As December and the year of 2008 draw to a close, we join together in the last Psalm in the book of Psalms – Psalm 150.

Psalm 150 (commentary by Dave Steele)

            Praise the Lord!

                        Man never was intended, surely to come to church so doggoned early, Yet, here I am beneath this steeple gathered with God’s dozin’ people.  Just look at us! …I might have guessed … We all could use a lot more rest.  Perhaps this morn we’ll be so blessed.

            Praise God in His Sanctuary!  Praise Him in His mighty Firmament!

                        Good! … She’s going to read a psalm.  I love them, for they seem so calm.  I’ll join the other people here And let my mind slip out of gear.

            Praise Him for His Mighty deeds!

            Praise Him according to His Exceeding greatness!

                        The Joneses are late ... They’ll have to wait.  (My word, it’s hard to concentrate!)

:           Praise Him with Trumpet Sound!

                        I’ve come to find some peace and ease, and so, Dear Lord, no trumpets, please!  Well, I recall, that dreadful noise committed by those Beazley boys Who tooted here last Eastertide And gave me thoughts of homicide!

            Praise Him with Lute and Harp!

                        Lutes and harps … that’s much more wise! And I’ll lean back and close my eyes…

            Praise Him with Timbrel and Dance!

                        Do you suppose there’s any chance That someone will get up and dance?  Oh, no one here would be so crass!  Thank God – we’re upper middle class!

            Praise Him with Strings and Pipe!

            Praise Him with Sounding Cymbals!

                        WHAT???

            Praise Him with Sounding Cymbals

                        One more like that, for heaven’s sake, And we will all be wide awake.

            Praise Him with Loud Crashing Cymbals!  

            Well, Lord, I guess to each one here, Your point is now completely clear.  You seem to feel your drowsy sheep Can’t worship well while half asleep.  We thought you were more tenderhearted.  But now we’re up … So let’s get started!

            Let Everything that breathes praise the Lord!

            Praise the Lord!

            So let’s get started!  As you know, Thanksgiving is past.  Advent Season held children’s programs at schools and here at church.  There were adult programs and Christmas caroling.   The calendar says that Christmas is over.  Some of you have put your decoration away.  Some of you have even sent family away. We are at the end of the month and the end of the year.  So much has happened.  In some ways some want to very much forget about 2008.   Yet, truly the party is not over. 

Psalm 150 is so full of celebration and worship and praise of God.  We are told at the very beginning WHAT we are called to be doing.  We are called to “Praise the Lord!”   What better way to conclude 2008 AND anticipate 2009, as we worship and praise God together today.

            The psalmist tells us that every creature that has breath is to praise God everywhere and with every means available.  Along with the what we are called to be doing, we are also told where, why, how, and who should praise.    And, the reason for this worship and praise?  God!   God’s glorious appearing!  God and His might as Creator and Savior through Jesus.

            Now certainly, there are psalms of lament that call for heart-rending sorrow by God’s people.  Other psalms call for quiet reflection on God’s acts throughout history….Acts that are sometimes puzzling and often incomprehensible to us.  There are also times for celebration.  For instance, Second Samuel 6 (4-15), tells us that when King David brought the ark to Jerusalem, to the place he had prepared for it, the arrival of the ark was announced by trumpets.  David danced with abandon before God.  And then later in scripture, when the people praise God for the completion of the building of the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day, the sound of trumpets, cymbals, harps, lyres and singing was so loud that “the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away (Neh 12:43).  Part of this could have been that the trumpet used then was the Sho’phar – or ram’s horn.  It makes a tremendous noise and that noise truly does go the distance.   If nothing else, this psalm tells us that it is alright to make noise!  That is – appropriate praise noise for God. 

            But WHERE? Where are we to praise God?   Everything that has breath is to praise God “in His sanctuary” and “in His mighty firmament – that is, His heavens.”  Judging from this parallel of God’s sanctuary and His mighty heavens this refers primarily to God’s dwelling in heaven.  However, the list of musical instruments would be those we can be pretty sure that would have been used in the earthly Jewish temple.  This suggests the earthly places of worship.  So we are to praise God on earth and in heaven.  We are to praise God …. well, everywhere!

            And WHY?  Why is the Lord to be praised?  We are to praise God for His greatness.  We are to praise Him for His mighty acts….His works in creation, history, and His ongoing redeeming work through His Son Jesus Christ.  We are to praise God’s surpassing greatness in  His attributes.  God attributes include His sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, love, grace, goodness, compassion, justice, truth, wisdom, and the fact that He never changes.  And so, God is to be praised because of everything He is, as well as for all He has done and will yet do.

