Psalm 96 (NIV) Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. 12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. 13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
NOW: Sing, sing, sing, praise, proclaim, declare, ascribe, ascribe, ascribe, worship, tremble, say, rejoice, resound, be jubilant, sing, sing! ABOUT: His name, his salvation, his glory, his marvelous deeds, his greatness, his worthiness, his heavens, his splendor, his majesty, his strength, his glory, his glory, his strength, his glorious name, his holiness. BECAUSE: He reigns, he establishes the world, he comes, he judges the earth, he judges the world, he judges the peoples. (Get the message?)
Are you a human being? Be careful how you answer. To be a “real” human being means to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength and to love your neighbor in the way that you love yourself. Adam and Eve were created as humans. Everyone after the fall into sin is not “human” in that full sense of the word. God be praised! We are remade. We believe in Christ alone.
After the fall, every believer must be encouraged to love, give thanks, praise, tell of his glory. We know how to praise human beings for a “good play,” “great performance,” “top-notch job.” We worship to hear about the greatest performance ever and are wrapped in His great gift.
The psalms thus instruct us, focus us, remind us and enlighten us. This psalm lets us know that we are a part of a community. Let all together praise the Lord. As we gather for summer worship, we get to encourage each other with our presence, focusing on Christ our savior. See you for praise! Take the hint!
Pastor Tom Trapp, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XVII, Number 11, June 2016)