Reflections
Psalm 96: 1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10 (Read)“Awesome is He; give to the Lord
the glory due His name!”
The Psalm is a message to Israel’s
neighbors, and to the rest of the world, that there is one true God. “Tell God’s glory among the nations; among all peoples, God’s marvelous deeds.”
The Israelites have returned from exile and have been brought back
from near death as a people. The
remnant has survived, and the
Israelites have been delivered by
the one and only God.
And so they sing a “new song,” celebrating the
“newness of God” that comes with the joy of
praising Him as sovereign. “Sing to the Lord a
new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands.”
As the Psalm says, we are all summoned to
adoration of our sovereign. We are called
to give Him glory and praise.
In the 1st reading the prophet Isaiah confirms
there is no other God besides Him. (Isaiah 45: 5)
The gods of other nations are mere idols, and they
all do nothing, says our psalmist. But our God made
the heavens; He is to be praised and feared.
And how do we praise Him?
How do we give the Lord the glory due His name?
We engage in works of faith; we undertake a labor
of love for Him, as St. Paul tells us in today's
2nd reading. (1 Thessalonians 1: 3)
All peoples are invited to recognize our God,
and pledge to obey Him. “Say among the nations,
“The Lord is King; the world will surely stand fast,
never to be shaken.”
And having acknowledged that God is sovereign,
how should we and all the nations behave?
The Gospel tells us how -- Jesus says,
“Repay to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22: 21)
And we understand our calling,
“Give to the Lord the glory due His name!”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm exhorts us to "Sing to the Lord a new song."
How does your song go when you sing praise to God? What
do you have to say to the Lord?
2. Our psalmist encourages us to "Give the Lord glory and honor."
We are called to give glory to God in the works of faith that we do.
Speak of how you give God the glory in what you do.
There is one, true God, and we are required to acknowledge that He is Sovereign. We are required to give to God what belongs to Him…our time, treasure and talent, and the glory that is due His name. We’re expected to engage in works of Faith, and undertake a labor of love for Him. In summary, it’s love God and love your neighbor. It’s Faith and Good Works! How simple……just do it!!!
ReplyDelete"Speak of how you give God the glory in what you do."
ReplyDeleteSo whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
When people encounter the glory of God, they respond in ways of fear, awe, wonder, worship, dread, respect, conviction, repentance, humility. God is big, we’re small. God is good, we’re bad. We exist for God; God does not exist for us. Our eternal God, Jesus, comes into human history as a human being, and He lives a life that is completely, utterly, consistently glorifying to God without any sin as our example of how a life of glorifying God is to be lived.
So the question is, how do I glorify God in the day-to-day stuff of life? I Look to Jesus: For example: Did Jesus lie to people? Jesus didn’t lie, I shouldn’t lie. Did Jesus steal? He didn’t steal. I shouldn’t steal.
If I claim to be a Christian, however I’m living my life, I live it to the glory of God, following the example of Jesus, who glorified God in all times and ways.
This means I've got to read my Bible a lot and really be loving and learning about Jesus to know how to be a good missionary who lives in a culture that isn’t about Jesus. Live in that culture in such a way as to honor and glorify God in all things, including food and drink and work and friendship and power and money and all of it.