Time of Preparation
Begin by taking inventory of your surroundings. Are things in your vicinity conducive to a time of personal worship? Are there any changes or adjustments (turning off tech, making yourself comfortable) you need to make before you begin?
When you are ready, take some time to sit in silence and prepare your heart for worship. Ask God to clear away any distractions that might keep you from being truly present in this moment.
Commission
In this final movement, we are encouraged and equipped for the work God would have us do.
“I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.”
—Psalm 143:5 (NIV)
One of the most important tasks we are given as the church is one that is (ironically) easy to forget: we are called to remember.
All through both the Old and New Testament the people of God are instructed to remember, especially at crucial points in their history. They’re told to remember God and his saving acts, to remember his deliverance and his goodness. In the book of Deuteronomy alone the command to “remember” occurs 16 times as God’s people are prepared for their journey into the Promised Land. The teaching is clear—as you make your way into God’s future, you must take time to remember his faithfulness in the past. And of course, the parallel story to this is the disciples receiving the Last Supper as they are prepared for a future they could not possibly predict. How did those words of Jesus, “Do this to remember me” strengthen them in the days, months, and years beyond?
As we come to the end of this week, take time to remember the faithfulness of God to you over the course of your life. What faces, names, events, and memories come to mind as you do? Spend some time offering prayers of gratitude as you “consider what his hands have done.” And let those memories strengthen you for the journey ahead.
Meditate on all his works and how they have equipped you for yours.
SONG OF COMMISSION: Remember (lyrics here)