SING AND SHOUT!
- Key Verse
- When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all of the wonderful miracles they had seen. "Blessings on the King Who comes in the name of The Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" (Luke 19: 37-38, NLT)
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Central Truth
Make a joyful noise and praise Him because we were made for worship!
Reflections
I am exhilarated by congregational worship, singing, and praise for God. I love the sound of boisterous and energetic music which comes from the hearts of believers, singers and musicians; the choruses permeating the atmosphere and wending their way to heavenly places. Being a member of The Trinity Choir is a great blessing for me!
This past Sunday we celebrated the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The end of Holy Week will be a solemn time for us, but we begin the week remembering a festive procession of people singing and dancing, waving and shouting to Jesus. The happy throng immediately begins their celebration as soon as they get a glimpse of Jesus making His way down the Mount of Olives. Before He is even in their midst, the rejoicing crowd is giving thanks and singing of the miracles that they have witnessed.
Now I have Jesus with me constantly and yet I am not always inclined to cheerfulness, gratefulness, and celebration. There are evenings when I arrive at choir rehearsal and I don’t feel like singing or giving praise. I look around at my fellow choir members and recall some of their struggles and stresses too. But like the lively worshipers in Luke 19, we begin to worship and give thanks. We pay tribute to Jesus in one unanimous voice and the beautiful sound echoes all around us. My spirit is lifted and thanksgiving reigns when our songs recall The Savior and His goodness. There is something so inspiring and stirring when the experience of knowing Jesus is all that is sufficient to bind us together, and in one voice to praise Him!
Verse 37 says that the miracles of Jesus were recounted by the lively group of revelers. In verse 38 we see that, even though they had been eye witnesses of Jesus’ mighty works, they praised Jesus Himself saying “Blessed be the King.” At Jesus' birth the angels sang “Peace on Earth” and now the people sing “Peace in Heaven," as a song going up from a grateful earth. It must have been an awesome event!
Discussion Questions
1. What are some of the ways that you begin to praise and worship when you just don't feel like it?2. Recite or sing some of your favorite songs or psalms that extol the Savior.
3. What do you think Jesus thought of this raucous procession knowing what was about to come?
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