A CALL TO PRAISE GOD
Psalm 34: 1-8
MARK 10: 46-52
OCTOBER 27, 2024
I have been friends with Dale since back in the 1970’s. He was going to work for me in the years that followed our graduation from college but in the end we didn’t work for or with each other, but our lives travelled similar pathways with each of us eventually knowing more about homelessness than the average University of Buffalo graduate. However, one strong connection that remains and is evident in recent late-night texts is our shared love of the New York team that is in this year’s baseball World Series. Yes, we are Yankee fans perhaps devotees who can easily talk about the team’s past glory years from our youth and who can recite names like Mantle, Berra, Munson, Jeter, and others.
However, like most sports fans … if you read our text messages from hours that are past our bedtime … we are usually critical of our team. Why can’t Judge do more than strikeout? Can you believe that error? Of course, we are ready to be amazed when Gian Carlo hits one out of the park.
But our texts have led to me wonder what it is about our human nature that causes us to embrace criticism and diminish praise. Just listen to conversations at the local diner and heaven forbid read the comments on social media and please don’t listen to political commercials because we as humans seem so overly focused on being active critics that we miss our opportunities to celebrate all that is good in this world … all the accomplishments of our fellow humans and frankly, I would argue we miss out on one of the essential reflections that people of faith should be engaged in and embracing. That is to praise God.
Over the last week or two a few of you have reminded me of what we refer to in church lingo as a doxology. I frankly have never looked up the definition of doxology until this week and I assumed I sort of knew what it meant but honestly, I wasn’t totally clear. A doxology is a short hymn of praise to God coming from the Greek words doxa, which means “glory” and “logia” meaning speech.
Logia sounds like logic and I think it is logical that we praise God. Now in a few weeks we will be singing ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ and I have always enjoyed the chorus ‘“Gloooooooooo RIA in EGG SHELL CEASE DAY O.” Well as a kid I sang EGG SHELL CEASE DAY O but what we are singing is a doxology or a praise to God.
When the shepherds were told of the coming of Jesus Christ in Luke’s Gospel by the angel of the Lord. You know, “Do not be afraid … I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people.” What follows is a doxology from those hanging out with the angel … the multitude of the heavenly host PRAISING GOD and saying … although don’t you think some were shouting and some were singing …
Yes, imagine in the moment you could be with the heavenly host at that moment when the world was told through those shepherds that God’s love was going to bring a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, into the world wouldn’t you be getting up on your feet and singing in your loudest voice GLORY TO GOD in the HIGHEST!!! And, on earth peace, good will toward men?” Would you be filled with joy … would you have happy tears in your eyes … would you shout YES LORD YES LORD YES YES LORD!!!
Think for a moment about you … how in the world would you have celebrated with the heavenly host … JESUS WAS COMING for ALL HUMANITY …. GOD’s love delivered to the world. Pom poms? Dancing in the street? Bowing down and looking high towards God?
If you were allowed to be part of the announcement to the world that Jesus Christ, the promised Savior … the Son of God … the Messiah was about to make his debut on Broadway …. Ooops in Bethlehem what would you reaction be?
If you had the invitation … hey be part of the announcement! God … the BIG FELLOW who created the universe is going to give us Emmanuel, God is with us! Would you accept the invitation? Would you join the shouts of praise? Would you want to be there or would you defer saying … I don’t want me friends to know. I would be embarrassed to be seen praising God … let somebody else do it and I will quietly say “yay team.”
Would you put on the uniform of the heavenly host if given the opportunity to do so? Would you identify with God’s team … on your social media? On your hats? Wear a button? Fly a flag? Be ready to engage in doxologies … PRAISE GOD for whom all blessings flow … praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Father son and Holy Ghost?
Would you … do you … are you afraid of praising God in your life beyond these walls? Or perhaps are you even hesitant to praise God here?
I remember the song I sang as a kid with energy and fun …. Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu Hallelujah praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord HALLELUJAH! Praise ye the Lord HALLELUJAH .. PRAISE ye THE LORD HALLELUJAH! PRAISE YE THE LORD!
Friends, doesn’t it feel good to just let loose and to praise God. We need to teach future generations that God is worthy of our praise and we need to actually believe it! Our life focus should start with God’s awesomeness! I believe that if we begin our days noticing God’s splendor and then praising God for the sunshine, the birds, and caricatures in the clouds that we will be more positive people.
I wonder what it takes to focus on God … perhaps we should turn off our phones for several hours in the day. I would hope we don’t require a miracle like we heard about in our Gospel lesson. BARTIMAEUS was a blind beggar who sat along the road side. I am sure folks scoffed at him and complained about him … turned away from him just like many today look the other way when someone dirty and clearly challenged in out on the street asking for money or sleeping under the interstate amidst boxes and trash.
BARTIMAEUS was scolded as he called out to Jesus … “Jesus, Son of David, JESUS … show me mercy!!” Do you wonder that perhaps we don’t openly call out to Jesus or stand up to praise God out there in what I call the real world because we are afraid of being scolded by others. Now, I am not saying that we should join those who act as if they are mini-gods who call out judgments on other humans unlike themselves in the name of Jesus because Jesus told us to love our neighbors and not judge them.
But, BARTIMAEUS made the call and Jesus said COME ON DOWN … perhaps in a tone reminiscent of Drew Carey’s daily call on that game show. COME ON DOWN BARTIMAEUS and connect with God’s Son! And, Jesus said YOUR FAITH HAS HEALED YOU and the former blind man praised Jesus and began to follow Jesus!
David in today’s Psalm states, “I will bless the LORD at all times! His praise will ALWAYS be in my mouth! Those who look to God will shine! See how good the LORD is!!! Take refuge in the LORD and be truly happy!”
And, so I am want to encourage you as we approach the Advent season … I want to urge you as we leave church today … I want to beg you to connect with God in a new and bolder way that takes you perhaps beyond your comfort zone!
Take this as my call to you to PRAISE GOD … PRAISE GOD for the little things … PRAISE GOD for the awesome things … take note of your language and of your lifestyle and if criticism is your way of life make a change because God is calling us to join with the heavenly host in PRAISING GOD and THANKING GOD and when we begin to praise God I believe we will start to love God.
We need to be difference makers … we need to be the invitational community and when we praise God … when we love God … when we take actions to embrace our neighbors with love and care … then we will start to answer the challenge that God put before us that we are to make disciples of the world.
David says, “MAGNIFY THE LORD with me!!” David reminds us that God delivered David from all of his fears and God is ready to do that for you too!
Last night I heard from a homeless man who is living in a battered tent here in Gloucester County … sounds like a good man … just lost in the system along with the love of his life and their dog. They need warm clothes, a better tent, dog food and more.
I will be working on the details in the coming days but if you spotted two people in worn out clothes with a dog in a tent in the woods … how would you react? Would you want to help them? Do you want to help the poor and the homeless or do you join the chants that scold them and put them down.
Jesus is calling all of us forward … God has never vanished and is waiting for our love and our praise!
Are you with me … GLOOOOOOOOORIA in EXCELSIS DEO … PRAISE GOD from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost. AMEN