Sing a Song of Praise and Thanksgiving

The Rev. Dr. Skip Ferguson

Manassas Presbyterian Church

Manassas, Virginia

February 7, 2016

Sing a Song of Praise and Thanksgiving

Selected Texts

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his

surpassing greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with clanging cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

(Psalm 150)

The psalmist sings his praise

to the Lord our God,

and, as he does so,

he invites us to sing our praise

to God as well.

The psalmist invites us,

encourages us,

teaches us,

even expects us to join him

in singing praise to God,

lifting up our voices to God

with words of praise and thanksgiving.

A quiet prayer,

no matter how fervent -

that’s not what the Psalmist wants;

no soft song sung with reticence.

“Sing and shout with abandon!”  --

That’s what the psalmist

cries out to us to do!

“Sing and shout out with gusto!”

Sing and shout with all our hearts,

all our minds,

all our strength,

all our soul.

Sing, and shout,

for we live in the light of God’s love,

for we are blessed by the Lord our God,

the Lord our God,

the One from whom all blessings flow.

Yes, there is a time to lift up

words of lament,

words of pleading,

words calling out to the Lord,

“God help me.”

The psalmist teaches us that, as well:

“How long, O Lord?

Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul,

and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

…Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

Give light to my eyes,”

These are searing words

expressions of great pain

from the psalmist,

words that surely resonate with all of us,

for we all have had those times in our lives.

And yet, even that Psalm, Psalm 13,

ends thankfully, joyfully,

with praise:

“But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me”

Even the most powerful psalm of lament,

Psalm 22,

that palm that begins with those haunting words,

“My God, my God,

why have you forsaken me?”

Even this psalm ends with words of hope,

words of praise:

“I will tell of your name to

my brothers and sisters;

in the midst of the congregation

I will praise you:

…[for the Lord God] did not hide his face from me,

but heard when I cried to him.”

And so we sing with the psalmist,

as we should:

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!

… 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,…

Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 148)

How good it is to simply stop,

step back,

take a deep breath,

reflect,

be still and know that God is here,

in our lives, present;

that God watches over us;

that God blesses us:

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.

I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand,

I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad,

and my soul rejoices;

my body also rests secure.
…You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures

forevermore.

(Psalm 16)

Let all God’s children be thankful,

for all God’s children are blessed.

Praise the Lord!

AMEN