Psalm Meditation 1227 ¶Fourth Sunday of Advent/Christmas Eve ¶December 24, 2023 ¶Psalm 111 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+111&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Do we get good things because we fear, are in awe of, God, or does our awe allow us to notice that the good things are gifts from God? All sorts of people get good things whether they are faithful to God or not. God is good, loving, and generous to us because it is the nature of God to do that. We don't earn or deserve good things from God, we get them no matter what. Our praise and gratitude don’t entitle us to God’s good gifts, praise and gratitude allow us to see all the ways that God works in our lives. ¶When things go well, and when they don’t, God is with us, accompanying us on our journey. God is present to celebrate with us in good times, to mourn and suffer with us in bad times, and to be with us in the day to day times. Whether we know it or not, or notice it or not, God is with us. There are folks who can recite long sections of Scripture. God is present with them. There are folks who know little more than a sentence about the love of God for the world and all that is in it. God is present with them. The hierarchy of the love of God is about how much we notice rather than about how much we receive from God. ¶When we offer thanks and praise to God we find ever richer and deeper reasons to offer them. As we look to God with gratitude, we see more simple and profound reasons to thank God for all that goes on in and around us. The more we experience and dwell on the wonders of God’s love at work in the world, the more we see the heights and depths of God’s involvement in all the rich variety of life in the world. “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” ¶December 18, 2023 ¶LCM