Tuesday prior to Easter 5

 

[1]

Psalm 148—The Psalm for the Day is the same as it was on the Second Sunday of Easter, but it can never be stale or “old hat.” It is always a joy to sing the praise of the One who has raised up a horn of salvation for us. The psalm calls upon all creation to praise the Lord; this is fitting, for, by His death and resurrection, Christ has begun the work of making all things new, that is, restoring all creation from the tragic consequences of the Fall into sin.

Psalm 148 – Let Heaven and Earth Praise the LORD

Psalm 148 calls upon all creation to praise Yahweh. What a wonderful song this is! Look over it again, and note the fact that there is no reference in it, from first to last, to the mercy, or pity, or compassion of God. But that is because there is no reference to evil in any form.

Alexander Maclaren wrote that Psalm 148 continues “…a line of thought which runs through Scripture from its first page to its last – namely, that, as man’s sin subjected the creatures to ‘vanity,’ so his redemption shall be their glorifying.”

This call to all creation to praise Yahweh is not an empty wish. Revelation 5:11-13 tells us specifically that it will be fulfilled. O what a hymn of praise is here! It is a universal chorus! All created nature has a share, and all perform their respective parts.[2]

Collect for Psalm 148:  God Most High, by your Word you created a wondrous universe and through your Spirit you breathed into it the breath of life. Accept creation’s hymn of praise from our lips, and let the praise that is sung in heaven resound in the heart of every creature on earth, to the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. [3] - 10 May, 2022

---

[1] Artwork by Ed Riojas © Higher Things

[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-148/

[3] Collect for Psalm 148, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY