Epiphany 5
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Alternate Image
The Troubadour has traveled far. He has been pushed, cajoled,
forced, seduced and expelled down many roads in many lands. Now
the traveler returns to his hometown. How good
it seems to be there. On empty streets the traveler recalls the
faces that taught him his basic beliefs and values; the kindly
teacher, the patient rabbi/priest/pastor, a loving and accepting
family. These were the ones that first told him of God's
passionate love for his people. The Troubadour has sung and
conversed with royalty, great philosophers and mighty warriors of
many venues; but it is the common peaceful folk of his village
that best understand God's passion for them. As he begins to
compose in his mind a hymn of praise to their God his gaze
wanders, looking for inspiration. His eyes rest momentarily on a
mighty war horse, then a bone crushing tank and even a soaring
missile loaded with nuclear warheads. He rejects these as symbols
of God's power. Then his eyes fall on a peasant pausing to give
thanks to God before eating a simple meal. She is the real symbol
of God's power, majesty and passion. Focused on the poor woman of
faith, the Troubadour begins his song of faith and praise.
Reflection
As we get older we tend to spend more time reflecting on our
past, our roots and our origin. We consider the people who have
most influenced us. Sometimes they are the great and powerful of
the world, but most often they are just common folk who took the
time to share their ideas, feelings and beliefs about life. They
were the ones who impacted our lives the most. These are the ones
who shaped our images of God. In our own lives these are the ones
that had real power, not those we often consider powerful. The
powerful in our lives are not presidents, corporate leaders or
generals but rather the concerned school teacher, the interested
friend, the caring aunt or an involved parent. These are the
people of power. These are the ones that ready us to sing God's
praise.
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Alternate Image
The Troubadour has traveled far. He has been pushed, cajoled,
forced, seduced and expelled down many roads in many lands. Now
the traveler returns to his hometown. How good
it seems to be there. On empty streets the traveler recalls the
faces that taught him his basic beliefs and values; the kindly
teacher, the patient rabbi/priest/pastor, a loving and accepting
family. These were the ones that first told him of God's
passionate love for his people. The Troubadour has sung and
conversed with royalty, great philosophers and mighty warriors of
many venues; but it is the common peaceful folk of his village
that best understand God's passion for them. As he begins to
compose in his mind a hymn of praise to their God his gaze
wanders, looking for inspiration. His eyes rest momentarily on a
mighty war horse, then a bone crushing tank and even a soaring
missile loaded with nuclear warheads. He rejects these as symbols
of God's power. Then his eyes fall on a peasant pausing to give
thanks to God before eating a simple meal. She is the real symbol
of God's power, majesty and passion. Focused on the poor woman of
faith, the Troubadour begins his song of faith and praise.
Reflection
As we get older we tend to spend more time reflecting on our
past, our roots and our origin. We consider the people who have
most influenced us. Sometimes they are the great and powerful of
the world, but most often they are just common folk who took the
time to share their ideas, feelings and beliefs about life. They
were the ones who impacted our lives the most. These are the ones
who shaped our images of God. In our own lives these are the ones
that had real power, not those we often consider powerful. The
powerful in our lives are not presidents, corporate leaders or
generals but rather the concerned school teacher, the interested
friend, the caring aunt or an involved parent. These are the
people of power. These are the ones that ready us to sing God's
praise.
