Psalm 92 

Thanksgiving for Vindication

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.

 

¹ It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

    to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

² to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

    and your faithfulness by night,

³ to the music of the lute and the harp,

    to the melody of the lyre.

⁴ For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

 

⁵ How great are your works, O Lord!

    Your thoughts are very deep!

⁶ The dullard cannot know,

    the stupid cannot understand this:

⁷ though the wicked sprout like grass

    and all evildoers flourish,

they are doomed to destruction forever,

⁸     but you, O Lord, are on high forever.

⁹ For your enemies, O Lord,

    for your enemies shall perish;

    all evildoers shall be scattered.

 

¹⁰ But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;

    you have poured over me fresh oil.

¹¹ My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

    my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

 

¹² The righteous flourish like the palm tree,

    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

¹³ They are planted in the house of the Lord;

    they flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ In old age they still produce fruit;

    they are always green and full of sap,

¹⁵ showing that the Lord is upright;

One of the things I have missed over the past four months is joining together in worship and singing praises to God as a congregation. The first three verses of today’s psalm focus on that. One of the joys of my role as pastor is to stand at the altar and hear the congregation singing praises to God.

Palm/Passion Sunday comes to mind, as we gather outside the sanctuary with palm branches in hand, remembering Jesus’ triumphant entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. After reading the Gospel account of Palm Sunday, the procession begins, and we enter the sanctuary to “All Glory Laud and Honor.” Standing at the altar is a great view for watching people half-processing and half-claiming their pew before someone else!

Christmas Eve also comes to mind. Again, standing at the altar as the candles are lit, as we sing “Silent Night,” and the light fills the room. And then for the prayer, as the candles are held on high, the light fills the room as we celebrate the Light of the World coming to us.

I think of Easter Sunday, too. As the church is filled with flowers and followers, brass and organ fill the sanctuary, and praise band’s joyous sounds fill the Celebration Center. The foundation of who we are, and what we believe as Christians, is proclaimed once again (as we proclaim EVERY SUNDAY) that the tomb is empty, and death is defeated. Christ is Risen indeed!

I miss the reflective music of Holden Evening Prayer that we share at mid-week services during Lent. I miss the musical offerings of the handbells, the adult and children’s choirs, the soloists and instrumentalists.

I imagine you do, too. It does feel like we are in exile, doesn’t it?

Even in this time of exile, I believe God is worthy of praise. God is with us in our time apart and has blessed us in ways that we never imagined. Who would have ever thought six months ago that our prayers would include, “Thank you, God, for Zoom!” or, “Thank you, God, for hand sanitizer.” or, “Thank you, God, that I was able to find toilet paper at the store!”

What do you thank God for today? Sing praises!

 

I am also thankful for the opportunity to sing praises as we gather online every week. A while back, a grandmother sent me a video of her grandkids singing along to our online service as they gathered with us from the other side of the country.

I imagine God listening to our songs of praise and blending them together to a beautiful harmony that is sweet to the ear.

Let us Pray: