The Sunday Lectionary Readings for SUNDAY, January 12, 2020 — Baptism of the Lord

Baptism of the Lord

The Sunday Lectionary Readings

SUNDAY, January 12, 2020 — Baptism of the Lord

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

"In The Beginning ... God Created"

Opening Statement

In the very beginning, God separated the darkness and the light. God called the Light "Day" and the Darkness, God called "Night". We were once people who dwelled in darkness, but God has given us the true Light, Jesus Christ. God has blessed us and adopted us as God’s own beloved children, through the sacrament of Baptism. The water of baptism brings to us healing and reconciliation; it is a symbol of nourishment and cleansing. This day is the day of the remembrance of Jesus’ Baptism. As we hear the words of his baptism, let us be reminded of our own adoption by God and celebrate the joyous connection to the Almighty God.

Opening Prayer

Creator God, when everything first began, water became a symbol of refreshing, of washing away, of renewing. Through the waters of creation, you brought forth abundant life. We have gathered this day to remember Jesus’ baptism, how your Spirit proclaimed that He was your beloved Son in whom you were very well pleased. Our spirits resound with that proclamation. In His baptism, Jesus’ ministry was initiated. He dedicated his life to you completely and without reservation. Help us to dedicate our lives to you, to offer our best for you, to be of service to you by serving in your world. As we have lifted before you the names of people near and dear to us who need your healing touch and your tender mercies, we have also lifted ourselves up as people in need of your grace. In our world, there is war, oppression, hunger, and alienation. We have not been good stewards of the world. We have not cared for one another. Heal us and this world, Lord. Renew us with your life-giving waters and re-affirm our baptisms as your children. Let us go forth to be people of peace and mercy. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

We are incredibly stubborn, O Lord. We have entered the season in which Your Light has been given to the world, your blessings have been poured out on the world, and yet all we can think about is our own problems, our own needs, our own desires. Help us to desire you, Lord. Help us to yearn for your presence. Pour your baptismal waters over us again, cleansing us from our self-pity and arrogance. Nourish and heal us so that we may joyfully serve you. Wash away our jealousy, greed, and all negative thoughts and behaviors that stand in the way of our truly being the people you have called us to be. Again let us receive the blessings offered in creation, in the birth and baptism of Jesus, and in the ministry of the saints of light. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Words of Assurance

The love of God is always offered to us, freely, joyfully, for all eternity. Rejoice, dear friends, this is the Good News of our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

O God our Father, at the baptism of Jesus you proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful to their calling to be our daughters and sons, and empower us all with your Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading

Isaiah 42:1-9

The servant of God brings justice

1  “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
     my chosen one in whom I delight;
   I will put my Spirit on him,
     and he will bring justice to the nations.
2  He will not shout or cry out,
     or raise his voice in the streets.
3  A bruised reed he will not break,
     and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
   In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4    he will not falter or be discouraged
   till he establishes justice on earth.
     In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5  This is what God the Lord says—
   the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
     who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
     who gives breath to its people,
     and life to those who walk on it:
6  “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
     I will take hold of your hand.
   I will keep you and will make you
     to be a covenant for the people
     and a light for the Gentiles,
7  to open eyes that are blind,
     to free captives from prison
     and to release from the dungeon those who sit in
         darkness.

8  “I am the Lord; that is my name!
     I will not yield my glory to another
     or my praise to idols.
9  See, the former things have taken place,
     and new things I declare;
   before they spring into being
     I announce them to you.”

Psalm 29

The voice of God upon the waters

1  Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
     ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
     worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

3  The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
     the God of glory thunders,
     the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4  The voice of the Lord is powerful;
     the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
     the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6  He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
     Sirion like a young wild ox.
7  The voice of the Lord strikes
     with flashes of lightning.
8  The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
     the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9  The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
     and strips the forests bare.
   And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
     the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
     the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Second Reading

Acts 10:34-43

Jesus’ ministry after his baptism

10:34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. A voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved,with whom I am well pleased." Alleluia. (Matt. 3:17)

The Gospel

Matthew 3:13-17

Christ revealed as God’s servant

3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Here end the Lessons

Click HERE to read today’s Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
SUNDAY, January 12, 2020 —  Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