            And hear this.  We are also to praise God according to His excellent greatness.  M-m-m- According to His excellent greatness.  Not according to how we feel – or don’t feel – but according to HIS excellent greatness.   That’s some kind of praise we are to be doing!  It’s like this:  If my buddy Bill Gates gives me a dollar, he is gives me that dollar out of his wealth – not according to his massive wealth.  We are not to give just a buck’s worth of praise to God….but praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

            This year we have seen much of what God has done out of His excellent greatness.  God has been faithful and ever present during diagnosis of cancer for several among us.  He has been compassionate and full of grace and comfort during times of dying and death.  He continues to be good and wise in caring for our several grieving families – and us.  We have felt and seen God’s healing power with many here today.  We have seen His sovereignty and wisdom throughout the many years of worshipping in the Fellowship Hall, in guiding the building of this particular facility, to the open house for this Sanctuary and the first of many worship services here.  God’s excellent greatness continues to be shown as the many youth gather right down stairs in their own dedicated space for worship, fellowship, spiritual growth and then bringing more youth to Him.  There have been reconciled relationships among several within this congregation.  New and renewed relationships with Jesus are being formed.  We have seen His mercy and excellent greatness in the Metrolink crisis and the recent fires, and in a single rolling car accident with no injuries.  And yes, even in this economic crisis, with job layoffs, no work and no income, God remains faithful, holy and good.   So yes, in the joy-filled times (those seems obvious), but even in the midst of ugly, bad and painful times, we are to praise God. 

            But HOW?  How even in those difficult times are we are to praise God?  As I said, other psalms teach us that there are times we are to lament and praise Him with our tears.  In Psalm 150 the telling of how God should be praised is quite simple:  With everything we’ve got!  And we are not to be slouches about it!   If we have a trumpet, or the Sho’phar, use it – like the Marketplace kids do in the summer.  If you have a lyre, tambourine, stringed instrument, flute, or cymbals – use them.  If what you have is a harmonica, the electric guitar or a BANJO, play them!  If you have a CD and player or Ipod – well, play them.   You see, the list of instruments is not meant to be comprehensive.   So if all you have are tears, then cry them!  The point is that everything we have can and should be used to worship God.  While musical instruments in the worship service seem to be a major focus in this psalm, we are not to be limited to just these, or any, instruments.  For, praising God for you might be done through preparing and giving a meal, or repairing a car. 

            The important issue to remember is how the instruments, how the dancing and how all praise of our hearts and actions are used and for what purpose.  Each one, separately or together, is to direct thoughts to God.   It is good that worship be enthusiastic – perhaps with movement and even raising our hands.  True worship is to be God-centered and must engage our minds – and the rest of us. Another pastor says it this way:   “…it is the intended Audience that counts – it is the One whom we are intending to see glorified in what we are doing that determines whether the music is real music (or the action is real action) in praise of God….”   And you what - you and God just might be only ones hearing that music or seeing that action.

            That brings us to the WHO?   Who should praise God?  Just as the whole spectrum of instruments is embraced, so are those who play them – or praise in action. Trumpets or the Sho’phar horns were blown by priest.  The harps and lyres were played by the Levites.  They were the temple worship leaders.  Tambourines, like our castanets, were played by women and others – that would be men and children - when they danced.  That includes everyone!

Every thing that has breath is who should praise God.  Every creature, every being and every thing that the Creator has breathed His life into, is to direct that life back to Him in praise.  Even nature is to come together in praise of its Creator…waters, wind, grass, lions, birds, goats, sea monsters - all.  And you and I will only praise God as we come to know Him, through His self-disclosure through His word and Spirit and His redeeming Son.  This we do by meditating on and studying the Bible.  We get to know God through prayer.  We get to know God through a relationship with Jesus.  So for each one of us, whether we can carry a tune or just whistle or hum, off key - this life we are living is to be a praising life as we get to know and exalt God above everything else.  This way we give back our life to Him – showing our trust in Him and honoring His will.  In doing this, we testify who He is and what He has done and is doing in and through our lives.  This sort of praising God is how we act at work, out in public, at a sporting event.  The praise that God is worthy of is how we raise our children, how we work out our marriages, how we treat our neighbors.  This praising is also shown in how we drive and treat others on the road.  I was reminded of this right after I finished writing this sermon several weeks ago.  I was late leaving here to meet Richard.  As I left the parking lot, I, how shall I say this, I burned rubber.  I was immediately reminded that this is not the way to be praising God.  This giving-back-praise is how we act when we are not at our Sunday best.

            You and I are to use all the instruments – everything -  we have at our disposal to praise our Creator.  These instruments include your smile, that encouraging word and your obedient life to Christ.   English pastor and author, F. B. Meyer said: “Each of our emotions and faculties may be a musical instrument in the best sense.  Praise Him when you are tied up by pain and weariness in a sickbed.  Praise Him with the sound of your love!  Praise Him with hope and faith!  Praise Him with meekness and patience!  Praise Him with courage and strength!  Praise Him in work, and in play!”  You see, it is not whether we lift our hands high or not at all; or even how high we jump or move, or not move, while praising God.  Our praise to God is how straight we walk when we land.  So all that we have, all that we are, with whatever we have – let us praise God!