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The sacrifice of thanksgiving. This is what the psalmist offers the Lord in response to all that the Lord has done. To worship the Lord does require some sacrifice! Something of ourselves must be brought to the temple and offered before the Lord. This makes our worship meaningful and personal. Sacrifice doesn’t always mean something painful or difficult. Perhaps we are not used to thinking of thanksgiving as sacrifice. Often we sacrifice a great deal for the ones we love but do not see it as sacrifice but a joy! We spent our time, talents and treasures freely on our family and friends. This is a sacrifice but a joyful one! This week as we ponder the gift of Easter I wonder what sacrifice you might bring to the Lord? How might you offer something of yourself to the Lord as a response to all that He has done for you?
Psalm 116:11-16 11 What shall I give unto the Lord * for all the benefits that he has done unto me? 12 I will lift up the cup of salvation * and call upon the Name of the Lord. 13 I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all his people; * dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 14 O Lord, I am your servant; * I am your servant, and the child of your handmaid; you have broken my bonds asunder. 15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving * and will call upon the Name of the Lord. 16 I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the sight of all his people, * in the courts of the Lord’s house, even in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! What does it mean to fear the Lord? God is to be feared. This doesn’t mean that we run away in terror from the Lord! God is not a character in a horror film. Fear is an appropriate response to God’s almighty power. Fear used appropriately gives us a healthy respect for the Lord. As I teach my children to use power tools to cut and shape wood I want them to know the great power these tools have. A bit of fear keeps them focused, disciplined and safe! The Psalmist says that we start to have wisdom when we fear the Lord! It is God's power that creates and sustains us. His power is the power of life. We are completely beholden to God for all that we have. Understanding God’s power over us should create some fear. We have no control or ability to sustain ourselves. This fear causes us to turn our attention to the Lord. He becomes the focus of our life and all other cares and worries become distractions. This is truly the beginning of wisdom. What fears do you have in life? Are those fears greater than God? Give these fears over to the Lord trusting in His power and begin a journey of wisdom! Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, * and are so far from my cry, and from the words of my complaint? This Psalm was first written by King David during a time of anguish and distress. When his need is greatest God feels far from him. Yet David has not given up faith or hope. He still calls out to “my God”. Regardless of his own sense of abandonment during a painful moment he knows God is worthy of his cry and his trust. As Christians, these words bring a silent awe. Coming from the lips of our savior they are the cry of a Son to a Father. It is hard to understand why any father would abandon their beloved except for the sake of another beloved. Our savior suffered this abandonment for our sake. The true nature of death's pain is not just the physical pain but the deep sense of absence. Death is the great divider of bodies and souls. After death we no longer see and feel the ones we love. For Jesus to become completely human means that he had to experience death to its fullest extent. He was cut off from the living. Our Father is the living God and he gave his son over to the separation of death. “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Jesus still calls to the living God and places his trust in Him even when the future seems bleak. St Luke along with the other gospel writers interprets Jesus' cry as a yielding of His Spirit to His Father. Even in death Jesus is faithful to His father. Even in death Jesus proclaims his love and unity with humanity. These are difficult times for many of us. We each have our unique worries and fears. Perhaps you feel like you are suffering alone. Like you have been abandoned or forgotten. Our Lord Jesus understands this feeling. The cross tells us that He has not abandoned us! He journeys with us even into despair, loneliness and death so that we might share in His love, His presence, and His life. Jesus cries out to His Father, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me” so that we will never have to. |
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