Last Sunday After Epiphany
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees,
and the statues that he gave them.
O Lord our God you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Extol the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy.
Alternative Image
The Singer sits on a log absentmindedly poking his cloak. His cloak is tattered and worn, full of holes. How like his life and character, thinks the singer, full of holes, tattered, and worn. All the things not done, things done that shouldn't have been done, things not even considered that should have been. The singer thinks of God's cloak and God's sitting on all the little gods the Singer has served. God's cloak, complete, clean, resplendent covering all with goodness. God's cloak is a cloak of righteousness. A whole garment without blemish, without seam or seaminess. A whole garment symbolic of god's creative and re-creative love. The Singer pictures himself sitting on a footstool touching the hem of God's cloak. There is a cry from the earth and its inhabitants. The Singer sees God's cloak being draped over all the earth and its peoples. God's cloak covers them with love giving all fullness of life. A holy cloak wiping away sin and bringing forgiveness. The Singer then looks anew at his own cloak and finds it bright, clean and beautiful. Holey, wholly, holy.
Reflection
There are times when we would like to put our lives in a giant, spiritual washing machine. Times when we are so aware of our shortcomings, our failings, our sins. At those times we feel bad and disconnected; our lives are full of holes. When that happens it is helpful then to take our eyes from ourselves and view God. Viewing God we are overwhelmed by God's power, might, justice, love and forgiveness. We see God's holiness. As we consider God and God's demonstrated love for us, we see God's holiness spilling over on us through the life of Christ. As God's holiness spills over us we feel our separateness changing to connection with all creation. We feel justice, love and health appearing in life. We feel a wholeness in our lives that only God's holiness can bring. From our experience from holey lives transformed by God's holiness to create wholly lives, we sing God's praise; "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ..."
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees,
and the statues that he gave them.
O Lord our God you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Extol the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy.
Alternative Image
The Singer sits on a log absentmindedly poking his cloak. His cloak is tattered and worn, full of holes. How like his life and character, thinks the singer, full of holes, tattered, and worn. All the things not done, things done that shouldn't have been done, things not even considered that should have been. The singer thinks of God's cloak and God's sitting on all the little gods the Singer has served. God's cloak, complete, clean, resplendent covering all with goodness. God's cloak is a cloak of righteousness. A whole garment without blemish, without seam or seaminess. A whole garment symbolic of god's creative and re-creative love. The Singer pictures himself sitting on a footstool touching the hem of God's cloak. There is a cry from the earth and its inhabitants. The Singer sees God's cloak being draped over all the earth and its peoples. God's cloak covers them with love giving all fullness of life. A holy cloak wiping away sin and bringing forgiveness. The Singer then looks anew at his own cloak and finds it bright, clean and beautiful. Holey, wholly, holy.
Reflection
There are times when we would like to put our lives in a giant, spiritual washing machine. Times when we are so aware of our shortcomings, our failings, our sins. At those times we feel bad and disconnected; our lives are full of holes. When that happens it is helpful then to take our eyes from ourselves and view God. Viewing God we are overwhelmed by God's power, might, justice, love and forgiveness. We see God's holiness. As we consider God and God's demonstrated love for us, we see God's holiness spilling over on us through the life of Christ. As God's holiness spills over us we feel our separateness changing to connection with all creation. We feel justice, love and health appearing in life. We feel a wholeness in our lives that only God's holiness can bring. From our experience from holey lives transformed by God's holiness to create wholly lives, we sing God's praise; "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ..."
