Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Psalm 148: 3-4
In Luke’s Gospel, we read about Jesus healing a bent-over woman
[13:10-17]. This poor soul had a malformation of her back that limited
her vision to a small area around her feet. I think that this woman is
a wonderful symbol for many people today who have no physical
impairment but have a very limited outlook on life. Such people often
are so self-involved that they see none of the beauty of life, nor do they
feel any sense of joy and gratitude.
Psalm 148 is part of the Psalter’s concluding section that calls for praise
to the Lord. This Psalm focuses on God’s control of the created order, as
reason for our praise. So it is that we see the sun, the moon, the shining
stars inspiring us to join them in praising the God that created it all and
continues to give us life.
When we look at the heavens and the wonder with which everything
works in precision, how can we not be moved to give thanks? But still, we
know that ever-shrinking numbers of people actually do break in upon
their life order to gather with others for that simple act of Praising the
Name of the Lord!
I am saddened to see a fearful decline in worship attendance. Some folks
will say that they have stopped going to church because … “they don’t get
anything out of it.” That is not the point ~ worship is our determination to
break in upon the craziness of life for the pure purpose of joining the sun,
and the moon, and the stars, in giving praise to God!
St. Francis of Assisi, 8th century monk, composed his glorious Canticle of
the Sun to capture the radiance and delight we find in Psalm 148. In this
song, Francis calls to the sun, wind, and fire as brother and to the moon,
waters, and earth as sister. I conclude my thoughts with a quote from this
great hymn:
Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord
Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he
is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the
likeness. Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the
heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful. Amen.
The Rev. Roy Almquist is the retired Bishop of the Southeastern
Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA (1994-2006). He and his wife Shannon live
at Shannondell at Valley Forge in Audubon.
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