Verse 6: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”.
Today’s passage opens and closes with the same line: “Praise the Lord”. In between it speaks first of where: in the sanctuary and in His heavens. Broadly interpreted, the sanctuary is all the places we find God. Yes, it is our church sanctuary, but it is also along the wooded path, by the bass pond, in the hospital room, on the open prairie, at the quiet desk. In between the psalmist speaks second of why we praise. We are to praise God for His acts of power and for His surpassing greatness. Yes, it is for how God sent Jesus as our example and for how God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. But it is also for the safe travels home and for the personal nature of our relationship.
Lastly, in verses 3 through 5, the psalmist speaks of how we are to praise God. He lists the trumpet, harp, lyre, strings, flute, and cymbals as the instruments and he lists dancing as the action. Yes, it is this but also with the organ, keyboard, drums, guitars, and voices. It is also with arms raised up, with hands clapping, with heads bowed, and with hearts open. And it is in prayer as we go for a walk. It is in the conversations with one who is lonely or grieving. There are many, many ways to praise the Lord.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”. We have breath. May we praise the Lord today!
Prayer: Lord God, may all I do and say bring you praise today. May my every breath and action praise the Lord. Amen.
Verses 5-6: “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood… to Him be glory and power for ever and ever”.
Today and tomorrow we spend a brief time in the book of Revelation. The vision of the unfolding of the end of this present time is given to John by an angel. It is a story that plays out over a long period of time. Revelation contains a lot of frightful imagery and violence. Ultimately, though, Revelation is the story of God’s love and of how God will bring about the new creation. Revelation will end with the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of a new heaven and earth. Like humanity did in the original garden, we will once again walk, talk, and dwell with God.
John understands Jesus’ central role in restoring the world. Our passage today is the greeting and doxology of the letter. John begins with the eternal nature of Jesus – who was and is and is to come – and then identifies Jesus’ roles. He is “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth”. Each of these roles focuses on the central theme of Revelation: God’s love. As Jesus lived out His life on earth, He was a faithful and obedient witness to God’s love. He lived it out every day. At the end of His earthly life, Jesus was raised from the dead – the tomb was empty. His death was out of love for us and His resurrection demonstrates God’s eternal love for us. Because He lives we will also live. One day Jesus will return to rule over all the earth. He will rule over all the kings and over all of creation. Every knee will bow. His rule will not be one of power and might through force, but one of love.
John closes the greeting with worship and praise for his Lord Jesus. In verses 5 and 6 he writes, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood… to Him be glory and power for ever and ever”. There is a connection between Jesus, His blood, and our sins. Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to die for us while we were yet sinners. Jesus shed His blood in love. On the cross Jesus took upon His perfect self the sins of the world. He then died as the atonement or payment for our sins. With His life Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins. That is love. Because the price is paid, we are freed from the guilt and shame and debt of paying for our sins. Through His blood we are redeemed and made new again. It is a foretaste of eternity.
May our reaction and response to this gift be the same as John’s – to proclaim to Him be the glory and power for ever and ever. All praise be to Jesus Christ, our Lord and King!
Prayer: God, thank you for your love. Thank you for a love that gave your only Son for me, a sinner saved by grace. May all I do and say bring you honor and glory today. Amen.
Verses 1 & 29: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever”.
The words that bookend our passage today is a familiar verse. It is found in calls to worship, in prayers, in communion liturgies, and in at least one praise song. Just reading those words triggers the tune in my head. The Psalm is full of other imagery and words and phrases that are also familiar. Several lines of our text for today bring to mind Palm Sunday, when the gates were opened wide and people joined the “festal procession” with boughs in hand. Like the people did, we too will wave palm branches and say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” this Sunday.
In verse 22 we hear another familiar phrase – the stone the builders rejected. Jesus paraphrases this verse, calling Himself the cornerstone. We cannot miss the next verse: “the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes”. We will celebrate what the Lord has done on Easter Sunday. And then the next verse, #24, is the start of the chorus in a popular praise song and is also often used in prayers. The Psalm is just full of lines and imagery that helps us connect to our faith.
