuring that we are never alone. By confessing our sins and receiving God's forgiveness, we partake in communion with joyful hearts, celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit and the unity it brings to the church. Communion is not just a ritual but a joyful celebration of our relationship with God and the community of believers. This perspective can deepen our experience of communion and help us appreciate the significance of this sacred practice. [39:40]

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42, ESV)

Reflection: As you prepare for the next communion service, how can you bring a sense of joy and gratitude to this sacred practice? What steps can you take to ensure that your heart is ready to receive God's forgiveness and celebrate the unity of the church?

Amen.

Well, friends, today is graduation Sunday for us. Who's excited about graduating? Some of you, like, you're remembering graduating. Others, you have people graduating. Whatever the reasons that this is an exciting season for you, I am happy for you.

We want to celebrate that within the life of our church, though, because seasons of change are... the... the... the... seasons of change are things to be thankful for and things to bless. Amen?

All right, so we want to recognize some groups that have things to be excited and thankful for. The first, though, is that we just graduated our Financial Peace class this week. I know, right? So we had three families go through Financial Peace: Emily and Dylan Carey, Randall and Leslie Rickabaugh, and Howard and Nicole Rieger. And these three groups, friends, they paid off $10,000 worth of debt. I know, right?

If anybody would like to be like this group, we will do another Financial Peace class. You can let us know. And I also wanted to say that this was a free class because we had a donor give the money for us to be able to offer Financial Peace for free for this entire year for our congregation. So if this is interesting to you, you can reach out to me or Chris, who is just up here playing guitar. He is the leader of those classes for us.

So I'd now like to recognize all of, if we have any of our children in the room who are graduating from BPK or kindergarten, if you're here, you're welcome. You can just wave wherever you are. If you have any of our kindergarten or BPK graduates, congratulations! And those who are watching online.

And we also have, I know, aren't they so cute? Some of them aren't here. We do have some sickness going around in our families. So if you see them in the next couple of weeks, please tell them congratulations.

We also have some in our congregation that are graduating from elementary school, which is a big deal. All you parents that are getting rising middle schoolers, we are praying for you. Okay? Yes, that is exciting, isn't it?

And we have high school graduation. Congratulations! If y'all are here, you're welcome. I know you probably don't like to be in this spot, but you can wave if you would like. And we have our college graduates. Now, many of these are not here because they graduated from elsewhere, but I do know one for sure is here.

All right. Aren't we proud of all of our graduates? If we missed your graduate, I'm sorry. We only could put the names that we were given. So we would love to celebrate them later. If you would like me to, we'll put the... I'm going to, would like to celebrate all these in my article this week to continue to celebrate. So if we missed somebody, please tell me and I will put them all in one big list as I ask God to continue to bless.

But let's pray for all of those that have these big transitions in life. Would you join me as we pray?

Almighty God, every stage of life that is a transition stage. Whether it be as parents, we see our children going through transition into and out of kindergarten, into middle school, out of high school, out of college. Whatever these transitions are, they are big.

Lord, if we are making our own transitions like the Financial Peace class and learning new things about your views of how we handle our money and blessings on that, these are big steps. So we ask in this day, God, that you bless all the work these persons have done, whether it be the students themselves or the family that supports them.

And you just set them forward into a path that is going to allow them not only to do wonderful and exciting things as the persons you created them to be, but also that you will allow them to live into a deeper understanding of you each day of their lives.

We ask, Lord, as we prepare to go look at this book and learn more about you today, that you guide us and speak to us through your word. And help us to continue to worship fully in this time and this service. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

All right, so our preteens will be in worship with us today. And so our elementary friends, if you would like to join Miss Katie, you can go ahead and head towards the back. Y'all have fun.

Next week I'm going to make y'all stand up during that. Yes. Yes. Yes. Because you're going to stand up anyway. Come on. Let's stand up so we can sing them again. And you're going to have to sing with a lot of gusto.

All right. Now, I hope y'all know this song called "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart." Do y'all know this? All right. Awesome. Awesome. Because Brian's going to give us the beat. You ready?

Right, y'all. And sit. Y'all are just lucky I got this boot on and I'm not up here like actually doing an oompa-loompa dance or something.

