Psalm 138:1-8
Of David.
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down towards your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Reflection
This is post number 3001. That's hard for me to believe. I haven't posted every day and every once in a while I lapse for several days due to one reason or another but post 3001? I saw this and had a hard time wrapping my mind around the number. Prior to this I "posted" on my own in emails and prior to emails I "posted" to the computer and prior to the computer I "posted" to various notebooks. I've never thought of counting the posts. Never has this entered my mind. I really didn't think of emailing or blogging until requested to do so for some reason or another, that I can't even remember, from friends. But post I did, in one form or another. I posted out of joy and fun not to pile up posts but to rejoice in the Word of God and God's presence in the posts of life, the ups and downs and ins and outs. Posts that just seemed to take place because of what God has done not because of what I have done. Posts that take me back in my memory...
It all takes me back to the time I remember seeing Mom reading that little white Bible with a zipper on the coffee table. That's how I remember it but somehow I'm not sure about the details of that Bible. Does it really matter? It seems there were a few glossy pictures in it somewhere. I remember seeing Mom all alone reading that Bible. She didn't know I was watching, or at least she didn't let on like she knew I was watching. Seeing this inspired me to love reading the Bible. It inspired numerous conversations with Mom on Sunday afternoons about what she or I had read in the Bible that week. We even had a whole bunch of heated arguments over the Bible and what this or that meant. Arguments that would end with a challenge causing both of us to dig deeper to prove our point! Those were fun arguments! Fun in that most every Sunday "Bible" conversation would end with a challenge. Fun challenges... really fun and sometimes funny. The funny ones were the best ones. Times we could tease each other about being too Roman Catholic, too Baptist, too Pentecostal or whatever, but never too Lutheran. Fun in a way that would stretch our conversations with one another and stretch our conversations with God throughout the week.
The psalm above reminds me of that "fun." The thankfulness of what Mom and I had in common. We could talk and argue with one another and talk and argue with God and have fun the whole time. Fun and thankfulness.
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down towards your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
Fun with the Word made flesh. Fun with the Word made spirit. Fun with the way that God could look upon and participate with two people who were not kings, who were not rich, who were not high and mighty. Fun with Mom and I who could sing and rejoice in the Word of God both in the Bible and in our common faith in Jesus. Yes, Mom and I had fun with one another, in each other's presence and we had fun with Jesus presence right there with us on those Sunday afternoons. A song of a different kind we sang. A song with the Word that came into our presence. To the one observing from the outside we appeared to be in a fight. But to Mom and myself... we were having fun.
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
Those Sunday afternoon arguments, agreements and challenges even in the midst of old age, illness and loss, brought joy and fun. We had fun and I still have fun as I think of Mom, Dad and so many others who have gone before and who are to be in the future that will join us in that everlasting feast at the Table in heaven. I think of this fun as all of these people and friends and relatives join me each Sunday as I take the bread and the wine, the body and the blood and celebrate a foretaste of the feast to come. Fun with the Word... fun with the bread and Body... fun with the wine and Blood... fun in the sacraments... fun in the hearing of the Word... fun in the singing of praise... fun in the going and fun in the doing of God's work in this place. Fun in the steadfast, everlasting, love of God.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Yes, those Sunday afternoons with Mom were fun, challenging and a song of praise to God. Fun with Mom and fun with the Word. Fun that will never stop... Let the conversation, the arguments, the challenges and the Word continue on and on... way beyond post 3001... way into eternity.
Song
Just for the fun of it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygzu4KPMVfs
Prayer
Lord, as I live a life of ups and downs, or rejoicing and of sadness, of pain and freedom; may I live that life in common with those who love you, that all the people will hear the song of joy and thanksgiving that only you can give, come forth in unity from the mouths and the actions and the living of your people. May we all point to Jesus in this everlasting life you have graciously given... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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