Psalm 48
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense. Then the kings assembled; they came on together. As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight; trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor, as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory. Let Mount Zion be glad; let the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments. Walk about Zion; go all around it; count its towers; consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever. Psalm 48 (NRSVUE)
Our family recently spent a week in and around Seattle, WA visiting Bradyn’s Godparents. They are both Lutheran Pastors, who now lead two separate congregations in the area. We spent the first couple of days seeing the sites, hiking all around and absorbing life in the Pacific Northwest. The area really tends to just go with the flow and take each moment as it comes. A refreshing mindset. The landscape is diverse and vast. Mount Rainier is shockingly large compared to the surrounding Cascade Mountain area, dominating the skyline on a cloudless day. The Pacific Ocean is cold, filled with sustained winds, but bustling activity on shore. Puget Sound, and specifically Elliot Bay, has ferries to move people and vehicles around to explore area islands, gives life to downtown Seattle and a safe gateway to ocean cruise life. I now understand the attraction to the area.
In today’s Psalm, Mount Zion is described in ways reminding me of our travels. The creative beauty of God’s power is shown in the mountain, winds that can challenge ships just as God turned away attacking enemy kings, and experiencing the unknown only to find a calmness in the word of God. On Sunday during our trip, we attended church at Mountain View Lutheran, a congregation of 600 members that has sustained itself over 125 years. Bradyn was asked by his Godfather to help with the service by leading the creed and prayers, to help serve communion and share a solo during the offering no different than he has numerous times at Southwood. The entire worship experience was welcoming, uplifting and filled with tremendous joy centered in God’s love. The psalmist asks all of us to tell the next generation that God will be with us forever and by attending worship states away, it was a great reminder to our family that the word of God has indeed been shared and spread throughout the land just as intended. The next time you are away from Southwood on a weekend vacation, consider worshiping in person with a local congregation if you are able. Hopefully it’s a great reminder that the word of God is resounding in steadfast love and shared wherever you may be. Amen
Questions for Reflection:
- How do you help pass the word of God onto future generations?
- When you are out exploring a new area, have you considered exploring worship as well?
Prayer:
Dear God,
Our lives are filled with tremendous joy, but sometimes with challenges that can be difficult to overcome. Just as the attacking kings in the Psalm were turned away by God, let us all lean into your teachings as our source of guidance and faith through good and bad. Remind us to continually share your word with our next generations in order to sustain our congregations and the entire body of Christ.
Amen
Login To Leave Comment