Slices
Prepare
‘Oh, what a mystery – Meekness and majesty; Bow down and worship, For this is your God!’* On this Lord’s day, take time now to worship King Jesus.
*Graham Kendrick, ‘Meekness and Majesty’,
Bible passage
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Saviour.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty –
he is the King of glory.
Explore
After the comforting, personal language of Psalm 23 (the Lord is my Shepherd), Psalm 24 starts with the camera zooming out as far as it can. Everything and everyone are in view as God’s rightful possession.
These two poles (the ‘intimacy’ of Psalm 23 and the ‘majesty’ of Psalm 24) must be held together in our walk with God. Neither must dominate. Too intimate a view could rob us of a sense of God’s all-encompassing power; too much focus on ‘out-there’ majesty could deny us a sense of God’s personal concern and care.
But today, majesty on a sheer grandiose scale is in view. God is all in all, the rightful owner of everything. ‘Our’ bodies, ‘our’ families, ‘our’ countries, ‘our’ workplaces, ‘our’ possessions are not ‘ours’ at all, but all are rightfully his.
There is, however, a twist in the tale. The victorious King of everything is not yet at home everywhere. Amazingly God’s procession to inhabit all that he owns awaits our decision to open the doors (vs 7,9) and welcome him (see Revelation 3:20). That’s quite a responsibility!
Respond
Think through this list: your body; your home; your neighbours; your workplace; and your nation. How welcome is God in each? What might you be able to do to open a door for God in one or more of these areas?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 17,18; Matthew 24
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks for the first camp with deaf children, organised by SU South Africa and led by Phumi, staff worker with deaf children and young people. Pray for the growth and success of this ministry.
