Thoughts for the Day
Saturday, 26th November 2022: Come!
God Venite Worship Psalm 95
Reading : Verses from Psalm 95
A Call to Worship
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)
Thoughts
Many of us know Psalm 95 as "The Venite", it's opening imperative words in Latin meaning "Come!" or "Come ye!" The first Book of Common Prayer was produced in 1549 and largely written by Thomas Cranmer. In the service 'An Ordre for Mattyns Dayly Through the Yere' the Venite appears at the beginning of the service immediately after the words of the Lord's Prayer and a short response, and before the psalm(s) for the day. Those who are ordained ministers in the Anglican Church are required to say Morning and Evening Prayer daily, and the use of Morning and Evening Prayer was also a part of the "method" promoted by John Wesley in the early history of the Methodist Church.
Perhaps this is why, even as a backslider (with regard to the daily commitment), nevertheless the words of the Venite are engrained in my soul. The words "O come, let us sing to the Lord..." and "Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving", fill me with joy. No matter the troubles of the day, or the concerns of tomorrow, at that moment I have come to praise God!
Tomorrow is the beginning of the new Church Year - Advent Sunday. Let us all commit to worshipping God more regularly.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
may we commit this new Church Year
to being more regular in our worship.
May we turn to You each day
in joyful praise,
putting aside the issues of the day
to be with You,
before re-engaging with fresh energy
and Your help,
to deal with the cares of that day.
Amen.
You might like to listen to Wells Cathedral Choir sing Psalm 95 to traditional Anglican Chant:
or a modern worship song based on Psalm 95:
Or find the texts for contemporary or traditional services for Morning, Evening, and Night, to say on your own service. These services are printed for up to a year ahead - see https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer. As an example here is the contemporary service for tonight - you can change whether you want contemporary or traditional words: