Proper 25
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
"The Lord has done great things for them."
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Alternate Image
The Singer hosts a birthday party. There is a huge cake in the
shape of a book. After all the people have gathered and each one
given a piece of cake, the Singer lifts her fork as though it was
a champagne glass and encourages her friends to do the same.
After appropriate toasting words, the Singer and her friends dig
their forks into their pieces of cake and eat a mouthful. First
one begins to giggle, another chuckles, yet another begins to
laugh. Soon the entire assemblage is laughing and laughing. Amid
the peals of laughter and shaking bodies someone comments, "This
the best scripture cake I have ever eaten."
Reflection
At this memorial party the psalmist lifts up the victory of
Cyrus in 538 B.C. when the exiles were liberated. It was a dream
come true. Not a single life had been lost in the liberation and
it was a time of celebration. Such were the conditions that
produced this delightful line, "our mouth was filled with
laughter."
God has a wonderful sense of humor, a sense of humor that
delights in surprising us. God took a young couple and set them
out on an adventure to found an entire new nation. But God did
not allow them to have any children until they were well into
their old age. No wonder Sarah named their baby Isaac, which
means, "God laughs."
God continues to surprise us. When we get the joke -- have
faith -- we too can eat our cake and have our mouths filled with
laughter.
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
"The Lord has done great things for them."
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Alternate Image
The Singer hosts a birthday party. There is a huge cake in the
shape of a book. After all the people have gathered and each one
given a piece of cake, the Singer lifts her fork as though it was
a champagne glass and encourages her friends to do the same.
After appropriate toasting words, the Singer and her friends dig
their forks into their pieces of cake and eat a mouthful. First
one begins to giggle, another chuckles, yet another begins to
laugh. Soon the entire assemblage is laughing and laughing. Amid
the peals of laughter and shaking bodies someone comments, "This
the best scripture cake I have ever eaten."
Reflection
At this memorial party the psalmist lifts up the victory of
Cyrus in 538 B.C. when the exiles were liberated. It was a dream
come true. Not a single life had been lost in the liberation and
it was a time of celebration. Such were the conditions that
produced this delightful line, "our mouth was filled with
laughter."
God has a wonderful sense of humor, a sense of humor that
delights in surprising us. God took a young couple and set them
out on an adventure to found an entire new nation. But God did
not allow them to have any children until they were well into
their old age. No wonder Sarah named their baby Isaac, which
means, "God laughs."
God continues to surprise us. When we get the joke -- have
faith -- we too can eat our cake and have our mouths filled with
laughter.
