The true meaning of life.
A call to worship.
Themes
The meaning of our lives • The meaning of our death • Magnify Christ • The fear of dying • Sacrificial love • The glory of Jesus Christ • Hope • Love • Joy
We live, and we die, to make much of Jesus.
Scripture reading
Philippians 1:20–21 Colossians 1:16 Hebrews 10:34
This call to worship1 is from a few New Testament passages that disclose to us the true meaning of life.
The Apostle Paul writes: It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him. And the author of the book of Hebrews describes his readers. He writes: You had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
Prayer
Father in heaven, our ultimate aim in life is to honor Your son, Jesus Christ. It is to magnify Him. It is to make much of Him. This is the meaning of our lives — the life You have given to us. And this will also be the meaning of our death — when and if that day comes. We live, and we die, to make much of Jesus. In fact, You created the entire universe for this purpose — to make much of Him. Everything that has been created, including all of us, we exist for His admiration, for His esteem, for His wonder, for His praise, for His allegiance, for His worship. Why have You called us? Why have You called me? You have called us for the sake of the name of Jesus. You have highly exalted Him, and You have bestowed on Him the name that is above every name. And You did this for His universal acclaim. Father, we are here in this moment together to make much of Jesus Christ and His glorious, universe-encompassing kingdom. The heart cry of our lives, Father, is the glory of Your Son, Jesus Christ. He is so valuable, so incredibly valuable to us. That we long for — and we can hardly wait for — the immediate and eternal and perfect fellowship we’ll have with Him at the moment of our death. That is the hope, Father, that You have given to us. And that hope sets us free from any fear of dying that we might otherwise have. And it is that hope that enables us to lay down our lives for the good of others. Father, there are many ways we could magnify Jesus. But one way in particular makes His worth shine bright. It’s when we sacrificially love others in His name. It is this love, Father, that magnifies the glory of Christ like nothing else in this world can. Jesus Himself endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him — the joy of being raised from the dead, the joy of returning to You, the joy of saving innumerable people from destruction, the joy of making the whole universe new, the joy of being surrounded by countless worshipers forever. There has never been a greater act of love than the love of Jesus. Jesus was carried through the hour of death for the sake of others; He was carried through by the hope of joy that would be His in Your presence. And so, Father, we too will be carried through the giving of ourselves for others for the same hope. Help us to give of ourselves, not just a little bit, not just a little bit more this week, but our whole selves, completely and entirely, because Jesus is our reward. In the name of Jesus, who has given us a better possession than any and all our possessions and any possible possession, and who has given us a more abiding possession than any and all our possession and any possible possession, Amen
Inspiring resources
A call to worship creates wonderment, amazement, curiosity, yearning, captivation, provocation, hopefulness, thankfulness, affection, rapture, delight. As these mix together, the response is worship.
If this call to worship leaves you wondering or curious or provoked or hopeful, consider diving into this awesome book that inspired me to write this call to worship.
1
This call to worship was given to the small assembly of Christians that gathered in Pathway Church, Beaverdam, Michigan, on Sunday, August 14, 2022