July 29, 2023 — Psalm 96

“O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.” Psalm 96

Our words of prayer, praise and thanksgiving should not be just a sometime thing — they should be a daily discipline. As such, we have the opportunity every day to tailor our words to the circumstances — our words should match our context — in particular, offering thanks and praise for the blessings G-d has given us. Because of the way the world works lately, it is easy to get caught up in our problems and to forget that G-d saves us day by day. G-d forgives our sins day by day. G-d delivers us from the evil one day by day. And we should remind ourselves that no matter how many disappointments or failings we may experience, day by day, G-d is with us. Think of a time when G-d saved you from distress or danger? Did you have to think long and hard? Or, was it easy to note how and when G-d was with you?

My point is this: G-d saves us day by day in ways that we never even notice. For example, did you breathe normally today? Did you have food to eat, a bed to lie upon, and the ability to see? People who have emphysema, or are homeless, or are blind would believe that your experience is a “pie in the sky” blessing. Let us Praise G-d for all of the blessings we each have today — every day!  It is easy to praise G-d in good times — we need to praise G-d in all times, good and bad! As our Doxology says, “Praise G-d from whom all blessings flow…….” For our G-d saves us ad infinitum.

Prayer

Ever-living God, the heavens were glad and the earth rejoiced when you sent your Son, the incarnate Word, to dwell with us. Help us to proclaim your glory to those who do not know you, until the whole earth sings a new song to you, with your Son and the Holy Spirit one God, now and forever.

Amen.

July 28, 2023 — Psalm 95

“O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof,  though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.” Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.” Psalm 95

Worship is to be time where every person can focus on G-d — G-d’s grace, love and greatness — and not on our own needs. Psalm 95 serves as the introduction to a series of Psalms devoted to the theme of worship and praise. As such, Psalm 95 has long been regarded as an invitation to worship. It has been a vital part of liturgies from ancient times. In fact, Psalm 95 is used in our worship hymnal for the Matins Service. This psalm helps the believer to reorient their thinking and practice concerning the vital matter of worship. It turns the  attention of the worshipper toward G-d.

Not all that many years ago, it was believed that the earth was the center of the universe. All of the planets were thought to revolve around the earth. Modern astronomy has shown this not to be true — the sun is the center of our solar system — and the planets revolve around this star. This error in our understanding actually tells us a great deal about the thinking of humanity. We want to believe that everything revolves around us — we expect to be at the center of everything.

While we have come to grips with the fact that the sun is the center of our solar system, some Christians still think that the church should revolve around them. That allows these people to persist in thinking that G-d should work for them, rather than we are to be in the business of offering to G- emphasizing d prayer, praise and thanksgiving — for that is all we can offer G-d. We must fight the urge to blame G-d when adversity disrupts our lives. Worship is our opportunity to focus solely on thanking G-d for all of our blessings — and remember that the world, including G-d, does not revolve around us.

Prayer

God our maker, you guide us as the sheep of your fold. When we stray into rebellion and unbelief, bring us back and restore us, that we may follow your ways and listen to the voice of our shepherd who gives us eternal life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.