When we slowly read through and consider the words and the meaning that we have attached to them, we too are led to “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever”. We praise God for His goodness and His love. We also have personal verses or songs from verses or experiences from our lives that also remind us of God’s love and goodness. May we each take a few moments today to recall some of these and to lift our praises to God.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you so much for the ways big and small that you are weaved into my life. You will ever be my God and I will ever praise your holy name! Amen.
Verse 3: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”.
Psalm 126 is a song of ascent. It would be sung by people as they headed to worship. The opening verses recount how God ended the captivity in Babylon and brought the people back home. The people dreamed of restoring Israel both physically and spiritually. The thoughts of being great once again brought joy and laughter. This Psalm is just one of many that help the people remember how God has been active and present to them. In verse 3 we read, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”. Experiencing God’s presence surely brings joy.
The idea of songs leading us to remember and build our faith is certainly something we find in our hymns and praise songs today. Many hymns and songs are full of passages from the Bible and others contain good theology. Often when reading a passage my mind will connect to a hymn or song. Then I find myself singing that passage. Sometimes it works the other way around too. The lyrics remind me of a passage and I’ll read that story or section. Music continues to help us connect to God. Songs can lead to joyful worship and they can bring us comfort, peace, reassurance…
Psalm 126 also tells a personal experience. Among the Israelites there was a strong oral tradition. Through this, the history of the people was passed down through the generations. Their history was the story of God protecting, caring for, leading, guiding, correcting… the people. We also carry a set of stories with us. These too are stories of faith. We can recall times when God protected us, when God cared for us, when God guided us, and so on. These stories help us remember and build our faith as well.
Today, take a few moments to review your memories of when God was present to you. Remember and give the Lord your God worship and praise today.
Prayer: God, you have rescued me from the pit over and over. You have led me through the dry land and through the troubled waters. You have been my peace and my strength. Thank you God for being my “all in all”. Amen.
Verse 35: “Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord”.
Moses is radiant after being in God’s presence. Whenever Moses is just Moses, he wears a veil to cover up the shine. When Moses returns to God’s presence he lifts the veil and keeps the veil raised when he is sharing the word of God with the people. We read, “Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord”. A veil is an interesting choice. After the people’s first fears are quelled, the Israelites know why Moses glows and they know that being in Moses’ presence will not kill or harm them.
When we spend time in God’s presence it makes us more like God. Who we are inside becomes more holy, more righteous, as we draw closer. As our hearts become more like Jesus’ heart, we should appear different to others. As new creations in Christ, our old selfish ways die off and we become more loving, more caring, more compassionate. Yes, early on in our Christian journey we have some doubts and we question some and maybe we even hold back a little. As our faith matures and as our confidence in who we are as a child of God grows, we are more willing to let Christ’s light and love shine forth. And yet, like Moses, we must be careful too – we cannot become smug or arrogant or condemning. We cannot become holier-than-thou or self-righteous. Perhaps the veil reminded Moses that he was still human, was still prone to sin, was still susceptible to pride and ego and judging others. Perhaps the veil was a physical barrier that reminded Moses to not allow his special relationship with God to become a barrier with all those with a lesser relationship with God. As we grow in our faith we too must be careful not to flaunt our faith or our connection to God, especially when we are walking alongside the lost and those new to the faith.
Moses was one who acted on behalf of God. At times we find ourselves in that role as well. Moses was one in whom God placed authority and power. We too can find ourselves here. Perhaps the veil was a way for Moses to remind himself that this power and authority were not his own – they came from God alone. When God works in and through us, we too should do as Moses did and reflect all the praise and glory to God. It can be easy and can feel good to accept the accolades and the credit, but this will lead to pride and arrogance and eventually to a fall. We must always reflect the praise and glory back to God, walking as a humble servant, knowing all power and authority belong to God alone. May it be so.
Prayer: Lord of Lords, it is wonderful when you are present and when you work through us to help one in need or to draw someone closer to you. Keep me ever humble, always cognizant of my inability to do anything without you. At times, remind me of my weaknesses and failures. In all I do and say and think, may I ever give the glory, praise, and honor to you. Amen.
Verse 42: “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable”.
