Skip to main content

Excerpt from Sermon today on Psalm 19

May I take this image of the sun lighting up the world and relate it to our duty to be spiritual examples? The image reminds us that, as the sun is the light of the earth, you and I are to be the light of the world – the light of the people who are around us. According to David, the sun moves through the sky and shines upon us all because God wants to make Himself known. He has also made us the light of the world so that He might make Himself known. Are you as zealous for God to be made known to the people around you as God shows himself to be by giving us the sun? We all should be. The creation not only declares the glory of God but it reveals the zeal of God that all the world should know that glory. It is a reminder for us to carry the light of the knowledge of God to all the world, as the sun carries its light of the glory of God to all the world.

Wherever we may be, with whomever we may be, especially when we are with our families, we should be like the sun to them. We should always be ready to declare to them the glory of God which we have learned from our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. And this does not have to be hard. You probably have heard St. Augustine's summary of living the Christian life: "Love God and do as you please." May I adapt that statement and say simply let yourself enjoy God and then be yourself. People all around you enjoy all kinds of things and are ready to tell you about the latest event, or experience they have had with what they enjoy: the latest game, the latest story they’ve heard, the latest tomato from their garden. It is only natural for us to share what we enjoy. Let your enjoyment of your walk with God naturally spill over in your conversation with your families – be a sun to them, declaring the glory of God in your life.

But how may we so enjoy our walk with God, that we will have things to tell people; that we will have something to spill over? Well, David is spilling over in this psalm with the glory of God which he is experiencing from the Word of God. Having spoken of how God reveals himself through creation, he now lays out in Psm. 19, in poetic language how God reveals himself to us in his Law. As he does so, he has six different titles for God’s law, each with its own characteristic, and with its own effect upon our lives. Let’s look at a few of them....

Now you see what I’m doing with these verses; I could go on, but for the sake of time, I’ll leave the rest to you. The main point of it all is that God reveals himself and he does so for a purpose. He wants the whole world to know his glory, so he shines the sun upon them. He wants you, his children, to know Him so that you may be whole, and so he shines the light of his glory in your heart as you hear his word. He wants you to know Him in His Word because it is only in knowing Him that you may be healed and delivered from your sin and that you may have eternal life.

Do you see how valuable the Bible is for you?

Comments

Anonymous said…
lovely sermon

Popular posts from this blog

Courageous Leadership - Evensong, June, 2023

The texts are Joshua 24 and Galatians 2.

A Sea Shanty for St. Michael and All Angels

Audio of the song   “He Made the Devil Fall” - a “Sea Shanty” (Luke 10:18; Rev. 20:10) Beckmann, Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, 2023 Jesus, he came to Galilee And he made the devil fall! And called the twelve to with him be. And he made the devil fall! Refrain: He made the devil fall, my boys, He makes the devil fall! Christ the King will come again, And he’ll make the devil fall! Ho!   To them his pow'r was freely giv'n, And he made the devil fall! And Satan fell like light’ning from heav'n, And he made the devil fall!  He purged our sins; his vict'ry won! And he made the devil fall! And rose again to take his throne. And he made the devil fall!  He sent St. Michael with his sword, And he made the devil fall! And cast that dragon to the earth, And he made the devil fall!  He’ll send an angel, the devil to take And he’ll make the devil fall! And cast him into the fiery lake! And he’ll make the devil fall!

What is Evensong?

 Here are a few articles explaining the Anglican tradition of Evensong: From Ad Fontes:  https://christhum.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/liturgy-bits-a-spotters-guide-to-evensong/ Here's an article on Evensong from Classic FM:  https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/what-is-evensong-how-long-service/ The Religious News Service:  https://religionnews.com/2017/08/30/evensong-sees-a-surge-even-as-british-church-attendance-declines/ From choralevensong.org/uk:   https://www.choralevensong.org/uk/about-choral-evensong-724.php For some reason, you have to go to "Read More" to use the links. It helps to differentiate between "Evensong" proper, which is the Evening Prayer service sung by officiants and congregation, and "Choral Evensong", which is the Evening Prayer mostly sung by a choir.