All right. Well, we watched the new Wonka movie last night. Has anyone seen the new one? That's about him like, yeah, and he meets an oompa-loompa and he's doing this like... he was cute. I just gotta say, I thought it was good.

Anyway, I digress. So, we are continuing our make it fun and I just gotta say, I can't see y'all's faces. So, I hope when you said "I'm so happy," you actually smiled. If you're saying "I'm so happy" and you didn't smile, we need to have a conversation later, okay?

So, just to recap, last week we started with this scripture from Ecclesiastes. Chapter 8, which said this: "I recommend having fun because there is nothing better for the people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way, we will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun."

So, what did God recommend? Y'all can do better than that. What did God recommend?

There we go. Now, I want you to just think for a moment. If you were to describe our church and worship to someone who has never been to our church, maybe any church, if you were to describe worship to somebody, think in your head, how would you describe worship?

See, that's our focus today: joy and worship. Would you talk about music? I'll tell you one thing. I always do is talk about how we dress. I always say that because there are some people who still have this picture that you have to wear a suit and tie to church. And there are some churches that are that way, but I make a point that that's not who we are.

I also make a point that it's completely okay if you come to our church late. I love y'all, but being on time is not something we're known for, okay? That's just okay. That's just who we are. I tell people that it's okay if you come late. Some of you, I don't take offense, but you don't come till my sermon's over. I don't, I'm hoping that's not intentional, but I try not to think on that one too much.

But you come, and I think God doesn't... God does not care that we're late when we show up. Amen?

But do you ever use the word that worship is joyful and fun when you describe it to people? See, I don't know how many times I've said this in the two years I've been here. If we had some... if we had some... if we had some... if we had some... if we had some... like technology way to analyze everything I've ever said, I think that I have said a lot that church should be fun.

I mean, we do events like Candypalooza and our VBS themes and all these other stuff because we want people to enjoy being here. And we only do Candypalooza, the whole worship team dresses up, right? We don't just say the kids get to dress up, but the adults get to dress up too because we enjoy those things.

But there's also this reality that learning through fun is a real thing. If the study I mentioned last week, if you wanted to look at it, it's all about the research they've done about how people learn effectively through fun. But I think we worship effectively when we do it in lighthearted, fun ways.

King David wrote most of the book of Psalms, and he speaks a lot about having a joyful heart. Psalm 100. I love this Psalm. It's short and simple, but to me, very, very powerful. And he's talking about worship here when he says this in verse four: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, go into his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name."

See, when I imagine David writing this Psalm, I imagine him singing and dancing. He was a musician and just being lighthearted. And I imagine him singing and dancing as he did things. Well, I get this picture of David because we are told that that's how he worshiped.

See, there's a story in the book of 2 Samuel where King David finally realized that it was time to bring the ark of the Lord into the capital. So he puts on a big parade to bring the ark of God back. And I want to read this story to you. It's from 2 Samuel chapter six. We're going to pick up in verse 12.

Then King David was told, "The Lord has blessed Obed-Edom's household and everything he had because of the ark of God." So David went there and brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with a great celebration. After the men who were carrying the ark of God had gone six steps, David sacrificed for the Lord with all his might. Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts of praise.

Now picture that for a second. David is wearing the priestly garments. He is looking as holy as a man can be. And he's dancing with joy and shouting as the ark of God comes to the city. But as the ark of the Lord entered the city of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. This is David's wife, by the way.

Michal saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord. She was filled with contempt for him. So David, so excited that the ark has finally come to the capital, is dancing, and his wife is watching, embarrassed. I'm sure some of you have been embarrassed of your family before, right?

Ask which child said that. We'll just move on. So David's wife is looking down thinking David should act as a king should act. He should be respected and he should be holding himself upright and serious. He should be commanded. He should be holding himself as kings do, not leaping and dancing. She was embarrassed that her husband, the king, was acting this way.

Now David, on the other hand, he didn't care who was watching him praise God. He didn't care that he was in front of all of his subjects. He just wanted to worship, and he worshiped in the joy of his heart. And this is why we get such wonderful psalms out of David because he wrote out of the joy of his heart.

