Psalm 99
The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the Lord, and he answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy. Psalm 99 (NRSVUE)
One Christmas, when our two boys were small, some of my family had come to stay with us. We were at Southwood for the Christmas Eve service and as we were singing a Christmas hymn, I looked down the row from one end and I could see each family member with my father at the other end. My dad had a beautiful voice and loved to sing. You could see how much he loved being there. I remember thinking, I am so thankful for this moment. I am so thankful for all the Christmases, for my family and the faith they raised me with. It was a holy time.
In this psalm, the psalmist is reminding the people of those who had gone before them. Of Moses and Aaron and Samuel. Of all the ways God had been active in their lives and guided them. The psalmist wants them to remember their heritage and to continue to worship together and praise the Lord their God. To remember God’s holiness.
We may not be in the same category as Moses, Aaron and Samuel, but each of us has influence too. I am thankful for the many people in my life who have been examples for me, supported me, guided me . . . and it reminds me that the way we live our lives has an impact on those around us.
I’m not suggesting that there is a certain way we should look or act; one way my father communicated his faith was through the joy and reverence with which he sang hymns. He wasn’t evangelizing, he was immersed in his love of Christ, and it showed. So perhaps the answer to how we live as examples is as simple as letting our love for Christ show. In some ways that will be unique for each of us. What will be the same, is how people feel that love.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you been with someone who you knew loved Christ? How did you know?
- What does “letting your love for Christ show” look like for you?
Prayer:
Holy God, Letting our love for Christ show seems like it should be easy, but there are so many distractions and temptations. Thank you for all those who have shown us how to love Christ. May we follow their example and grow in our relationship with Christ and in how we live out that love with others. Amen.
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