Christmas Eve Day
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "The Lord is king!"
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.
Alternate Image
The Singer comes to us; he looks drunk. He says that he has been traveling, he has journeyed all over the earth, he has adventured everywhere. He tells us that the intoxication of each place he traveled demanded he compose a new song of praise. Even then, since God continues to create all the time, each new day pulled new songs of praise from him. The Singer said he was honored to do so, and that the objects of God's creation contributed to the composing of new songs. It was as though the nectar of the seas, the fields and the trees provided choruses for his compositions. The Singer then called us, our family, our nation, all people everywhere to drink deep and compose new songs of praise for God as well. God will judge our songs of praise, not as the top 10 raters but according to our faith. That makes us glad, as it is God who gives us faith, and so we can be confident and also sing praise of that judgment.
Reflection
There are times when we need to be intoxicated by life. To really look around us and see the marvels of God's creation. We need to appreciate the wild violets in the woods and delight in the incredible ugliness of a sloth. Our senses need to reel from the green fields of summer and sharpen via the clear blasts from winter snows. Each is new, different than the one that proceeded it in millions of ways we can only attempt to appreciate. We need to practice creating and singing new songs for God's continual creation and re-creation of all things, including us.
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "The Lord is king!"
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.
Alternate Image
The Singer comes to us; he looks drunk. He says that he has been traveling, he has journeyed all over the earth, he has adventured everywhere. He tells us that the intoxication of each place he traveled demanded he compose a new song of praise. Even then, since God continues to create all the time, each new day pulled new songs of praise from him. The Singer said he was honored to do so, and that the objects of God's creation contributed to the composing of new songs. It was as though the nectar of the seas, the fields and the trees provided choruses for his compositions. The Singer then called us, our family, our nation, all people everywhere to drink deep and compose new songs of praise for God as well. God will judge our songs of praise, not as the top 10 raters but according to our faith. That makes us glad, as it is God who gives us faith, and so we can be confident and also sing praise of that judgment.
Reflection
There are times when we need to be intoxicated by life. To really look around us and see the marvels of God's creation. We need to appreciate the wild violets in the woods and delight in the incredible ugliness of a sloth. Our senses need to reel from the green fields of summer and sharpen via the clear blasts from winter snows. Each is new, different than the one that proceeded it in millions of ways we can only attempt to appreciate. We need to practice creating and singing new songs for God's continual creation and re-creation of all things, including us.
