Who’s Making All That Noise?

Isaiah 52:1-12
It isn’t always easy to perceive the work of God in our midst. God’s grace, God’s love, God’s mercy all take interesting forms and can come at us from surprising directions. But one thing of which we can be sure is that God does remain active transforming lives and restoring creation. This is, after all, the message that lies at the very heart of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, God was – and is – reconciling the world to God’s self. The prophet Isaiah looked forward to a time when the message of God’s salvation would ring loudly and clearly throughout the land. “Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see 
the return of the Lord to Zion” (Isaiah 52:8). To me the most obvious modern version of these particular sentinels is the church, and it seems appropriate that the people of God, called to be the body of Christ at work in the world, should lift their voices with exultation in order to proclaim God’s presence so that all the world may know and rejoice.

The key, I believe, is Isaiah’s call to “sing for joy.” Normally this would be a funny thing for sentinels to do. It brings to mind images of the knights of Camelot performing their wacky dance number in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But true joy has that affect, it causes us to dance and sing and become giddy with delight until others begin to wonder why and perhaps even to join in. The church, then, is a sentinel called to scan the horizon, not in dread of what may be coming, nor in gleeful anticipation of God’s fiery condemnation of “everyone else,” but with expectation and hope, knowing that God comes with power and might – yes – but also with love and justice. And when we see signs of God’s activity, when we glimpse grace unfolding in our midst “in plain sight,” we most certainly should “lift up (our) voices, (and) together sing for joy” in response.

Worshipping with a local congregation, serving in the wider community, offering prayers, reflecting on scripture, accepting others as God’s creatures as we strive to find common cause, giving generously of our time and talents: these are all appropriate ways to “sing for joy,” to make known that the Lord is near and that the kingdom of God has dawned. As the people of God let us rejoice at what the Lord is doing and let the good news be shared.

Prayer: Lord God, give us voices to praise you and the willingness to serve you in all we do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Full-Time Praise?

Psalm 148
From the looks of it, praising God is a full-creation job. It is clearly the intent of Psalm 148 to invite all of creation to share in giving glory to its Creator. There are two sections to the psalm: each begins with a call to praise the Lord addressed to certain elements of the created order, followed by a rationale for that praise. So the sun, moon, stars, angels, hosts, waters, and the highest heavens are called on to praise the Lord because it is the Lord who has created them and who has established them (vs. 1-6). Sea monsters, fire, hail, snow, frost, winds, mountains, hills, fruit trees and cedars, wild animals and cattle, things that creep and things that fly, kings and peoples, princes and rulers, men and women, the young and the old are also told to praise the Lord because God’s glory rises above earth and heaven (vs. 7-14). Praising God is a full-creation job.

But praising God is also a full-time job. Clearly the community of faith cannot limit the glorifying of God’s name to just one hour on Sunday mornings. But for a moment let’s assume that a person does attend a worship service each week. That service might average about 60 minutes depending on the place of worship. Then let’s assume this person also attends a mid-week service that lasts about half an hour. That’s 90 minutes a week of praising God. Next lets add an informal prayer time that this person might attend, and let’s say it lasts about 15 minutes, bringing the total to about 105 minutes. Three meals a day begun with a blessing would mean 21 blessings a week at about 1 minute each bringing the total to 126 minutes a week. Bedtime prayers, seven a week at about two minutes each, would add another 14 minutes for a total of 140 minutes. Some folks make a habit of praying in the morning as well, which might add an additional 35 minutes of praise each week for a total of 175 minutes. When it is all added together and some allowance is made for random acts of praise—say, 15 minutes worth a week––we might come up with about 190 minutes.

Wow! 190 minutes a week used to praise God. Pretty good, huh? The problem is, this leaves 9,890 minutes a week spent NOT praising God. In other words, even with all the worship and prayer opportunities that we listed, we are left praising God for about 1.9% of our time. Wow! That doesn’t sound very good, does it? Psalm 148 reminds us that praising God is a full-time, full-creation activity that demands our ongoing and constant attention. Otherwise we are reducing God to a minor aspect in our lives instead of recognizing God’s place as Sovereign Lord of all.

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, you alone deserve our praise and our adoration. Forgive us when we fail to honor you in our lives, for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

Audible Health

Psalm 54

In his book Reflections on the Psalms, C. S. Lewis confesses that early in his spiritual journey he was concerned about what appeared to be God’s constant need for praise. The Psalms, Lewis notes, are full of references to praising God. Sometimes it is God who seems to demand praise, more often it is the psalmist telling others to join in praising God, and sometimes there is even the implication that only if God will save the psalmist from death or distress will the psalmist continue praising God. Psalm 54 is one of the examples Lewis cites as presenting such a bargain. Verse 1 says, “Save me, O God,” and verse 6 then promises a freewill offering as a sacrifice. This apparent flaw in God’s character worried Lewis because it seemed to put God on a level with dictators, millionaires, and entertainers who are notorious for needing constant praise. And worse, Lewis suggests, it reduces people of faith to the level of sycophants who are willing to tell such people just how great they are.

Then Lewis realized that praising God offered a “beneficial opportunity.” In much the way that admiring a great painting allows one to be affected for the better, praise for God demonstrates a right relationship with the Creator. “Except where intolerably adverse circumstances interfere,” writes Lewis, “praise almost seems to be inner health made audible.” When we make praise a regular part of our relationship with God it reflects our inner health, it says that we understand praise to be an appropriate response to the one who has created us, it says that we are not bargaining with God, but rather meeting God’s presence in our lives with a profoundly natural response.

And so with the psalmist we say, “I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good” (Psalm 54:6b).

