Under the thatch-work of grace

Ruth Kennedy December 26, 2023 1 5

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Psalm 96 (NIVUK)

1 

Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2 

Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.

3 

Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvellous deeds among all peoples.

4 

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    he is to be feared above all gods.

5 

For all the gods of the nations are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.

6 

Splendour and majesty are before him;
    strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7 

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

8 

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;
    bring an offering and come into his courts.

9 

Worship the Lord in the splendour of his[a] holiness;
    tremble before him, all the earth.

10 

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’
    The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
    he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

12 

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

13 

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Mary, Joseph and Jesus may still be in the same place as they were yesterday, with a manger for a crib. With straw keeping bodies warm. The same place but yet all different.

I wonder if they remembered this psalm? I wonder if they knew the songs of rejoicing that the angels were singing? When Mary met Elizabeth early on in her pregnancy she had this beautiful song which makes me think, Mary probably sang quite a poignant song whilst nursing her newborn. All of heaven come down to earth and held in her arms. Joseph, kissing the son of God.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Why not sing it today? Make up a tune, make up a rap, sing it, say it however! Sing a new song to the Lord and bless his name!

That name – Emmanuel – God with us. With me. With you.

This day, Boxing Day, is a new day for even the fields to be joyful, so how much more do we who have a voice get to rejoice in His great love for us.

We join our voices with heaven's songs and create a thatch-work above us of praise and worship to God.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel is come to you!

Prayer:

Emmanuel, you are our light and you have come, you are here.

You are worth a thousand hallelujahs!

We bring our gifts to you, our lives, everything you have blessed us with, and set them before you in song, a joyful noise we make to you in praise and worship.

Jesus you are extravagant with your love, outrageous with your grace and this continues forever, out of the manger and into the world.

So fill us up today with your holy love as we move out of the manger of praise and into the world today!

Amen.