In chapter 15 Paul has been speaking of resurrection. He now turns to a question we often ponder and discuss: what will we be like in heaven? The same line of questioning resonates today as people wonder if we will have bodies or not, if we will eat or not, and so forth. Scripture tells us that we will be raised, that a new heaven and earth are coming, that all things will be made new, that Christ will reign, and that we will dwell in His light and love.
In reality Paul does not exactly answer the question today either. He begins by comparing our bodies now to seeds. A seed is placed in the ground and it must die to be transformed into something new, something living. Our physical bodies, this shell that we inhabit, will be shed and it will remain in the earth. But what is in us – our soul, our spirit, our essence – will rise to new life. We do not know what we will look like in eternity or even if we will look anything like we know now in our earthly minds. Paul writes, “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable”. Just as Jesus was raised and sits at the right hand of God, so too will all who know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We too will be raised and we will surround the throne, offering our worship and praise and adoration.
Paul goes on to remind us that we will be as Jesus is. In verse 48 he writes, “as the man from heaven so also are those who are of heaven”. Paul goes on to tell us that we will be in the image of Christ in heaven just as we have lived in His image as a follower here on earth.
We may not know what heaven will look like or what we will be like. But we do know that we will be imperishable and we will dwell in Jesus’ presence. Heaven will be a beautiful expression of joy and love and peace that will last forever. What a glorious day it will be when we enter into our eternal rest!
Prayer: Lord, how and what and who we will be does not matter. All that matters is that it will be with you. Help me to walk each day as a faithful servant of Christ. Lead and guide me to know Him more and more. Amen.
Verse 16: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”.
Our passage today begins with John the Baptist. He is preaching a baptism of repentance out in the wilderness. There is a certain wildness, an unknown edge to John. His clothing, his lifestyle, the way he challenges both scare and attract us. He calls for and leads people to radical change in their lives. This too attracts and yet scares us. We are drawn to find and live into a better version of ourselves. But at the same time, change is hard and requires us to step into the new and unknown.
John is pointing beyond himself to Jesus. John’s role was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. John speaks of Jesus, saying, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”. John’s baptism of water was more a cleansing of sins and a commitment to walk a better faith. But Jesus’ baptism will be different. There is a winnowing fork in Jesus’ hand. This is used to separate the good from the bad, the useful from the unusable. The action of conviction and repentance is taken from our hands and placed into His hands. The baptism of the Holy Spirit leads to a new source of power within us. The Holy Spirit does not rationalize or try and look past sin like we might perhaps try to do.
There is also a gathering up and a burning aspect to today’s Word from John. The good, the useful for the kingdom, will be gathered up into Jesus’ barn – into heaven. The bad, the unusable, the evil, will be burned with an unquenchable fire. It will not be pleasant. This is the fire that Jesus Christ will bring. It is not necessarily anyone’s destiny. Yet some will choose it. Judgment will come to us all. May we each sense the voice of Jesus in the Holy Spirit’s voice, allowing it to guide and lead us to all righteousness. May we daily live a life that honors and brings glory to the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Prayer: O Jesus, may your Holy Spirit ever be present and loud and clear in my life. Guide me to walk in your ways, always seeking to bring you the glory and praise. Amen.
Verse 17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus”.
As I read today’s passage, I think what wonderful New Years resolutions it makes. What would 2019 look like if we were intentional each day about living filled with all that Paul writes about in these six verses?
What if we each sought to treat all with kindness and humility and compassion and patience? It would radically change most of our day to day relationships. What if we made the choice to bear with all we meet and to be people of forgiveness? It would radically change our relationships with those in our next circle. What if we chose to love as Jesus Christ loved, loving all people and not just our inner circle? Talk about radical change in our relationships, especially with the stranger and the outsider.
Verses 15-17 center on centering our lives on Jesus Christ. First, Paul invites us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Each day we rest in Him. This allows our wants and needs to come after meeting everyone else’s. Second, Paul reminds us that the Word must dwell richly in our hearts. Not just dwell, but dwell richly. This means we must feast on the Word, delving deeply into our Bibles each day. Thus we give the Word free reign in our lives, allowing it to lead and guide all we do and say. Ultimately, this leads to Paul’s third idea: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus”. Choose to do and say and think everything for the glory of the Lord. Follow Jesus’ example always. Then we bring glory to God.