Prayer: Lord, may your name be praised in heaven and on earth, this day and always. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Natural High

Ephesians 5:1-32

“Do not get drunk with wine,” we read in Ephesians today, “for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20). If you want to find harmony in your life, join in the singing, the “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” being offered up by the community of faith. But do not resort to drinking and intoxication.

What an interesting parallel. On the one hand there is the admonition against debauchery and then, of all the alternatives that might be offered, Ephesians points to the presence of the Spirit that comes to those who are joined in song, the sense of well-being that develops when we praise God with all our heart. Call it a natural high, or musical contentment, or song-based sobriety. Whatever the case we are challenged to turn away from that which dulls the senses and instead to embrace God’s presence in our lives.

Singing is one of those activities that can draw people together. It happens around campfires, at civic gatherings, as a part of family celebrations, and of course during worship. When we sing we take many parts and fold them into one. And when we vocalize our thanks and praise to God our hearts are filled with song too, and filled with the Spirit of God. When we are numbed by our actions we lose touch with what God is doing in the world, but when—in good times or in bad—we sing we are connected to one another and to the Lord. If you want to find harmony in your life, just follow the sounds of praise, and then sing along.

Prayer: Lord, fill us with your Spirit and give us voices with which to praise you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Power, Patience, and Praise

Colossians 1:9-14

I am a worrier. I worry about all sorts of things: silly things, serious things, things that I can do something about, things I can do absolutely nothing about. And all of this worry can leave me feeling drained. So I found a part of the Colossians reading today to be very interesting. “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,” it says, “and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father…” (Colossians 1:11-12a). That’s what I want. I want the strength that comes from God’s power, I want the patience with which to endure, and I want to remember to joyfully praise God each and every day. In short, I want to quit worrying and to start living with power, patience, and praise.

I think the key lies in first accepting that God is at work in our lives whether we feel it or not, and in ways that we cannot fully comprehend. God’s love embraces us always, and God’s grace sustains us constantly. Realizing this to be true is a source of strength and confidence which empowers us to live as God’s people. Acceptance is not always easy, but it is worth the effort because the empowerment allows us to let go of doubts and fears, of our fretfulness and worry, so that we can praise God with more energy.

Martin Luther began each day reminding himself that he was baptized. In the same way I like to begin my morning by quoting Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” There really is power in the realization of God’s presence, in the acknowledgment of God’s amazing grace. That power in turn does lead to more patience, or at least a better attitude about things. And before you know it I am thanking and praising God for all the blessings I have received. I still worry; call me a work in progress, someone who is striving for a better path but has yet to get all the way there. My striving is based on God’s power, though, which does give me more patience, which in turn helps me to praise God. So the process continues. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: May we all receive the strength that comes from God’s glorious power, and may we be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It's What We Do

Psalm 134

Included in the lectionary readings each day are two psalms intended for the evening. Psalm 134 is one of the evening psalms for today. Oddly, the first verses of the psalm remind me of the TV game show Jeopardy. On the show contestants are given answers and are challenged to provide appropriate questions. For example an answer might read “the first book of the Bible,” to which a contestant would ask “What is Genesis?” So imagine Psalm 134 as used as an “answer” on Jeopardy. “Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord” (Psalm 134:1-2). So what’s the “question”?

The question might be, “What should God’s people do?” That’s what Psalm 134 is telling us, that we should be about blessing and praising God night and day, that we should worship and serve God, that we should stand ready to respond to God’s call, whatever it may be. I may be inferring some things, but I believe the intent is there. As God’s people we are called to worship our Creator and to serve God’s intentions.

As our lives unfold and as we are faced with ever changing circumstances we may feel confused or overwhelmed. But according to Psalm 134 it is always appropriate to offer our worship to God. That is a good way to begin and end each day, a good way to center ourselves and to keep ourselves focused on what is really important. And frankly as God’s people it’s what we do.

Prayer: Creator of all, help us to serve you with heart, mind, soul, and strength all the days of our lives, and may we bless your holy name in all we do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Too Much Noise?

Joel 2:3-11
Revelation 19:1-10
There is a deafening roar rising from both Joel and Revelation today, but the sources of the sound are very different. In Joel a plague of locusts infests the land “as with the rumble of chariots,” “ and the crackling of a flame of fire,” causing the earth to quake and the heavens to tremble (Joel 2:5, 10). “Who can endure (such an onslaught)?” asks the prophet (v. 11). This is the day of the Lord, and it is terrible. In Revelation, however, the sound is very different. “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a multitude, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns’” (Revelation 19:6).

The very loudest experience that I’ve had in my life was a rock concert I attended in 1985. My ears were ringing well into the next day. It was at a volume well beyond my comfort level. That sort of noise makes sense when we are talking about the passage from Joel, where comfort is far from the issue. But what about Revelation? There the sound grows out of praise, not judgment, yet it would seem to be just as loud. What then are we to say about these things? Frankly, I’m not entirely sure of what to make of all this noise except to say that perhaps praising God is outside the normal comfort level of humanity, too. After all, this was John’s experience there on the Island of Patmos, a living human being’s vision of the end times. In our current condition we are incapable of relating to God as we should, and the experience of God’s praise is bound to be as physically jarring as oceans and thunderpeals.

Clearly, God is someone we can never get entirely comfortable with––and certainly not someone we can control. Ever since Adam and Eve hid themselves in the Garden of Eden we’ve been ill at ease in the presence of our Creator. The good news is that God appears to be willing to remain in covenant with us, delivering judgment to be sure, but also accepting our feeble praise. And as long as God is with us, then I believe we will be able to handle being with God.

Prayer: O God, we thank you for your continual presence in our midst. May we learn to offer you praise and to live according to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.