Good day dear friends. God's gracious blessings be yours today; go forth in peace and seek to serve without fear, open to loving and seeing all. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 84: 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. (Selah) 5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 8O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! (Selah) 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed. 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you. (NRSV)
Do you sing on the way to church? Or does the radio/MP3 player/satellite radio/DVD player drain your mind as you drive? I remember when our children were young we would sing and sing a lot. We would sing in English and Spanish and it made the journey shorter and happier. Sometimes one of the girls would say, "Again!" And we'd sing the song again. This psalm was believed to be a hymn for pilgrims on their way to Mt. Zion. The singing on the way to church set the tone and mood for the worship once they were there; indeed worship starts when you sing praises to God. Someone even said that you pray twice when you sing. Look at the words again as that double prayer of preparation for what awaited them in worship. The attitude of the song is a joyous, positive one, preparing the singers for worship. Notice the song does not complain that "no one seems to care for our church! There's bird's nests everywhere!" Instead it is thankful that the house of God is able to provide a home for sparrows, including the image of even the birds being a part of worship. The songs thanks God for strength found in God; who listens to and answers our prayers. And the best known line, at least for me, "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere." I read The Message version and decided against using it this morning, but I did like that verse for it said one day in God's house is better than a thousand on a Greek island beach and instead of being a "doorkeeper in the house of my God," it uses, "I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be an invited guest in a palace of sin." You get the point. Serving God with the right heart and spirit is better than to be among temptation and sin.
Ah, the power of song is ours. Start singing now!
PRAYER: Loving God of song and praise, grant to us a right spirit through the gifts of Your songs; prepare us now for worship and service; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
