Corporate Worship

Corporate Worship
Words of Faith 11-16-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 15
[19] When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. [20] Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. [21] Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea."

Moses was the very first worship leader. That is a pretty good endorsement of how vital corporate or gathered worship is. "Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord…" (15:1)
Then Miriam, the sister of Moses, joined in to lead the worship on this exceedingly joyous day. Miriam led the women as they danced with tambourines and sang a joyful reply to Moses' song of God's triumph over the Egyptians.
Miriam is called a "prophetess" here. The Hebrew word 'Naba' means one who speaks or sings with inspiration. The word does not imply so much the "foretelling" of events as the "forth-telling" of God's Word and truth for God's people. The word also means to "encourage" or "exhort." In this case, the worship leader encouraged or exhorted worship.
The involvement of Miriam is somewhat historic. She is the first woman in the Bible to be called a prophetess. The Prophet Micah suggests that Miriam, along with Moses and Aaron, were the key leadership team in Israel's wilderness wanderings (Micah 6:4). At the time of the Exodus, Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron was 83 (Ex. 7:7). So, Miriam was probably in her 90s since she was a young girl when Moses was born (2:4, 7-9). You are never too old to lead worship!
The point here is that corporate worship by God's people was born on the banks of the Red Sea. It was an incredible scene. Chariot wheels and leather armor were still washing up on shore as the Israelites contemplated what God had just done for them.
In that stunning moment, Moses strolled among the people singing and leading with passionate exuberance. Miriam joined in leading the dance portion and another song with tambourines. Reflecting on the breadth of expression and participation in this corporate worship gathering is remarkable.
Corporate or gathered worship is a highly varied expression of word, song, and motion lifted by people of various ages. The task in our modern corporate worship is not to imitate ancient worship but to recognize that there are varied expressions among God's people using the instruments at hand. Worship developed as the Lord instructed the people of God in the desert, but the foundations are here.
How is your corporate worship life? Biblical worship springs from the heart of the believer who is struck by the joy and wonder of God. It proclaims the victory of God in the past and in the future. It focuses on God alone while looking with hope toward the future. It involves a variety of leaders and participants and expressions. How is that working in your life?
Passion is sometimes defined as the energy that comes from bringing more of YOU into your work. Passionate worship is surrendering more of YOU to the One who surrendered all of Himself for you. Passionate worship is energized by bringing more of ourselves to the Lord in response to what He has done for us on the cross.

Lord God, give me a heart for worship. I choose to bring more of me to the times and places of worship. Help me walk in the truth of Your victory. As I focus on You, fill my heart with hope for the future. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.