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Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 148) Reflection As I read that Psalm of praise another song of praise popped into my head. It is a Cameroon praise song - “Praise, Praise, Praise the Lord!”. I believe I first sang that hymn when I was in a choir in seminary. We were learning and singing songs from other traditions – mainly African. It was my first time singing a lot of songs from other countries. It was a fantastic experience. At that time, I also was introduced to Taize worship songs. I truly appreciate all types of music that help me feel closer to God and that expand my faith. Of course, at this time of year, Christmas carols are my go-to music to celebrate and praise God. --Charlene Rineer Prayer Gracious almighty God, we sing praises to your holy name. May we continually lift up our voices in songs of praise to you. Help us spread our joy throughout the world as we also learn from other nations and cultures. In this season of Christmas may we share your love, peace, joy, and hope to all. AMEN. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Advent, we long for Christ’s coming: Christ coming as a baby; Christ coming again; Christ in our lives today.
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