Praise: express warm approval or admiration of
• express one's respect and gratitude toward (a deity), esp. in song : we praise God for past blessings.
Other Words to consider: worship, glorify, honor, exalt, adore, pay tribute to, give thanks to, venerate, reverence; formal laud; archaic: magnify.
--- Awesome, Humble, Authentic, Facade, Simple, Elegant, Alone, Together
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Where does your praise come from...
If and When you praise... HOW DO YOU DO IT
What role does worship play in your life?
Do you praise, or do you perform...and how do you define the difference?
What role does praise have in your relationships... in your relationship with God?
When you are facing the "demons of your days".. how do you get up?
Do you "hang out" with Jesus?
Psalm 150 MSG:
Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise
Hallelujah!
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Few Americans Know Easter's Meaning
A recent study by the Barna Group found that while most Americans say that Easter is a religious holiday, fewer identify Jesus' resurrection as the holiday's meaning. The study found that two-thirds of Americans consider Easter a religious holiday. However, only forty-two percent said that the meaning of Easter was the celebration of Christ's death and return to life. Only one out of fifty adults described Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.
Even some of the religious reasons offered for Easter indicate confusion. Two percent of people identified Easter as a celebration of Jesus' birth. Another two percent said it was about the "rebirth" of Jesus, and one percent said it was a celebration of Jesus' second coming. Secular explanations given for the holiday included a time for family and friends to gather, a spring holiday, or a children's holiday. Thirteen percent of respondents said they didn't know how to describe Easter. Eight percent said the holiday has no meaning for them or that they do not celebrate Easter.
The study also examined whether regular church attendees considered Easter a good time to invite someone to church with them. While most churchgoers said they were open to inviting someone to attend church with them on Easter, only thirty-one percent said they would "definitely invite" someone who does not regularly attend church to attend with them on Easter. One point of note was that churchgoers who identified Jesus' resurrection as the meaning of Easter were no more likely to invite someone to attend church with them than those who identified other reasons for the holiday.
Connection to the Lesson
One of the things this study seems to indicate is that many Americans celebrate Easter without really understanding what it means. For many churches, Easter Sunday is the highest attendance day of the year. Many who do not attend church regularly do attend this one Sunday out of the year. How many of those who pack the pews on Easter really understand the significance of the holiday they are there to celebrate, though?
The exhortations to praise God in Psalm 150 and in Jude 24-25 do not call for empty platitudes. Psalm 150 describes worship that demands a commitment of our entire beings. The praise this psalm calls for is truly a "joyful noise"--trumpets, harps, pipe, and "loud clashing cymbals" among others. We cannot praise God in this way and remain detached observers; praising God involves the emotions of joy and celebration. Psalm 150 calls for praise that is expressed physically, through dance. But it also calls for praise that is rooted in knowledge of all that God is and does. We do not praise a distant God for something we vaguely understand. Psalm 150 calls us to praise God for his "mighty deeds" and "surpassing greatness." It implies we know both God's character and the great things God has done. Jude 24-25 gives us the greatest reason for praise: we praise the one who is able to make us "stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing." Because of Jesus, we can stand in the presence of God unashamed, without blemish, and "with rejoicing." In this season of praise, let us joyfully and noisily praise God. But let us also remember the reason why we worship.
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