Praise is, in fact, one of the sacrifices that please [God] most of all (Heb 13:15-16). What’s more, he has created the church as his choir to stand before him and praise him. He has appointed us as his praise singers for the good of the world and its people, for through our praise he reveals his glory and his grace to suspicious people in a fallen world. When we sing our songs of praise in the divine service we preach the gospel with the whole of our being to each other and the world. Our praises disclose the mystery of Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who reaches out to us in word and sacrament, to fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us access to God the Father. In praise the church not only announces that heaven has come to earth in Jesus; it also receives a foretaste of heaven as it gives thanks and adores the triune God. So then, by praising God we enjoy him and share our enjoyment of him with others. That’s why God is so pleased with our orthodoxy, our right praise of him. We rejoice in him as he rejoices in us.
John W Kleinig, "What's the Use of Praising God?" Lutheran Theological Journal 38/2 (2004)
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