I have never been part of a church that ended each service with the same song.

Never.

I would not recommend it.

But, I love that we sing the doxology to end our worship.

I like the way we sing it.  With energy.

It is a hymn addressed not to God but to each other and to the whole world.  Actually, to all creatures.

It is a demonstration of the best thing a human being can do:  Praise God.

One might think that the best thing one could ever do is serve and help someone else by relieving suffering and creating opportunity.

But, the point of all that is to clear anything out of the way that could prevent the worship of God.  God does not want our praise if we ignore the needs of others.

This Sunday at the Gathering Church we will praise God with a Full Voice.

Psalm 103:1-14 will be our guide where we are told to bless God with everything that is in us.

Ellen Davis, a professor at Duke Divinity School says that we need the experience of praising God more than God does.  We need the change it produces in us.

There may be a lot within us that cannot bless God.  Living in this world junks us up pretty badly.  Stress produces reflexes of worry and anxiety, not thankfulness and praise.

Let’s come prepared this Sunday to be thankful.  To give God a full voice as we remember all that God has done for us.

Mark