O Father, how beautiful and true is Thy Word in Psalm 149. I, too, desire to join the company of the saints to praise Thy name. It is the highest expression of our God-shaped humanity to be able to raise our hearts and minds towards our Creator and render our Thanksgiving to Thee. I am never more alive than when I am in the act of corporate worship. I bless Your name that You called me out of the wilderness of sin into the Temple of the righteous. Blessed are you, Christ Jesus our Lord, the Mediator of a better Covenant, for Thou in Thy righteousness and judgment through selfless atonement, have purchased my passage from eternal Hell and into the assembly of the saints. I would never have made my way in without Thee. And though the journey continues and the climax of glorification is yet to come, Thy rod and Thy staff guide me and Thy Word assures me that I have passed from death until life. O blessed be Thy name Christ Jesus, for placing us sinners saved by grace in the Church. And now, on this Lords Day, I lift up my praise, even in the early morning, before Thy people have gathered in this little part of Thy earth, to be joined with the voices and the silent prayers of Thy people all over the world today, and with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, to laud and magnify Thy most glorious name. You O Triune God are the Composer of the “new song” that you have placed in our hearts and on our lips. All glory be to Thee Lord Christ. In thy beautiful name that inspires the cardinal and the bluebird to sing and the suckling child to sing and even this piece of clay to sing, and for Thy glory, eternally fanned by the hymning of cherubim and seraphim as well as our dear mothers and fathers in Christ, and for the building up Thy Church, to carry out Thy will, we pray with joy and humility mingled. Amen.
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