We also get his sorrows and all these other things from him in the book of Psalms. But throughout scripture, Paul calls his people to have joyful hearts. But we get the flip side of that. You see, we see things like God calling people to fast, and fasts always end with feasts.

Anyone like a good feast? I do. I love a nice big old party with a table full of food. But the fast never ended without a feast. The seriousness of preparing your heart and your mind and your soul and all of the things of repentance always ended with the celebration.

When he calls his people to give to him worship and their tithing and all of their time, he always asked it to be done with a joyful heart. He never wanted things to be done out of obligation or out of manipulation. He wanted everything to be done out of joy.

It makes me kind of wonder, I made that comment about, you know, were you smiling as you sang "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy," and "I'm So Happy." When we're in church, what does our faith say?

When I was at a previous church, they had this lady come in to coach our whole pastor team. And she reminded us as pastors, we were in a traditional chancel and we all had to say, "I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy."

And listen to our lead pastor, my boss, listen to him preach. And she coached all of us that while we listened to him, we needed to be aware of our face. She said, "You know, smile while you listen because you look like you're mad to all of us, right?"

The resting face that most of us hold is not our fault. Our thinking face, y'all know what I'm saying? Our thinking face is usually not happy. We're contemplating. I don't blame you for it. But sometimes I'm happy that I can't see your faces from up here. I'm just being honest.

Like sometimes I can see your heads, but I can't see your expressions. And sometimes that's a good thing. Because if I could see your faces, I may not be very encouraged as I preach. Because sometimes our resting faces need a little smile on them.

When we were in Girl Scout season and we were teaching our girls how to sell cookies. Now many people know that, you know, that I'm a Girl Scout leader. And one of the things you may not know is the reason we teach Girl Scouts to sell cookies is we're teaching them how to be future entrepreneurs, how to be successful in life. It's not just about fundraising. We're trying to teach them skills that will help them in life.

And so we're trying to explain to the girls you have to smile as you talk to people. Don't just say, "Do you want cookies?" Say, "Hello, would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?" And I said, "It makes a difference."

And then I told them this story about how when I worked for Marriott in college, Marriott trained us to smile on the telephone. It's true. Did you know that it changes your voice? You sound friendlier. And the people on the other end of the phone are happier when you smile when you talk to them.

You see, friends, we don't always have to smile. We always realize that we need to change our face. When we pray, when we worship, when we do all these things, other people may not realize that we're contemplating, but we don't look like we're contemplating. We look like we're in church and we're mad.

You see, we need to be like David. David embraced the joy within and didn't care who saw. David did everything with the mercy of his heart. And when we worship and when we serve and when we do all these things, we want to be joyful witnesses for what it means to be a Christian. Amen.

Now, I want to explain one thing. Joy and happiness are not the same thing. I can be joyful even when life is not going well. I can be joyful even when I haven't gotten everything I want. I can be joyful even when I am going through the testing and fires of life because joy and happiness don't equal each other.

Joy comes from knowing that God is walking through the hardship with me. Joy is knowing that I'm giving God all that I have. And today, all that I have may be a lot or it may be a little, but I can choose to be positive on the little that I have and say, "God, take my little and multiply it because I know you can."

Worship is about taking the little and choosing to make it joyful. There's something that I love more than anything. There's something that I get to get that phrase out right. There's something that I love more than anything. There we go. That's the right word.

And that is watching our littles at Vacation Bible School worship. If you don't do anything right, you're... it's worth it. I hope if you have the time, you come and volunteer with us because, I mean, VBS to me is one of the most uplifting things to watch these kids do all the stuff they do and play their games. And they're just so excited about everything.

But what we do, the worship night on Friday night, and these littles are just so excited as they sing and they dance. And there's just so much joy. They're not thinking about anybody else. They're not thinking about who's watching.

Today, my question to you is, have you thought about the last time you just let loose in your praises to God and your prayers to God and to your service to God? As we come to the communion table, I'm curious about the last time that you came to communion that way too.

You know, we think about communion so many different ways, but this table is such a joy-filled place. It's Pentecost Sunday. For some of you, that doesn't mean anything, but Pentecost Sunday is rooted all the way back to Jewish tradition. And it was... it's a holiday for the Jewish faith and the Christian faith. It's the day that we call the church's birthday because it's the day the Holy Spirit came down to all of us.