Imagine our world and our lives if each and every day, if each and every thought, word, and deed were focused on bringing God praise and glory. Imagine. Just imagine.
Prayer: Lord may I be filled with your love. Out of this love flows all that you are – compassion, kindness, patience, peace, mercy, grace. Fill me up and ground me in your Word, the book of life. In all that I am may I glorify you. Amen.
Verses 1 and 7: “Praise the Lord from the heavens… Praise the Lord from the earth”.
All of creation was formed at the word of God. All that is came from God’s commands – rocks, hills, trees, sun, moon, stars, water, sky, animals, fish, birds, angels, humans. As the created of God, all heaven and earth are made to praise God. “Praise the Lord from the heavens… Praise the Lord from the earth”. All of creation praise the Lord!
Some of creation praises God naturally. The stars in their splendor naturally shine forth God’s praise. The gentle waterfall in the woods murmurs praise as it courses on. The grandeur of the mountain peaks exclaims praise. The roll of thunder and crack of lightning shout God’s praise. We too can fall into natural praise at times. When our child takes its first breath, praise bursts from our lips. When we encounter God’s saving hand in a time of need we sigh out God’s praise. When we gather in church and the music overtakes us, we offer spontaneous praise.
Unfortunately natural praise is not always our default. The busyness of the day, the lies of the world, the lures of greed, pride, ego, lust… all can focus us towards other gods. Then our praise of God is non-existent or very weak at best. The things we give our hearts to are what gains our focus and attention and efforts.
In verse 14 we are reminded, “He has raised up a horn for his people”. God sent Jesus Christ as the King. God’s intent was not just for Jesus to set us an example and then to return one day to make all things new, establishing a new heaven and earth. God’s intent was for Jesus to reign every day in our hearts. When we give our hearts to Jesus and allow Him to sit on the throne of our hearts, then our praise becomes what we naturally lift to God each day. Our focus and attention and efforts turn to loving God and loving others. In doing so, our voices join all of creation in praising God, the Lord of heaven and earth. May it be so.
Prayer: Lord, make my focus Jesus. Bend all my focus and attention and efforts to your Son, my Savior. May all I do and say and think bring you praise and glory. Amen.
Verses 46-47: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”.
After hearing Elizabeth’s Holy Spirit filled blessing of herself and the child in her womb, Mary bursts into song. Elizabeth confirms for Mary an experience that must have been hard to fully comprehend. The visit by the angel Gabriel and the news that God incarnate will be born of her by the Holy Spirit’s power would have all been hard to wrap her mind around. Mary has received super cool, really big news but maybe it feels like it is not really real until someone else knows. Upon arriving in Elizabeth’s home and receiving such a divine blessing, Mary lets her emotions out and she bursts into a beautiful song to God her Savior.
Mary begins with, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”. To her core Mary is filled with praise and rejoicing for God. Mary is both awed that God chose her and she is humbled by it too. Mary knows the significance of her role – “all generations will call me blessed”. Turning a bit theological, Mary acknowledges that God will grant mercy to those that fear Him and will do “mighty deeds” for the faithful. Mary also begins to paint a picture of God’s preference for the poor. She sings of God scattering the proud and of sending the rich away empty. She sings of God lifting the humble and filling the hungry with good things. It is a picture of Jesus’ ministry too. Mary’s Song reflects Jesus’ preference for the lonely, the meek, the outcast, the broken.
Mary’s Song is a beautiful offering to God. It recognizes God’s love for those in need. It reminds us of our call to them in Christ. Her song praises God for the work of His hand in her life. It draws us in to consider God’s work in our lives. Today, may we sing of our love for God, telling the story of what He has done in our lives. May we glorify and rejoice in the Lord our God today!
Prayer: Lord, praise be to you for the work of your hand in the life of this humble servant. Keep my eyes ever fixed on Jesus, the example and perfector of our faith. May I honor you and bring you the glory in all I do and say. Amen.
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