Psalm 43 (ESV)

¹ Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
²For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?

³ Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
⁴Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

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I believe that God made humanity in his own image. In need of nothing, God created human beings for the splendor and revelation of his own glory. He intended for them to glorify Him by means of their image as well as their actions. God fashioned them as the works of his hands and gave them physical bodies, formed from the dust of the earth. He made them living beings by breathing life into their bodies. He created them male and female and declared them to be good. God created humanity to live forever without pain or suffering.

I believe that God created the first human beings perfect by nature from the very beginning. He gave them a will and the freedom to exercise it in order to make moral decisions. By virtue of their holiness and righteousness, human beings made choices that were perfectly aligned with the will of God. They worshipped God alone and honored his name.They loved one another and put aside their own desires in order to express it. In this way, God brought divine command and natural law into unity with humanity’s creation. Every person had the ability and desire to do what God commanded.

I believe that God made human beings for relationship. Humanity received this trait from God, who exists in a perfect union of triune community. As a result, men and women reflect the image of God through loving relationships. Since God created human beings, they can only find the basis for their humanity in a right relationship with Him. Natural human beings experienced unbroken and unmediated relationship with the Creator based on perfect obedience to his will. Human beings were also made for relationship with one another. Woman was created for man out of the need to complete the fullness of humanity. They were bound together in marriage by a perfect union of love devoid of abuse or unfaithfulness. Additionally, humanity lived in perfect community. They lived among each other without hatred, malice, lust, and covetousness. They selflessly took care of each other’s needs in a spirit of generosity.

I believe that God made humanity for the earth and the earth for humanity. God blessed human beings with the ability to bear children and called them to be fruitful by filling the earth with more of their existence. He gave the other living creatures of the earth the same calling, and thus he connected our existence to the existence of the world. God established human beings as stewards over the earth from which they were created. As governors, they ruled it with wisdom, love, and justice according to the will of God. As caretakers, they worked the ground in joy and fruitfulness. God consecrated the seventh day of the week as a holy day of rest to commemorate his work in creation. Therefore, humanity enjoyed a divinely-inspired rhythm to life by working six days and resting on the seventh. In doing so, they honored God by remembering all that he had done, celebrating his work, and representing his rest on earth.

I believe that God gave humanity a glory that is unmatched in all of the created order. Human beings are the only creatures to be endowed with the image of the Creator. As image bearers, God made them representatives of His kingdom on earth. As the pinnacle of his perfect creation, humanity made God known through their flawless decisions and actions. Their stewardship of the earth was a mirror image of the care and concern that God has for his people. Humanity was given a day of rest as an expression of God’s desire for intimate communion with them. God’s glory was manifest with clarity and beauty through the creation of humanity. All of these things were God’s desire for man from the beginning.

And for my pumpkin carving enthusiasts…

I have been wrestling with a particular question over the past few weeks. It pertains to the Sunday worship services though it could be applied to any type of similar service. A few years ago, I listened to a podcast by the 9 Marks pastors in which they described a process of evaluation that they apply to their Sunday services on a regular basis. They recall and discuss the good and the bad elements of the service in an effort to improve their time together. At the time, I loved the idea of the elders getting together regularly to evaluate the services. It shows that they care about what happens on Sunday mornings or, more broadly, any time the body of Christ gathers together. However, I have begun to rethink this practice more recently. Though I am certainly not opposed to constructive criticism, I wonder if regular evaluations can lead to a performance based view of worship gatherings. I am sure that it can be done well with care toward that concern. But I wonder, at what point do we become more focused on the delivery/style of the sermon, tempo and energy of the music, and the aesthetics of the meeting space instead of simply being thankful for our ability to gather together as one body to hear the word preached, to lift up one voice in worship, and to partake of the sacraments as one body?

Again, I know that the two things do not have to be mutually exclusive. I do think some type of evaluation is helpful from time to time. But I’m also trying to think about the wisest practices for the body of Christ and its leaders. So…more on that from me later. For now, let’s get the conversation started.

Do you think churches should have regular evaluations of the worship gatherings? Why or why not?

Psalm 25 (ESV)

¹To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ²O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
³Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

⁴ Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
⁵Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

⁶Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
⁷Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

⁸ Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
¹²Who is the man who fears the LORD?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
¹⁴ The friendship^[b] of the LORD is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.

²² Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.

Psalm 23 (ESV)

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

(HT: Justin Taylor)