Jan 1 - How Can We Keep From Praising

Psalm 148:1-14
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!

9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 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!

Luke 2:22-40
22When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

*******

It’s hard to believe Christmas has already come and gone. Weeks and weeks of preparation have finally come to an end. All of the presents have already been unwrapped, the games/movies/CD’s are in full use, new clothes have been tried on, washed and put away. Clothes that didn’t fit or were the wrong color or style have been exchanged.

Even though the Christmas season actually runs all the way to January 6, Epiphany (the day we celebrate the arrival of the magi from the east), things pretty much have settled back down. All of the anticipation that led up to Christmas has faded. Perhaps the people responsible for selecting the Bible texts each week were aware of this. On the first Sunday after Christmas each year, the same psalm is assigned to be read: Psalm 148.

“Praise the Lord!” it begins. In Hebrew that’s “Hallelu Yah.” “Praise the Lord!” it ends. Again, “Hallelu Yah!” Praise is all that seems to be on the psalmist’s mind. Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise the Lord from the earth! Praise, praise, praise, praise, praise! Thirteen times … and usually not as a suggestion, or a statement, or even a request. More like instruction or command: “Praise!”

And look who is called upon to praise God. Praise the Lord, sun and moon! Praise the Lord all you sea monsters, yes sea monsters. Praise the Lord you stormy wind, and snow. Praise the Lord you mountains and trees. Praise the Lord all cattle and flying birds. If this sounds strange, think about the words to the favorite Christmas carol we sang on Christmas Eve:

Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king.
Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Not only are human beings called to celebrate the coming of God’s son, but all heaven and nature are to get into the act.

In Psalm 148, all heaven and nature are singing praise to God. The psalmist seems to have the first creation story in Genesis on his mind as he runs down the list. He looks first to everything in the heavens: the angels, then the greater light that rules the day (the sun) and the lesser light that rules the night (the moon), along with the stars, then the waters above the heavens (they used to believe the rain came from water above the heavens running through slots that opened up).

What began in the heavens now continues on the earth. First are the inhabitants of the oceans and those sea monsters. Then the psalmist moves to all kinds of weather: snow and hail, wind, frost and fire (probably caused by lightning). Next commanded to praise God are the trees, both those which are good for building and those that produce fruit for eating. This is followed by all manner of animals, wild and domesticated, on the ground and in the air.

We have to wait practically to the end before the psalmist mentions people, you and I. Just as the list of God’s creatures is intended to include all of creation, so the psalmist has tried to encompass all people: kings and princes and rulers and all nations, male and female, young and old. No one has been left out. God values each person and each person’s offering of praise regardless of status or wealth or age or gender.

Of course you may be wondering how the sun, moon and stars praise God. How about the mountains, or the weather, or the sea monster, or the wild animals, for that matter? How do they all praise God? The psalmist says, “Praise the Lord, you stormy wind fulfilling God’s command.” Perhaps, the answer is that all creation praises the Lord by being what they were created to be. That may also be the best way to describe how we can praise the Lord: by being what God created us to be, by living faithful and humble lives before God with God’s help.
And Luke’s story gives us several examples.

Mary and Joseph. Despite the amazing and almost unbelievable events surrounding the birth of their son, they continued to observe the practices of their faith. They performed the rituals of Mosaic Law which after required coming to the temple and offering a sacrifice. They honored their faith commitment as responsible parents. The rituals they observed not only marked the transition from one stage to another in their new life as a family, they were a reminder and encouragement from the community of faith to support the parents.

Simeon. Serving in the temple all his life, waiting for a glimpse, a peek at God’s promised hope for the world. How many of us would still trust in a promise made more than eighty years earlier. Yet, Simeon remained hopeful and faithful to God to the end. More than that, he didn’t just stand and observe from a distance, but shared his news, both hopeful good news, and hard, fearful news. And having witnessed God’s salvation for the world, Simeon can courageously accept death.

Anna. Also serving in the temple probably since she became a widow many decades earlier. In her eighties, Anna, too, is graced with seeing the child, the redemption of Jerusalem and the world. And like Simeon, she will not observe silently but shares her testimony, God’s good news, with all who are seeking hope. The word become public.

Mary and Joseph, Simeon, Anna – all praising God by their faithful, humble lives and service to God, lives lived in the light of promise and hope.
By the end of Psalm 148, all creation is praising God. Isn’t that what we find in the Christmas story? The star of Bethlehem, angels, sheep, cows, the mountains and fields, the magi, all offering praise to God at the birth of Jesus. And we, too, join in the celebration every year at Christmastime with decorations, gifts, festive meals, and traveling to visit friends and family.

But for some this is a difficult time. Seasonal depression, loneliness, strained finances, strained relationships, and bittersweet memories can bring a kind of darkness to their lives. How do you praise when you don’t feel like praising? When times are tough? When the news is bad? Or when one is all alone?

By describing all creation praising God, Psalm 148 suggests we are all connected.

There are seasons, Christmas included, in which it may not be easy to find a voice for praise. Sometimes the word or song of praise gets silenced by a lump in our throat, as though we have swallowed too much grief or sorrow or loneliness to utter a sound. Sometimes praise is no more than a whisper, because we are exhausted or afraid or ill. What happens when we ourselves are too sad or too weak to offer praise of God? This psalm exclaims the hopeful, comforting message that we are not isolated or alone in our vocation of praise. From start to finish, Psalm 148 places us within a vast, diverse universe where continual praise is being offered to God: Angels and stars, fire and frost, wild and domesticated animals, men and women, young and old, wealthy and poor … join in a terrestrial and celestial symphony of praise.

So, when our own song or spirit is silenced, praise still fills the space around us. In a time of personal darkness, we may stand in the midst of the congregation or with one other person, we may sit in a field or float on the water, we may listen to the birds of the air or sit with the family pet and let this creation, these creatures, these companions praise God for us until we find our voice again.

Our common vocation, which is to praise, is the heart and soul of our interrelatedness to God, to one another, to the universe. Praise, then, is a gift that brings us out of isolation and into communion. And communion is what Christmas is most truly about: God’s desire to be at one with us, Immanuel, and that in Christ God is reconciling all things. Psalm 148 will give voice for many to the joy experienced in this season. For others struggling through these days, Psalm 148 can offer assurance that they are not alone, left in isolation and silence. Let all creation and the community of faith say for them, “Praise the Lord!”

The Lord’s name be praised! Amen.