Proper 9 / Pentecost 7 / Ordinary Time 14
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
Psalm 48 is a song of praise celebrating the presence of God. God's presence is praised in general, but in particular the psalmist wants to celebrate the manner in which God's presence has blessed Jerusalem and its temple. The psalmist does not say it explicitly, but intimates strongly that it is in Jerusalem's temple that God's presence is most profoundly experienced: "Walk about Zion, go all about it, count its towers, consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels that you may tell the next generation that this is God our God forever and ever" (vv. 12-14).
In the Protestant tradition, there may be some squeamishness about invoking this kind of praise for a building. Our utilitarian pragmatism tends to view buildings as mainly functional. How many times have we heard a sanctuary referred to as an "auditorium"? Reading this lavish praise heaped on the temple in Jerusalem suggests something far beyond mere utility.
But for the psalmist the temple and the city where it resides is more than merely a worship place. This is God's house -- the dwelling of the Most High on earth. When viewed in that light, how could the psalmist do anything less than sing praises to God's "holy mountain, beautiful in elevation ... the joy of all the earth" (vv. 1-2)?
But let's not lose sight of the underlying motive for this song of praise for Jerusalem and its temple. It is not the temple, after all, that makes God present. On the contrary, it is the presence of God that makes the temple holy.
The psalmist writes: "Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense" (v. 3).
It is God's presence that creates and defends the city. It is God's presence that sanctifies the great halls and courts of the temple. It is God's presence that brings security and safety to Israel.
It is in the temple that these blessings of God's presence are remembered and celebrated. And because the temple has been set apart for that purpose, it too is worthy of honor and praise. Not for its own glory, but for the faithful witness it offers to God's goodness.
There is one more piece of this praise song that is truly striking. The psalmist seems to suggest that the magnificence of the worship place stirred awe and fear in those who would be Israel's enemies (cf. vv. 4-8).
What a tribute to a place of worship -- that those who would do us harm fear us not because of our military might, but because of the God we worship!
-- J. E.
In the Protestant tradition, there may be some squeamishness about invoking this kind of praise for a building. Our utilitarian pragmatism tends to view buildings as mainly functional. How many times have we heard a sanctuary referred to as an "auditorium"? Reading this lavish praise heaped on the temple in Jerusalem suggests something far beyond mere utility.
But for the psalmist the temple and the city where it resides is more than merely a worship place. This is God's house -- the dwelling of the Most High on earth. When viewed in that light, how could the psalmist do anything less than sing praises to God's "holy mountain, beautiful in elevation ... the joy of all the earth" (vv. 1-2)?
But let's not lose sight of the underlying motive for this song of praise for Jerusalem and its temple. It is not the temple, after all, that makes God present. On the contrary, it is the presence of God that makes the temple holy.
The psalmist writes: "Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense" (v. 3).
It is God's presence that creates and defends the city. It is God's presence that sanctifies the great halls and courts of the temple. It is God's presence that brings security and safety to Israel.
It is in the temple that these blessings of God's presence are remembered and celebrated. And because the temple has been set apart for that purpose, it too is worthy of honor and praise. Not for its own glory, but for the faithful witness it offers to God's goodness.
There is one more piece of this praise song that is truly striking. The psalmist seems to suggest that the magnificence of the worship place stirred awe and fear in those who would be Israel's enemies (cf. vv. 4-8).
What a tribute to a place of worship -- that those who would do us harm fear us not because of our military might, but because of the God we worship!
-- J. E.
