Christmas 1
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
Alternate Image
The Singer sits down to compose a Christmas song. He grabs
some scrap paper and begins to fiddle at the keyboard. He
scribbles a few notes on the paper as his fingers plunk out
various tunes. He feels hungry and nibbles on some junk food
while he continues to compose. He has left his television on and
it continues to play while he works on his melody line, a soap
jingle is accidentally incorporated into the piece. The Singer
spills a can of soda onto his paper, smearing words and notes; he
haphazardly wipes the paper against his pants. The phone rings
but the Singer continues to write his song while he visits on the
phone. A few hours later the Singer completes his Christmas tune
and plays it through. It is terrible! He goes to bed frustrated.
The next day the Singer rises to compose a new Christmas song.
He fixes a good breakfast. He locks his door, turns off his
television and disconnects his phone. He selects a good quality
paper with neat ruled lines for music and a new sharp pencil. He
goes to his keyboard, prays for God's guidance and begins to
compose. Focused on the reason for his song of praise, notes and
words begin to flow meticulously from his pencil. Time flies by
and soon the composition is completed. The Singer examines his
work and then plays it through. He smiles in satisfaction and
offers a prayer of thanks. Peace flows through his entire being.
Reflection
Can you imagine God doing things haphazardly? Tossing off the
creation of a sea, a mountain or an animal! God scribble drawing
a universe and after six time periods saying, "O well, that's
good enough. I can always do it over again tomorrow." The idea
seems ludicrous, and it is. God's creation is intentional and
beautiful, including us. When we are aimless and indiscriminate
about what we do, we are not living up to our createdness. If our
lives are so full of distractions that we cannot live with our
whole being, we need to simplify things and focus more clearly on
the One who gave us our life. When we do that our life is
integrated and we are happy and at peace. When we are centered
and focused upon God, we are wise beings at one with God's
creation, including ourselves.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
Alternate Image
The Singer sits down to compose a Christmas song. He grabs
some scrap paper and begins to fiddle at the keyboard. He
scribbles a few notes on the paper as his fingers plunk out
various tunes. He feels hungry and nibbles on some junk food
while he continues to compose. He has left his television on and
it continues to play while he works on his melody line, a soap
jingle is accidentally incorporated into the piece. The Singer
spills a can of soda onto his paper, smearing words and notes; he
haphazardly wipes the paper against his pants. The phone rings
but the Singer continues to write his song while he visits on the
phone. A few hours later the Singer completes his Christmas tune
and plays it through. It is terrible! He goes to bed frustrated.
The next day the Singer rises to compose a new Christmas song.
He fixes a good breakfast. He locks his door, turns off his
television and disconnects his phone. He selects a good quality
paper with neat ruled lines for music and a new sharp pencil. He
goes to his keyboard, prays for God's guidance and begins to
compose. Focused on the reason for his song of praise, notes and
words begin to flow meticulously from his pencil. Time flies by
and soon the composition is completed. The Singer examines his
work and then plays it through. He smiles in satisfaction and
offers a prayer of thanks. Peace flows through his entire being.
Reflection
Can you imagine God doing things haphazardly? Tossing off the
creation of a sea, a mountain or an animal! God scribble drawing
a universe and after six time periods saying, "O well, that's
good enough. I can always do it over again tomorrow." The idea
seems ludicrous, and it is. God's creation is intentional and
beautiful, including us. When we are aimless and indiscriminate
about what we do, we are not living up to our createdness. If our
lives are so full of distractions that we cannot live with our
whole being, we need to simplify things and focus more clearly on
the One who gave us our life. When we do that our life is
integrated and we are happy and at peace. When we are centered
and focused upon God, we are wise beings at one with God's
creation, including ourselves.
