By Darren DeMent
Our opening and closing hymns this morning use very different language to describe God and our relationship to God. Consider some of these words and phrases from “How Great Thou Art”:
Great … awesome wonder … rolling thunder … power … mountain grandeur … acclamation … adoration …
Now consider these from “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”:
Sweet … trust … rest … precious … simple … peace … friend … with me …
It is not often that we would use these two seemingly disparate sets of words to describe the same thing, but that is exactly what we have in our worship service this morning. These two hymns work together to serve as a testimony that the God that created the universe and is revealed to us in mighty acts of power is the same God that knows us intimately and is available to comfort us individually. These are not two separate gods, but one who can seem both impossibly big and impossibly personal at the same time.
Both of these things are true. I don’t claim to fully understand how this can be, but I am happy to join together with others who likely don’t fully get it either and proclaim that truth.
And if that doesn’t give you enough to ponder during worship this morning, consider our middle hymn, “The Servant Song,” which serves as a beautiful reminder that the Christian life is never just about us as individuals and God. We don’t do this journey of faith alone, but instead have a responsibility to each other. We are in this together. We walk together, pray together, cry together, serve together, sing together, and laugh together. We do all of it, together.
I’m not sure what brought you to Wilshire this morning. Maybe you’ve come to be reminded of the mighty power of God. Maybe you’ve come to rest in the promise of God’s comfort. Maybe you’ve come because you just need to know that you are not alone. Whatever brought you here this morning, I pray that you can find it as we worship together.