Study Guide for
Tunes for the Road
What to do in Church - Psalm 100
August 23, 2009
Open Up
Tell your group about going to a place where you did not know what you were supposed to do, for example being someone’s guest at the event of an unfamiliar culture. How did you feel? Did you make any embarrassing mistakes? Why did you attend in the first place? TRANSITION: Have you ever felt out of place at a church because you didn’t know what was expected of you? Psalm 100 does not give details about how to act at any particular church worship service, but it does help us understand more about worship.
Dig In
1) Read Psalm 100. What important qualities of God does this psalm highlight? What qualities of God would you add as reasons we should worship Him? What worship actions does this psalm highlight? What other activities can also be part of worship? TRANSITION: Psalm 100 is only the “tip of the iceberg” for describing reasons why we should worship and ways we should worship.
2) Read John 4:13-24. What religious controversy did the woman mention when Jesus made her uncomfortable? Jesus emphasizes true worship is not about holy places or habits. What are some modern day examples of religious controversies that distract from true worship? BACKGROUND: Jesus had many justifications for avoiding the Samaritan woman: Jews hated Samaritans as religious traitors; she was “living in sin, etc. Jesus spoke with her, but he also spoke the truth to her about her spiritual condition, so she tried to change the subject by bringing up a religious controversy.
3) Read Colossians 3:16-17. Like Psalm 100, these verses describe some activities we usually associate with worship: Bible teaching and music. Verse 17 expands our potential worship horizon to anything we do or say in Jesus’ name. Discuss with your group some of your everyday activities that you do not think of as “religious”, but that you could do in a way that eventually brings praise to Jesus’ name.
Work On
One phrase in the Mountain Walk (the description of how we become better disciples at MCC) describes growing through whole-life worship. From what we have already discussed, your small group time is worship, equally as much as Sunday morning at a particular building. What are some ways your group can highlight the worship aspect of small group time as well as the friendship-with-each-other aspect?
Lift Up
Pick the words of a worship song everyone in your group enjoys, and use them as part of your group prayer time.
Another Step – Advanced Study
Read Psalm 51:15-17. Animal sacrifice was one of the most widespread forms of worship in the ancient world, but what does this psalm emphasize is truly important to God? Discuss with your group how we may make a similar mistake in modern churches with how we approach worship.