Epiphany 9/Ordinary 9
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
Object:
Psalm 96 is an enthronement psalm. This type of psalm was employed in worship to celebrate the unique presence of God with Israel in the temple and also to celebrate God's kingship over all creation. The presence of God was most likely symbolized by means of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was carried into the temple in a processional and placed in the holy of holies. Bringing the Ark into the worship place was the signal to celebrate the reality of God's presence in the world. That recognition was heralded with the words "the Lord reigns" (v. 10).
The psalm can be divided into two sections: verses 1-6 and verses 7-13. Each section follows the same scheme. Verses 1-6 are a call for worshipers in community to praise God. Verses 1-3 encourage worshipers to "sing a new song." In singing a new song, worshipers bless God's name and tell of God's salvation. Verses 4-6 explain why we should praise God in this way. God is great, God is to be feared, God is creator, and so on. Verses 7-13 are a call for all people to praise God. Verses 7-9 encourage "the families of the people" to worship God. Verses 10-13 describe how God rules over creation and judges all people.
Psalm 96 celebrates God's presence in the world and because of this we are encouraged to sing a new song. The old songs, while certainly filled with praise and thanksgiving, apparently are not able to capture the significance of the new reality created by God's presence. Once God enters the world, everything is different. All of our former ideas and notions have to be revisited and revised. God's arrival sparks a new beginning that must be celebrated with new praise. This psalm, of course, is intended to be such a new song. It has been made possible because God has used God's power to create security for us and provide salvation.
These themes are useful anytime in worship, of course, but they take on special significance in the celebration of Christmas. Jesus' entry into the world certainly marks the beginning of a new way of conceiving God's presence in the world. Through Jesus, God provides security and salvation. And what season of the year is filled with more music than the Christmas season?
We should heed the call of the psalmist to sing a new song. Not that the old hymns and carols are not meaningful; they certainly are. However, confessing that God has entered our world though the miracle of incarnation must remain before us a startling assertion. We cannot afford to let the wonder of this idea, the mystery of it, become mundane. We should be filled with awe and wonder every time the topic comes up.
If we are able to sustain our wonder, then as God is carried into the world -- not symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant, but born incarnate as the babe of Bethlehem -- it will surely be possible for there to slip from our lips a song of praise and thanksgiving that is fresh and new.
-- J. E.
The psalm can be divided into two sections: verses 1-6 and verses 7-13. Each section follows the same scheme. Verses 1-6 are a call for worshipers in community to praise God. Verses 1-3 encourage worshipers to "sing a new song." In singing a new song, worshipers bless God's name and tell of God's salvation. Verses 4-6 explain why we should praise God in this way. God is great, God is to be feared, God is creator, and so on. Verses 7-13 are a call for all people to praise God. Verses 7-9 encourage "the families of the people" to worship God. Verses 10-13 describe how God rules over creation and judges all people.
Psalm 96 celebrates God's presence in the world and because of this we are encouraged to sing a new song. The old songs, while certainly filled with praise and thanksgiving, apparently are not able to capture the significance of the new reality created by God's presence. Once God enters the world, everything is different. All of our former ideas and notions have to be revisited and revised. God's arrival sparks a new beginning that must be celebrated with new praise. This psalm, of course, is intended to be such a new song. It has been made possible because God has used God's power to create security for us and provide salvation.
These themes are useful anytime in worship, of course, but they take on special significance in the celebration of Christmas. Jesus' entry into the world certainly marks the beginning of a new way of conceiving God's presence in the world. Through Jesus, God provides security and salvation. And what season of the year is filled with more music than the Christmas season?
We should heed the call of the psalmist to sing a new song. Not that the old hymns and carols are not meaningful; they certainly are. However, confessing that God has entered our world though the miracle of incarnation must remain before us a startling assertion. We cannot afford to let the wonder of this idea, the mystery of it, become mundane. We should be filled with awe and wonder every time the topic comes up.
If we are able to sustain our wonder, then as God is carried into the world -- not symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant, but born incarnate as the babe of Bethlehem -- it will surely be possible for there to slip from our lips a song of praise and thanksgiving that is fresh and new.
-- J. E.
