The days shorten, autumn is certainly in the air, and we observe yet again how creation and our Creator progress from season to season and year to year. God is beyond our greatest comprehension, but nevertheless we see glimpses of who He is by what He does. In praise of Him and in awe of His goodness we gather each Sunday in worship. Therefore let us, with renewed confidence, worship God.

God calls all of us to worship Him, whoever we are and in whatever state of grace or disgrace we find ourselves. When we do so, we are refreshed, renewed, and restored to a proper relationship with God. We gather in gratitude to God for His continuous and unfailing love of us, asking Him to inspire us to seek to become new beings by His spirit working within us. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.

We are a people who are blessed. We are blessed by one another, by our community, our nation, and the world. Most of all, we are blessed by God, who is the ultimate source of all our blessings. In gratitude to God for all His gifts to us, we gather to sing His praises, to listen for His word, and to seek to go out as renewed beings into the world for whose stewardship God has given us the primary responsibility. Therefore let us with growing confidence worship God.

Over 150 years ago, Charles Dickens wrote a novel called Hard Times. Our times are also hard times, as millions of people all over the country and billions all over the world struggle with many seemingly intractable problems.. We look for solace and comfort in the midst of growing fear and anxiety. Where are we to find any security? It is with that question in mind that we come to church every Sunday, and especially on this Sunday. Looking for an answer, let us, with confidence, worship God.

The dawn of each new day brings a fresh start to all of us, but the dawn of the Sabbath day doubly blesses us with freshness. On this day we gather in God’s name to sing His praises, to hear His word, and to respond to His all-encompassing grace. On no two Sundays are we ever exactly the same, nor do we approach worship in exactly the same way. Nevertheless, God awaits us as we are, seeking to transform us into the best we can be. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.

We gather in praise of a God who gives each of us abilities which we alone possess. We do not fully understand why we were chosen to utilize these gifts, nor can we comprehend exactly how they operate. But we thank God that He enables us to accomplish those things which, by ourselves, we could never do, but which, through Him, we can bring to fruition. In gratitude for all things, let us with confidence worship God!

We gather to worship the God whom we are convinced makes Himself known to us. But how does He do that? Does He do it individually, or collectively, or both? Today we shall consider how God reveals His nature and His will to us by means of history, and we shall ponder what that means. We are forever grateful that God makes Himself known to us at all, when it is not incumbent on Him to do so. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship the God of self-revelation.

Time passes, events occur, we all make decisions. Where is God in this entire uncertain process? We gather in praise of a God whom we are convinced can bring good out of anything that happens: a personal decision gone terribly astray, wars or national or international conflicts in which the outcomes are very much in doubt, a world constantly beset with difficult challenges. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship the God of providential hope.

Once again we gather to worship the God who created us, sustains us, and redeems us. God alone is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving, for He alone make our lives not only possible but also indescribably bountiful. When we feel far from Him, He seeks us out, and draws us closer to Him once again. He is the eternal Love who never lets us go, and thus to Him we express our gratitude. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.

Once again the American people unite to express gratitude for our national independence, and as usual Christians gather for worship on this Lord’s Day which happens to fall on Independence Day. As we do so, we ask God to help us extend freedom to all our people, especially to those who are the most imprisoned by poverty, illness, or social inequality. Therefore with thanksgiving for all the blessings which have come to us as citizens of this nation, let us, with confidence, worship God.

We are a people of privilege, not because of who we are, but because of where and when we live. Of all our privileges, one of the greatest is to be able to gather freely to worship the God who calls us into His presence, and who daily redeems us by His grace. It is to honor Him and to sing His praises that we come together each Sunday. Therefore let us, with Christian confidence, worship God.

In the storm and stress of life, we have a refuge, a place where our spirits can be revived and out hopes renewed. The Sabbath is God’s gift to His people. By it we are given time to reflect and meditate and find refreshment when the world seems too much for us. But these things happen because we become related to the One who created and sustains us, and in Him alone can the Sabbath work its wonders among us. Therefore let us, with Sabbath confidence, worship God.

A very controversial and charismatic man is walking along the highways and lanes of the region of the Galilee. He is convinced that he is sent from God, but the message he conveys is so extraordinary, so revolutionary, that he strongly repels as many people as he strongly attracts. We join him to hear what he has to say, and especially whatever he says about the kingdom of God. Therefore, hearing Jesus, let us also with confidence worship God!

None of us comes to worship each Sunday with exactly the same outlook or hopes or expectations as we felt on any previous Sunday. Worship is always a unique experience in and of itself. In it, God speaks to us, and we speak to God. In this divine-human dialogue, faith is deepened and trust is enlarged. Waiting to hear the voice of Him who leads us here, let us therefore with confidence worship God.

Having endured major civil unrest a week and a half ago, our nation prepares for another important occasion in three days which may prompt even more unrest. We gather in praise of a God who watches over all nations and peoples, asking for the guidance of His spirit among all of us, and especially for our outgoing president and our president- and vice-president elect. Trusting that in all situations God’s will for us is both loving and benevolent, let us, with renewed confidence, worship God.

Lord God, we bow before Thee at the end of a turbulent week in the life of our nation and in our own lives. A special election has resulted in a congressional transfer of power. Half our people are alarmed by that, and the other half are joyful. All of us are concerned by events which occurred the day after that election, which have overshadowed the major changes these events portend. Now we are suddenly a nation afflicted by fear, animosity, and recriminations, and we seem even more incapable of unanimity than before this past week brought the great calamity that confronts us.

The hymn declares, “All beautiful the march of days/ As seasons come and go/ The Hand that shaped the rose hath wrought/ The crystal of the snow.” Snow we won’t see, we trust, but a seasonal change of sorts we are seeing, and a new year as well. Through it all, in all the events of our years and decades, God goes with us each step of the way. On this particular day we join together to go with God. Therefore let us, with the confident hopes and aspirations of another new year, worship God.

The prophet Isaiah told of one who was coming who would bring comfort to a world in agony. He spoke of a future voice in the wilderness who would cry out, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” And so John the Baptist came, and following him Jesus, Ever since, the world has not been the same. We gather together to praise the God who made these things possible. Therefore let us with Advent confidence worship God.