Good Morning Friends,
Today as we continue our journey from Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost, we consider the last of the six Psalms 113-118, called collectively the Hallel, which were recited as a unit on joyous occasions like the feast days centuries ago in Israel. Hallel is the root of the imperative Hallelujah! So, it is appropriate as part of a Spiritual tradition to sing musical compositions like Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus on Easter Sunday as we did a few weeks ago. Maybe Jesus sang one of Psalms with the disciples in the Upper Room following the Last Supper. Tradition has it that the Hallel was written by Moses and recited in Jewish homes during the Passover meal. Its singing is linked to Christ’s entry into Jerusalem as well. Martin Luther considered Psalm 118 his favorite in the Bible. Today Psalm 23 is voted the favorite by most people. But I wonder, Do You Have A Favorite Psalm And Do You Pray It As A Way To Celebrate?
Scripture: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 118 (NRSV)
The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?
Matthew 21:9, 39,39,42 (NRSV)
Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
Mark 11:9-10, 12:10-11 (NRSV)
See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'” saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” But he looked at them and said, “What then does this text mean: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
Luke 13:35, 19:38, 20:17
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!”
John 12:13 (NRSV)
This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’
Acts 4:11 (NRSV)
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,”
1 Peter 2:7 (NRSV)
When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:26 (NRSV)
Message: Today we have a Psalm that Jesus and the disciples may have sung in the upper room at the Last Supper during Passover but the theme of Christ being the Cornerstone is a song and prayer for us to share any day. For each and every day is a day that the Lord has made.
And in contemplating A Psalm being sung at the Last Supper, I think it should not be viewed as an ending but as a beginning as with the first communion. For Jesus the Last Supper…the first communion, is meant to be the hope of forgiveness and so too with the Psalm in the face of great drama in the hope of forgiveness found in the love of God. The Hallel brings special meaning tied to the Passover and the Passover Lamb of God, Jesus. But then Psalms 23 and 22 do as well. The scene at the Last Supper is filled with tension and drama. This night of the Passover in Jerusalem is filled with images of the first. Lambs are being sacrificed. And in this meal of remembrance Jesus is surrounded by His disciples and is breaking the unleavened bread pierced and striped, it is like that first event in the Exodus. But the song is sung to perhaps a different tune on this day and may not have been sung at the first Passover at all. Interestingly it was Martin Luther’s favorite Psalm and for us today it becomes for us a Psalm of comfort in the face of great challenges when we stand alone in a fight. Today’s Psalm 118 is one for those who take a stand for what they believe and suffered for it…even rejection. It is a religious call to worship and provides a deliverance in the face of persecution. But God has inspired a psalm for the entire range of human emotion and every sigh of the soul. Exhilaration, frustration, discouragement, guilt, forgiveness, joy, gratitude, dealing with enemies, contentment, discontentment are all found in the book of Psalms as a way of helping us to learn to praise God.
And So, the Psalms do not exactly fit the way people pray today any more than people grasp the full context of taking up a cross but we all would do well to pray the Psalms more often. The message in praying and singing Psalms is to be in tune with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You see, God gave the Psalms to us so that we would give the Psalms back to God in praise. So, claim this day for Him. Learn to praise God with all your heart, mind, might and soul. Make it count by encouraging others, by building up a life of character in Christ. Remember that this life will soon pass and only what is done for Christ will last. But also remember that each day brings new mercies, and we have a chance to rejoice in them. For each day brings new blessings and we have a chance to not only receive but give them. Friends, each day brings something unexpected, and, in this uncertainty, we are to expect Christ. So today we are to be ready to meet God. We are to discover God this day in prayer and singing and remember that the same praise we offer before a storm or before a call to worship is the same praise we need to offer during and after these events. We need to remember that God is near and as close as a prayer that matures us in the reality that God’s love never gives up.
Pray we have a song of thanksgiving in our hearts. Pray we realize that the psalms were inspired by God for the purpose of being sung to God. Pray that the Lord will show His goodness and loving kindness in our lives. Pray that when defeat seems imminent, He will lead us to victory. Pray that despite all the problems of life we find joy. Pray that this day we wake up in the joy of a new day…pray we dress up with a smile that comes from knowing God. Pray we shut up when we are about to grumble… Pray we stand up for our belief in Jesus…. Pray we look up to Him for our every need…Pray we reach up to Him when everything else fails…pray we lift up to Him all of our burdens and cares with gratitude. Praying…rejoicing in the Lord. Pray the Lord’s Prayer. Pray the Apostles’ Creed. Pray the words of the doxology. Pray the Psalms. Pray about the events of the day and day to come with a focus on those moments we were or hope to be aware of God’s presence. Pray in the memory of the mysteries of joy and sorrow and light and God’s glory. Pray for our motivation, attitudes and plans to be a way of glorifying God. Pray our prayers are in unity with the greater life to come on earth as in heaven. Pray with praise your favorite Psalm today and if you do not have one, pray in the hopes of a Psalm that might become for you a favorite as you offer it to God in praise.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 