Epiphany 4
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 stands in the midst of the choir, the congregation.
She is enveloped by their presence, their touch, their love. Only
in the company of the faithful does she sing so sweetly, so
powerfully, so wholeheartedly. Their voices combined in
harmony swell proclaiming God's majesty and greatness. Their
shared vision is greater than all their individual visions put
together. In their mutual vision they stand awestruck before
their God. Overpowered with that vision they share new
revelations and stand on new fresh born wobbly legs of wisdom.
Reflection
Does anything taste as sweet as when it is shared? Does any
fragrance smell as good as when two or more noses inhale its
scent together? Is any panorama as breathtaking as that viewed
mutually? As one hand cannot clap for joy one believer cannot
embody faith. Faith by its nature is communal. The church is a
body of believers not the body of a believer. God is the God of a
people not a person. We prize our special individual moments
alone with God and truths heaven sent. But unless we can share
our insights, our joys, our hopes and expectations they quickly
erode, spoil and are lost as the mind that held them dies.
Seemingly self-discovered truths are as limited and as simple as
the mind that thinks it created what was discovered. It is only
when we experience pooled thought do we begin to appreciate what
true genius is. It is only when we congregate with our shared
learnings do we stand awestruck before God who revealed those
truths to us. That is when we begin to understand. That is the
genesis of our wisdom.
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 stands in the midst of the choir, the congregation.
She is enveloped by their presence, their touch, their love. Only
in the company of the faithful does she sing so sweetly, so
powerfully, so wholeheartedly. Their voices combined in
harmony swell proclaiming God's majesty and greatness. Their
shared vision is greater than all their individual visions put
together. In their mutual vision they stand awestruck before
their God. Overpowered with that vision they share new
revelations and stand on new fresh born wobbly legs of wisdom.
Reflection
Does anything taste as sweet as when it is shared? Does any
fragrance smell as good as when two or more noses inhale its
scent together? Is any panorama as breathtaking as that viewed
mutually? As one hand cannot clap for joy one believer cannot
embody faith. Faith by its nature is communal. The church is a
body of believers not the body of a believer. God is the God of a
people not a person. We prize our special individual moments
alone with God and truths heaven sent. But unless we can share
our insights, our joys, our hopes and expectations they quickly
erode, spoil and are lost as the mind that held them dies.
Seemingly self-discovered truths are as limited and as simple as
the mind that thinks it created what was discovered. It is only
when we experience pooled thought do we begin to appreciate what
true genius is. It is only when we congregate with our shared
learnings do we stand awestruck before God who revealed those
truths to us. That is when we begin to understand. That is the
genesis of our wisdom.
