Psalms 100:1-5: a reflection

1Shout for joy to the LORD, all you lands! 2Serve the LORD with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. 3Know that the LORD, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name. 5For the LORD is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.

This short psalm is a summons to joyful worship. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with singing. And it grounds this joyful worship in who God is and whose we are: Know that the LORD is God; it is he who made us, and we are his, his people, the sheep of his pasture. And it calls us to enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise, for the LORD is good, and his steadfast love endures forever.

Notice the spirit of the worship the psalm summons: gladness, joy, singing, thanksgiving, praise. This is not a grudging or heavy worship, but a joyful one, a shout of gladness, a coming before God with singing and thanksgiving. And it flows from who God is and whose we are: he is God, our maker, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture; he is good, and his steadfast love endures forever. Joyful worship flows from knowing such a God, and belonging to him.

That joyful, thankful worship is what God summons from us, and what he deserves. Our worship can grow heavy, grudging, dutiful, a going through the motions; but the psalm summons a worship full of gladness, joy, singing, and thanksgiving, flowing from who God is and whose we are. Serve the LORD with gladness, the psalm says; come before him with singing and thanksgiving. When you come to worship God, do not come grudgingly or heavily, as a mere duty; come with gladness, joy, and thanksgiving, remembering who God is, your good and faithful maker, and whose you are, his own people, the sheep of his pasture. Let your worship be joyful and thankful, as the psalm summons, flowing from the knowledge of a good God whose steadfast love endures forever, and to whom you belong. Serve the LORD with gladness; enter his presence with thanksgiving and praise, giving him the joyful worship he deserves and summons from his people.

Lord, this short psalm summons me to joyful worship: shout for joy to the LORD; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with singing; and it grounds this in who you are and whose I am: you made me, and I am yours, one of your people, the sheep of your pasture; you are good, and your steadfast love endures forever. Show me the spirit of the worship it summons: gladness, joy, singing, thanksgiving, praise, not a grudging or heavy worship, but a joyful one, flowing from who you are and whose I am. My worship can grow heavy, grudging, dutiful, a going through the motions; but the psalm summons a worship full of gladness, joy, singing, and thanksgiving. When I come to worship you, keep me from coming grudgingly or heavily, as a mere duty; help me come with gladness, joy, and thanksgiving, remembering who you are, my good and faithful maker, and whose I am, your own, the sheep of your pasture. Let my worship be joyful and thankful, as the psalm summons, flowing from the knowledge of a good God whose steadfast love endures forever, and to whom I belong. Help me serve you with gladness, Lord, and enter your presence with thanksgiving and praise, giving you the joyful worship you deserve and summon from your people.