A VOICE OF THANKSGIVING 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; Psalm 95:1-8; Philippians 4:4-7 Rev. Dr. Louise B. Barger November 20, 2016

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1 A VOICE OF THANKSGIVING 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; Psalm 95:1-8; Philippians 4:4-7 Rev. Dr. Louise B. Barger November 20, 2016 The book of Psalms was the hymn book for the Second Temple. Much like our modern hymnals, there were songs for various occasions, chants for worship, liturgy, and historic creeds. Psalm 95 is a Psalm in two parts. Clearly the first section of the Psalm is a congregational hymn, perhaps a processional hymn, that would have been sung as the people prepared to enter the Temple for worship. The second part of the Psalm might have been read or proclaimed to the worshipers by a priest or a second choir after they had entered the Temple. It was a reminder of the actions of their ancestors' disobedience to God and was and is a cautionary prophecy to the listeners and to all who read. But this morning, this Sunday before Thanksgiving I want to not ignore the second part, but to focus on the first. I want to focus on our thankfulness to our great God. Its theme is praise and thanksgiving to the one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of the heights and the depths, and the Creator of everything that dwells therein. It is a hymn of thanksgiving to the one true God for all of God s wondrous blessing. This would have been a fitting Psalm to have been sung on the occasion of the Feast of the Harvest when the people brought to the Temple the first fruits of their labors from what they had sown in the fields.

2 It would have been a fitting hymn to have been sung on the occasion of the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when they gathered in the fruit of their labors in the field and brought an offering to the Temple. Because of the many crops that were raised in Israel, there were harvest seasons all through the year. As this hymn is sung and as the procession of worshipers move through the gates of the Temple they are reminded by the words of the hymn that they are to perform solemn acts of worship; They are to kneel before the Lord They are to prostrate themselves in God s presence. They are reminded that it is an awesome thing to be in the presence of Holy God. Their worship is to be a vivid, visible portrayal of their devotion to the one true God, and the acknowledgment that they are in God s keeping. Just as we come to celebrate our season of Thanksgiving, so too these worshipers would have had much for which to be thankful. Of course they are thankful for the harvest that God has provided, but they come to the Temple filled with songs of thanksgiving because of the experiences that they have shared with one another and the relationship that they have with the God who has redeemed them out of the land of Egypt, who has preserved them as a people in the wilderness, and who has made of them a great nation in the Land of Promise. God is praised as their Creator, their Redeemer, and their Sustainer. God is also recognized as the One who has been a Shepherd to them throughout the generations, and in return, they are God s thankful people.

3 They are thankful, not only for the harvest that God has given to them, but more so for the shepherding care that God has given to them as God s people. Some areas of the country, some areas of the world, understand sheep ranching better than others. Sheep ranching in this country is more modernized, but in many parts of the world it remains almost the same as in biblical times. The shepherd, no matter in what century the shepherd lives, has a responsibility to be attentive to the needs of the sheep both day and night. The shepherd Guarantees provision for daily needs: food and water, a place to lie down; Gives security from danger: many physical dangers were ever present. David described his shepherding days by saying that he had killed both the lion and the bear when they attacked the sheep under his care; Provides healing when the sheep are wounded or crippled; Rescues the sheep that wander away. The shepherd has one purpose in life: to care for the sheep that are entrusted to him or her. The words of Jesus remind us: I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know my own, and my own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. By declaring this, Jesus moves the relationship of shepherd and sheep from the everyday common sight of sheep in the field being watched over by a reliable shepherd to a divine covenant between Himself and his followers. Jesus Christ has become our Good Shepherd.

4 The Creator of heaven and earth; the Creator of the heights and the depths; the Creator of everything that dwells within this universe, has made a covenant with us to provide for our daily needs. It may not be the way that we would choose; it may not be what we choose. But just as God provided manna and quail and water for the Hebrew children wandering in the wilderness of the desert, God will provide somehow for us. The Creator of heaven and earth and of humankind has made a covenant with us to stand beside us and strengthen us when we are attacked by that which we cannot control; to care for us when our world seems turned upside down; to provide healing and hope when we find ourselves wounded and crippled and plowed under by the events of life. Sometimes lions and bears would seem easy to conquer compared with the attackers that we face. At least lions and bears could be physically driven away or slain, as David described. The Creator of the heaven and earth and humankind has made a covenant with us. We live in an imperfect world where wounding of all kinds happens, and sometimes we hurt and we grieve while others around us do not. At times there are no answers to our questions, but God has promised to bind up the crippled, strengthen the weak, watch over us. God will carry us in God s arms when we cannot walk.

5 And the Creator of heaven and earth and humankind has made a covenant with us to seek us out and rescue and restore us when we wander away from God s best for our lives. God is always in the rescue and restoration business. God can restore relationships, restore broken lives, restore whatever we give of ourselves to God. We do not need to be in perfect, pristine condition to come into God s presence. We only need to present ourselves to God for restoration; present ourselves to God who cared so much for us that God gave God s Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us so that our relationship with God might be restored, made right. If we know anything about the people of Israel who were going up to the Temple to worship God and to sing praises of thanksgiving, we know that their lives had not been exempt from difficulty and adversity. They had not always been in perfect harmony with God and with one another. And yet, they are singing praises to God for the blessings that God has placed into their lives. They were singing hymns of thanksgiving to God. Turn to the person next to you right now and say, I am thankful to God for God heard all of those thanksgivings. As you prepare for that simple meal or that elegant feast this week, list at least one thing each day this week for which you can give thanks to God. And discover that day by day God is blessing you. Amen.