Easter 3
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I shall never be moved."
By your favor, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
"What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!"
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
Alternate Image
The Singer has come to a temple dedication. There, surrounded by the symbols and signs of his faith, the Singer centers his thoughts upon God. He considers God's name and all that it means. God has been the constant in the lives of his ancestors. God has given them the land in which they live. God has instructed them how to be and live as free people. God heals them in their distress. God is ever-present in their lives. Though life may be difficult at times, God is with them to bring rejoicing. There are times, however, when the Singer knows that he offends God, times when he is not faithful, times he angers God. With a smile, the Singer asks God not to stay mad at him or take life from him as that will do neither of them any good. How can he sing God's praises if he is dead? How can he witness to God's glory if he is cast away? The Singer then sings to God, "May my singing, my talent, my glory always sing your praises, and may my voice, my song, my melody then never end but echo into eternity."
Reflection
There is a lot in a name. There are meanings associated with every surname, history with every family name. Some names we like, others we dislike. Images form about a name reflecting those we have encountered that had those names. Consider all the names we give God: Yahweh, Elohim, Allah, El, El Shaddai ... There are attributes of God that seem like God's name: God of love, God of compassion, God of mercy, omnipotent and omniscent God. The names and adjectives we ascribe to God describe our own faith. We also want our names to denote positive feelings; when people say our names we want them to think good thoughts; when God considers us, we want God to feel pleased about us. Our names can be our life songs. Songs that give God glory. We want our songs to be eternal.
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I shall never be moved."
By your favor, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
"What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!"
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
Alternate Image
The Singer has come to a temple dedication. There, surrounded by the symbols and signs of his faith, the Singer centers his thoughts upon God. He considers God's name and all that it means. God has been the constant in the lives of his ancestors. God has given them the land in which they live. God has instructed them how to be and live as free people. God heals them in their distress. God is ever-present in their lives. Though life may be difficult at times, God is with them to bring rejoicing. There are times, however, when the Singer knows that he offends God, times when he is not faithful, times he angers God. With a smile, the Singer asks God not to stay mad at him or take life from him as that will do neither of them any good. How can he sing God's praises if he is dead? How can he witness to God's glory if he is cast away? The Singer then sings to God, "May my singing, my talent, my glory always sing your praises, and may my voice, my song, my melody then never end but echo into eternity."
Reflection
There is a lot in a name. There are meanings associated with every surname, history with every family name. Some names we like, others we dislike. Images form about a name reflecting those we have encountered that had those names. Consider all the names we give God: Yahweh, Elohim, Allah, El, El Shaddai ... There are attributes of God that seem like God's name: God of love, God of compassion, God of mercy, omnipotent and omniscent God. The names and adjectives we ascribe to God describe our own faith. We also want our names to denote positive feelings; when people say our names we want them to think good thoughts; when God considers us, we want God to feel pleased about us. Our names can be our life songs. Songs that give God glory. We want our songs to be eternal.
