Brendan Ashley, Middler MDiv student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Scripture
Psalm 150
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Devotional
What an appropriate text for the Advent season. The Psalm mentions the word praise 13 times. It demands that we praise in the sanctuary. It demands that we get ready to meet the incarnate God, our king, through dancing, singing, and playing instruments. It demands praise from everything that breathes; everything that lives.
During this Advent season remember that there are many ways to praise our Lord, and this Psalm is a great example of that. Let us give praise to our Lord Jesus who came on our behalf so that we might know God in the most intimate way. The Lord came and found us in our wandering and complacency. Jesus came for the hungry, the oppressed, and the sick. Our Lord continues to reveal himself to us, by the power of the Holy Spirit. I hope that Advent can draw us ever closer to the movement of the Holy Spirit, so that we can continue to praise God in different ways and places each day.
Prayer
Lord God, creator of the universe, thank you for the life you have breathed into your beautifully diverse creation. Thank you for finding us in our wandering, for meeting us wherever it is our feet take us. I pray that we join in the celebration, praising you with our whole selves. In your Son’s name we pray. Amen.