Thoughts for the Day

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
All worshippers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.....

The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Psalms 93 to 100 are a group of psalms that are linked together by their common theme of God's worldwide Kingdom. It is both here, yet not completely. We might say it is planned yet part-completed, but it will come to completion in due course, and because of this we should be joyful. Yet unlike the psalms either side of Psalm 97, which are exuberant in their delight of the King and His Kingdom, 97 shows us a more sombre side of the approach of the King who is a conqueror. The earth quakes, the mountains melt, and cloud, darkness, fire and lightning hide His glory. But it is to be the time of our liberation.

World history teaches us about Empires, indeed with a family member who lectures about such things, it is a fascinating subject, and one which leads me to conclude that no Empire is perfect, and indeed many of them are evil. Over the years many countries have had to accept the fact that they have made slaves out of indigenous races, or committed heinous crimes in the name of progress. But God's Kingdom is to be based on love, on righteousness, and on justice.

The last stanza of psalm 97 reminds us that while God's Kingdom is being completed God will 'guard the lives of the faithful'. It doesn't mean that there will be no casualties, but that God watches over us to protect us. We are to hang on until the light of morning comes (which could be the presence of God, or the completion of His Kingdom) when our joy will be complete. Then we shall rejoice and give thanks.

Lord God,
who planned and executed our world
to be a Kingdom of unity and love,
we acknowledge our failure and our sin
in damaging the earth
and in failing to stand up
for justice, truth and righteousness.
As Your people, help us to fight
the petty gods of money,
and of selfish and secular concerns,
and to encourage everything that treats
humanity as brothers and sisters
of Your new Kingdom.
Amen.