Psalm Meditation 938
Proper 5
June 10, 2018

Psalm 136
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed famous kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to his servant Israel, for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.
(NRSV)

As a child I hated litanies in worship. I could see no point in the congregation saying the same thing over and over while the leader got to say something different every time. Even my first year in seminary, when given the task of writing a litany I gave the congregation a different response each time. The professor made comment about it, though I don’t remember having any points taken off. I know that there have been times that I have simply skipped over what I assume is the people’s response in this psalm, “for his steadfast love endures forever.”

These days I recognize the importance of a repeated response. A single response is easy to learn and easy to repeat at the appropriate time. It gives the congregation a way to participate without having to have a printed resource in front of them. A repeated response gives the participants an important nugget of truth to carry for as long as the response is remembered. Having read the psalm, we may not remember any of the first parts of the verses, however we may recognize, “for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Once we learn the response we can come up with our own reasons to remember and rejoice in the steadfast love of God. As we repeat the response each time we find a new reason to thank and praise God we can also be reminded that the steadfast love of God is with us in a real and permanent way. The more often we hear something the more likely we are to believe it. “for his steadfast love endures forever.”

June 4, 2018
LCM