Psalm Meditation 841
Proper 13
July 31, 2016

Psalm 97
1 The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10 The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
(NRSV)

The psalmist calls us to rejoice in the presence of God. For some people that means wearing the biggest smile anyone has ever seen on that particular face. For others it means a body shaking laugh with a bit of shouting thrown in. For still others it means dancing and singing that employs all the person’s energy and takes up all the space available for the celebration. That we each rejoice in different ways does not mean that one is more joyful than the other so much as it means that we express our joy quite differently.

As we express our joy in different ways, we also express our joy for a variety of reasons. This psalm could be a celebration of a victory over an adversary at the hand of God or awe at a natural phenomenon witnessed by the psalmist. Any one of us who rejoices will do so for a variety of reasons. We may revel in the beauty of a sunrise or sunset. We may celebrate the joy of new birth or another milestone in the life of a loved one.

For a variety of reasons and in a variety of ways we rejoice in the presence and in the activity of God in the world in and around us. As we rejoice in God’s activity we find ourselves drawn closer to God and the people of God. As we draw closer we find new and deeper reasons to rejoice in God’s presence as well as a desire to be ever more fully in the presence of God surrounded by God’s people.

July 25, 2016
LCM