And so, if we don't have anything else to be joyful about today, this is the day we remember that after Jesus left us, he sent the Spirit down so that we would never be alone. So no matter what's going on in life, we always have God walking with us. Amen.

As we reflect on these words of confession, I want you to reflect on what God's going to do for us. And I want you to think of something you can thank him for as you prepare to come to the table. Would you share these words of confession with me?

We have been called to be followers of Christ, friends. And so by his commandment, we're going to love one another as he has loved us. I hope so. Would you confess your sins with me so that we may be prepared to come to his table?

Loving God, we have not loved you or each other with our whole hearts. Forgive us, we pray, and lead us towards wholeness that we may be filled with your joy. Forgive us and abide in us by the power of your Spirit that our lives may show our love for Jesus Christ.

As Christ sat with his friends, he took the bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body, which is broken for you. Eat in remembrance of me." And he took the cup and he said, "This is the blood of the new covenant spread for the people of all time, all places, all languages. Drink just as you eat in remembrance of me."

Take a moment now, lift anything in your hearts you need to lift to God to confess and think of something you can praise him for this morning too.

Almighty God, hear the confessions of our hearts and we praise you for the things that you give us in our life so that we may join together on this day. Thank you for sending your Spirit to us, for filling us, for guiding us to you, for redeeming us for our sins and giving us your power to not only do the things you ask us to do, but to help share the love and joy of Jesus with others.

We ask, Lord, that you send your Spirit upon this bread and this juice and may it be transformed to your body and blood of Christ and that we may be your body walking within the world redeemed by your blood. We pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Friends, as the body of Christ here on the day, the birth of the church, hear these words and share them with me. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.

As my communion helpers come forward, just a word of instruction. We will give you a small piece of bread to dip into the cup. If you like your communion to be prepackaged or gluten-free, you'll find that here in the center and we will invite you all forward in just a moment.

We're all invited to come. We'll start in the back and come up to the center.

Okay, I'm getting here. I hope this week as you go about your week, you'll think about smiling and think about what big and little things you can be thankful for.

We think about worship as what we do in this room, but if you spend time in the psalms... I try to make a point to read a psalm every day, you'll realize more and more as you read them that this is just the smallest piece of worship.

Worship is the ins and outs of our relationship with God. And when we connect all of that together, there's so much more to deepen the ups and the downs of life and to worship through them.

So if you want to talk more about that, I'd love to have more conversation with you. But hear this blessing as you leave today: Almighty God, send us from this space seeing you in life, seeing you in the good moments and in the hard moments.

Help us to always remember that our reactions and our appearance represent to the world if we do have joy with it. So help us carry that with us not only today but throughout our week and bringing us back together next week.

We pray this to your glory and honor. Amen.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Today, my question to you is, have you thought about the last time you just let loose and your praises to God and your prayers to God and to your service to God? As we come to the communion table, I'm curious the last time that you came to communion that way too. You know, um, we think about communion so many different ways, but this table is such a joy filled place. Um, it's Pentecost Sunday. For some of you, that doesn't mean anything, but Pentecost Sunday is rooted all the way back to Jewish tradition. And, um, it was, it's a holiday for the Jewish faith and the Christian faith. It's the day that the church, we call it our birthday because it's the day the Holy Spirit came down to all of us. And so, um, if we don't have anything else to be joyful about today, this is the day we remember that after Jesus left us, he sent the spirit down so that we would never be alone. So no matter what's going on in life, we always have God walking with us. Amen." [39:40](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "I hope this week as you go about your week you'll think about smiling and think about what big and little things you can be thankful for. We think about worship as what we do in this room but if you spend time in the psalms I try to make a point to read a psalm every day you'll realize more and more as you read them that this is just the smallest piece of worship. Worship is the ins and outs of our relationship with God and when we connect all of that together there's so much more to deepen the ups and the downs of life." [54:23](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "Now, I want to explain one thing. Joy and happiness are not the same thing. I can be joyful even when life is not going well. I can be joyful even when I haven't gotten everything I want. I can be joyful even when I am going through the testing and fires of life because joy and happiness don't equal each other. Joy comes from knowing that God is walking through the hardship with me. Joy is knowing that I'm giving God all that I have. And today, all that I have may be a lot or it may be a little, but I can choose to be positive on the little that I have and say, God, take my little. And multiply it because I know you can. Worship is about taking the little and choosing to make it joyful." [37:48](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "When we were in Girl Scout season and we were teaching our girls how to sell cookies. Now many people know that, you know, that I'm a Girl Scout leader. And one of the things you may not know is the reason we teach Girl Scouts to sell cookies is we're teaching them how to be future entrepreneurs. How to be successful in life. It's not just about fundraising. We're trying to teach them skills that will help them in life. And so we're trying to explain to the girls you have to smile as you talk to people. Don't just say, do you want cookies? Say, hello, would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookie? And I said, it makes a difference. And then I told them this story about how when I worked for Marriott in college, Marriott trained us to smile on the telephone. It's true. Did you know that it changes your voice? You sound friendlier. And the people on the other end of the phone are happier when you smile when you talk to them." [35:33](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "I recommend having fun because there is nothing better for the people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way, we will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun. So, what did God recommend? Y'all can do better than that. What did God recommend? There we go. Now, I want you to just think for a moment. If you were to describe our church and worship, someone who has not ever been to our church, maybe any church, if you were to describe worship to somebody, think in your head, how would you describe worship?" [24:48](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



