Hallelujah

Posted on by

Year B, Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

[Preached at Cottonwood Church of Christ, January 28, 2024]

Where do we see the present activity of God in our lives? Is God active?

  • Yes, in the past. God delivered Israel from Egypt and Babylon. Yes, God gave Abraham, Moses, and David a covenant to establish relationship. Yes, in Jesus we see the miracles of incarnation, healing, resurrection, and ascension. Yes, in the early church we see the power of God in the global expansion of the Gospel. We see the activity of God in the past.
  • Yes, in the future. We believe and confidently expect God to send Jesus again and raise us all on that final day. We confidently expect God to create a new heaven and a new earth. Yes, we see the activity of God in our futures.
  • And yes, in our present lives. Mostly, I hear about God’s power demonstrated in nature. A seedling that becomes a tree, the stars overhead, the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon.
  • But, what about God’s present activity in our day-to-day affairs? Do we see God actively in our lives? Blessing, comforting, healing, feeding, protecting, rescuing?
    • I am currently reading a book that does not directly reference Christianity. It has all the language of Christianity (e.g., crossing of the tree as a sign of protecting one from evil) but does not name Christianity explicitly. One of those repeated lines, the most explicit, is “your god hangs dead on a tree.” In other words, “Your god has no power here.”
    • And when you listen to the news we cry out, “Where is God?” “Can we give witness to the power of God in the present tense?” Just this week,
      • I sat for jury selection about the Texas Penal Code Section 21.02, continuous sexual abuse of a young child.
      • I read about a car accident killing the mother of three.
      • Or the vast numbers of women and children killed in Gaza.
      • The publish numbers of those affiliated with Christian groups are outnumbered by the NONES.
      • I could go on. Just this week there is a long list from A–Z.
    • And if we do not recognize the presence of God in our lives in the here and now, how is that reflected in our prayers?

Listen to Psalms 111 (the lectionary reading for this fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time)

111:1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

Adoration—becoming what we worship. [in the company of the upright, in the congregation…. Holy and awesome is his name. His praise endures forever.] Praise the LORD! – Hallelujah!  Giving thanks with my whole heart. When was the last time you could fully praise God, a bursting from your heart your adoration of who God is and what God has done—and then to do so in a public place, at church no less. Praise the LORD! – Hallelujah!

  • For me, the familiar music of Hallelujah at church stirs something. Is it the music or is it God that stirs me?

What do we behold? Depending on how you count, I have found 16 attributes of God’s character demonstrated in his actions towards his people. Psalm 111 is an acrostic poem, each line (22) beginning with the letters from the Hebrew alphabet.

Great are the works of the LORD. God gives them the heritage of the nations.
God’s righteousness endures forever. God’s works are faithful.
God’s wonderful deeds God’s works are just.
God is gracious. God’s precepts are trustworthy.
God is merciful. God’s precepts are performed with faithfulness.
God provides food. God’s precepts are performed with uprightness.
God is mindful of his covenant. God sent redemption.
God has shown his people the power of his works. God has commanded his covenant

Do you have a list? Are you able to spend some quiet time this week and write a list about God’s wonderful activity in your life? From A–Z, we worship God. The Psalm signals an A–Z comprehensive celebration list of God’s works. The A–Z list of God’s attributes inspires us to see, adore, praise, and practice. The A–Z list brings forth praise from beginning to end—enduring until time forever.

Such profound Hallelujah leads to the conclusion of the Psalm — The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. The fear of the Lord is a way of life, a way of being in the world that always acknowledges God’s presence in your life but also to practicing a way of living that honors and praises God in the present moment. And I see it! I see it now In the company of the upright, in the congregation. I see it all around me when I see us, when I see you, I see the activity of God.

Attune your hearts! Attend to the present moments of your life! Activate your practice of the wisdom the Lord in your daily life.

Listen Again—

111:1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.