Worship in Exile

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How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? So asks the psalmist in Psalm 137 as the children of Israel found themselves to be exiles in the foreign land of Babylon. Being so far from Zion, the place where God had chosen to place His name, left the psalmist feeling as if there was no way to worship God as He should be worshipped. We find ourselves in a similar position. The apostle Peter refers to this time as the time of the church’s exile (1 Pt 1:17) and to the church itself as aliens and strangers (1 Pt 2:11). Although we long for God’s kingdom to come so we can enjoy His presence and worship Him in purity, we find ourselves in a foreign land seemingly far from God’s kingdom, the place of ideal worship. But even in this foreign land, aliens and strangers though we be, we can still worship God. Our worship certainly won’t appeal to those whose worldview is so opposed to our own; it will make us stand out from our culture. And that’s exactly as it should be, for in that same context, Peter exhorts us to live as obedient children being holy, or set apart, just like the One who called us is holy. Knowing this truth, we sing God’s praise even in this foreign land, and when we do, we express our confidence that the place of pure worship in God’s glorious kingdom presence will indeed come. For His kingdom will come; on that we can depend. And so we wait, and while we wait, we sing! – Pastor Rory Martin

Worldview: Forming Worship

Bible Conference 2021 with Dr. Scott Aniol

  • Fri, 7pm–How Is a Disciple Made?
  • Sat, 9am–What Is the Nature of Religion?
  • Sat, 10:30am–What Is the Nature of Liturgy?
  • Sun, 9am–Worship and Worldview in Scripture and Liturgy
  • Sun, 10am–Psalm 137– Worship in Exile
  • Sun, 6pm–1 Corinthians 14–Decent and Orderly Worship

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