### Quotes for Members

1. "We think about worship as what we do in this room but if you spend time in the psalms I try to make a point to read a psalm every day you'll realize more and more as you read them that this is just the smallest piece of worship. Worship is the ins and outs of our relationship with God and when we connect all of that together there's so much more to deepen the ups and the downs of life." [54:23](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "David, on the other hand, he didn't care who was watching him praise God. He didn't care that he was in front of all of his subjects. He just wanted to worship and he worshiped in the joy of his heart. And this is why we get such wonderful psalms out of David because he wrote out of the joy of his heart. We also get his sorrows and all these other things from him in the book of Psalms. But throughout scripture, Paul calls his people to have joyful hearts. But we get the flip side of that. You see, we see things like God calling people to fast and fasts always end with feasts. Anyone like a good feast? I do. love a nice big old party with a table full of food. But the fast never ended without a feast. The seriousness of preparing your heart and your mind and your soul and all of the things of repentance always ended with the celebration. When he calls his people to give to him worship and their tithing and all of their time, he always asked it to be done with a joyful heart. He never wanted things to be done out of obligation or out of manipulation. He wanted everything to be done out of joy." [32:07](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "King David wrote most of the book of Psalms. And he speaks a lot about having a joyful heart. Psalm 100. I love this Psalm. It's short and simple, but to me, very, very powerful. And he's talking about worship here when he says this in verse four, enter his gates with thanksgiving, go into his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. See, when I imagine David writing this Psalm, I imagine him singing and dancing. He was a musician and just being lighthearted. And I imagine him singing and dancing. And he was a as he did things. Well, I get this picture of David because we are told that that's how he worshiped." [28:04](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "Today, my question to you is, have you thought about the last time you just let loose and your praises to God and your prayers to God and to your service to God? As we come to the communion table, I'm curious the last time that you came to communion that way too. You know, um, we think about communion so many different ways, but this table is such a joy filled place. Um, it's Pentecost Sunday. For some of you, that doesn't mean anything, but Pentecost Sunday is rooted all the way back to Jewish tradition. And, um, it was, it's a holiday for the Jewish faith and the Christian faith. It's the day that the church, we call it our birthday because it's the day the Holy Spirit came down to all of us. And so, um, if we don't have anything else to be joyful about today, this is the day we remember that after Jesus left us, he sent the spirit down so that we would never be alone. So no matter what's going on in life, we always have God walking with us. Amen." [39:40](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "I hope this week as you go about your week you'll think about smiling and think about what big and little things you can be thankful for. We think about worship as what we do in this room but if you spend time in the psalms I try to make a point to read a psalm every day you'll realize more and more as you read them that this is just the smallest piece of worship. Worship is the ins and outs of our relationship with God and when we connect all of that together there's so much more to deepen the ups and the downs of life." [54:23](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)