20 Pentecost/Year A
Oct 18, 2020
Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-9; Matthew 22:15-22
“Sing to God a new song….sing to God, all the whole earth”
Today’s psalm, makes my heart sing, and it lifts up my spirits, every time I begin reading the first few verses, or hear them spoken or sung by someone else…
Psalm 96:1-3/St Helena Psalter
1 Sing to God a new song; *sing to God, all the whole earth.
2 Sing and bless God’s holy Name; *proclaim the good news of salvation from day to day.
3 Declare God’s glory among the nations * God’s wonders among all peoples.
I can’t help, but feel my spirits being lifted with these words….I can’t help but hear a song of joy in my heart….a song of gratitude, a song of thankfulness, a song of hope….the moment my heart and my mind turn towards praising and thanking God for the gift of this new day…the moment I’m reminded, in the words of Julian of Norwich…that “the fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.”
The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything!
Imagine, if we began there each day…with a psalm and song of joy…
*singing to God a new song…offering ourselves to God, at the start of a new day…..
Imagine, if we began there each day…
*singing and blessing God’s holy name….by giving thanks and praise to God for God’s presence in everything, in everyone, and everywhere…
Imagine, if we began there each day, with the intention of:
* singing and declaring God’s glory among all people, in all the ways we can, in whatever ways we can, for however long we can?
Imagine, if we began our day, with a prayer of gratitude, and with the soul/sole purpose to go out into the world, to seek and find God, and behold God in everything, and in everyone….seeking the fullness of joy…for everyone…
What a gift to our weary souls that would be, if we committed to a daily practice, such as this…
What a gift to our weary souls that would be, and to the weary souls of others, if we began our day, praying with a psalm such as this…to help us tune our hearts and minds to God, so that we would recognize the image of God…in our own lives, and in the people and places we encounter throughout our day…
In a time when our days and months are feeling heavy and uncertain, and with no relief, seemingly in sight, for an end to the pandemic, or an end to the suffering, the divisions, the violence, and the widespread acts of oppression and injustice against some of God’s people, that is prevalent in our communities, near and far…being reminded that we are called to be instruments of God’s love and blessing in the world, is an important place to begin each day….
Bishop Mark reminded us in this week’s diocesan newsletter, that even in this time of needing to practice physical distancing from one another, we are not called to be socially distant from each other…we are called and invited anew every day, to seek and find new ways to love God, to love one another, and all of creation…
To find ways to serve as Christ served, to love as Christ loved, to participate and strive for justice and peace in the lives of all Christ's beloved children while maintaining physical distance.(but not social distance) Be instruments of God's peace in these divisive times, (Bishop Mark tells us). Sow love, pardon, union, faith, hope, light, and joy; courageously stand with those who suffer injustice; seek understanding; listen; vote.
Use your voice, and your lives, in gratitude for all God’s blessings…give to God the things that are Gods, be instruments of God’s peace and love and blessing in this world, in these difficult times… actively seek and look for the image of God in one another, and behold God in everything, and in everyone….seek the fullness of joy…for everyone…Lift up your voice, and sing…
(Psalm 96:1-3/St Helena Psalter)
1 Sing to God a new song; *sing to God, all the whole earth.
2 Sing and bless God’s holy Name; * proclaim the good news of salvation from day to day.
3 Declare God’s glory among the nations * God’s wonders among all peoples.
Lift up your hearts and sing, and give thanks for the gifts of God…and the people of God….
Prayer?Hymn at the conclusion of the sermon
The Hymnal 1982 - #362 – Holy, Holy, Holy
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK