Three cheers!

"Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens..." Psalm 150.1

I have 3 reasons to be excited this morning. First is because, within the hour, I shall be zooming in to join our twin church in Jordan at their weekly Sunday service. Then, later in the day I go on holiday for 12 days: woohoo! But eclipsing everything and, yes, I really mean this: it is the Lord's Day. That is to say that Sunday is the day we set aside to focus on God, our Lord and Saviour: Hallelujah!

It is not that the other 6 days are given over to "life as usual", nor even that God assumes second place for the rest of the week: perish the thought. But, as the weak beings we are, we need regular opportunities to refresh and recalibrate, to remember who and whose we are, to recognise again that things are not what they seem; to celebrate the hope we share and to share the griefs we bear.

It has been said that music in worship is dangerous because it muddies the pure waters of praise with emotionalism. This is unfair because what more often happens is that music refines and focuses the chaos of our everyday lives, purifying our motives and desires. The same can be said of gathering for church on Sunday. The purpose is not to con others - or even ourselves - into thinking we are holier than we really are, it is to channel the often contradictory strands of our messy lives into the fabric of faith which, in the hands of the Master Weaver, is both coherent and beautiful - like the best of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

Praise God!