Psalm Meditation 699
Twenty fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 10, 2013

Psalm 148
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted;
    his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
    for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

There are folks who will say that God does not need our praise, that God really does not need anything from us. In one sense that is true. We have nothing that does not come from God, so if God wanted what we have it would simply be a matter of not giving it to us so that God would have it. On the other hand, as a believer in free will, I believe that God finds deep joy in anything we return freely. I imagine that God is particularly pleased when we offer praise and love of our own free will.

When we offer something to our children, especially young children, and do not let go completely until they say those magic words, ‘thank you.’ it is not because we are unfulfilled without their thanks. Our intent is to teach them the words that will one day be attached to the sentiment of thankfulness. While God does not have an ego that needs to be stroked by our constant words of praise, it may be that God enjoys our praise in the same way our hearts are gladdened when our children don’t have to be coached into saying, ‘thank you.’

The definitions of thanks and praise that I was given years ago is that thanks are given for what is done while praise is given for who one is. We thank God for all the gifts we receive on some regular basis. The psalmist reminds, invites and encourages us to offer our praise for who God is among us.

November 3, 2013