“Baptism of Our Lord” The Sermon for SUNDAY, January 12, 2020 — Baptism of Our Lord

Our Gospel message comes to us today from the 3rd chapter of Matthew, beginning with the 13th verse.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)

All mighty God, we thank you for your word and the way that you in it revealed to us who you are and what you’ve done for us in Christ. Now, as we open that word, we pray that your Spirit may be present, that all thoughts of worry or distraction may be removed and that the Spirit will allow us to hear your voice. And so, oh God, fill us with your Spirit through the reading and proclamation of your word this day. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

“Baptism of Our Lord”

♫ “O How I love Jesus
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
Because he first loved me.” ♫

Because he first loved me. Before I could do anything, before I could even think of needing to do something, Jesus loved me. Now, this is dessert first! Imagine getting the good stuff first, before eating the spinach or meat and potatoes. Imagine being loved before we even breathed our first breath! We read in Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).

We are conditioned to think that we must earn something like dessert. You know, eat your vegetables and then get the ice cream. Not so with God. We hear the good news that we are “my sons and daughters, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” All this before we do anything. It is merely a fact.

Jesus even gets the dessert first. Here he is being baptized, and only after does he begin his ministry. Before he has done anything, he hears the words from God, spoken for everyone around to hear, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” All of this before he goes into the wilderness, to prepare for his ministry, to be tested. Then he returns to heal the sick, comforts the lost, and gives sight to the blind. He has done nothing, yet he is declared “beloved, well-pleasing to God.”

Jesus returns from the wilderness to do as God wishes. Jesus returns to give life and hope to all people, sharing the love of God to all without price or consideration of worth or deserving. Jesus loves all people simply because we are lovable, we have been declared loveable by God.

This is the love Jesus shows to each of us—a love without deserving, without having to do anything. This is the love that God showers upon all of us who are baptized. A love that requires that we do nothing to deserve, that, in fact, we can do nothing to earn it.

Of course, we love Jesus “because he first loved me.” There is nothing we can do that will make God love us, God in Jesus Christ loves us already.

With our identity and worth established, we are free to live as God would have us live. To live by God’s measure, and not by anyone else’s. In baptism, we commit ourselves to a life lived in response to this great love. How could we not share God’s love with others once we have experienced it ourselves? Our journey in faith is to learn how to live a life of response to this love. We commit ourselves to teach our children to live in response to this love in spite of all the messages they may receive to the contrary.

Along with Jesus, our ministry begins with our baptism. As Jesus went into the wilderness to be tested, we, too, are tested. Life as a baptized child of God is not one that is without pain and suffering. In fact, as we baptize our children, we are committing ourselves to make their lives more difficult because we seek to teach them to live open to the needs and hurts of others. We are to live with Matthew 25 in mind, looking for those who are hungry, naked and thirsty, because it is in people such as these that we find Jesus. All of this in response to the love that was first given to us.

Sometimes we take baptism lightly. Sometimes we see it as something to be done, and that’s about it. We do not really hear the words—they become repetitive and lose their impact. We forget that it all begins with a declaration or our worth, ignoring God’s view of the world, one based on love. Baptism becomes the end rather than the beginning.

We begin our funeral service with the words from Romans, “When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). This is the new life that is lived according to the will of God, driven by love. In response to one who first loved us.

Imagine if we actively sought to see Jesus in all whom we met. Imagine how our response to that person would change. We sometimes get a narrow view of ministry, something done by certain people. In baptism, we are all given a ministry. As we seek to live out our baptism, we find all of life to be ministry. With our identity as loved and the delight of God clearly in mind, we can do what God wants without regard to how it makes us look.

Baptism leads to community and commitment. We baptize into the Christian community because we need each other. Living out our baptism is not easy. There will be struggles and pain. We need others with whom to share these struggles. We need to tell each other the stories of how we have grown through suffering. We need to explore what our baptism means to each of us in our varied stages of life. We need the encouragement of one another when we find it hard to live out our ministry.

We also need to celebrate with one another the joy of living life that is full of purpose and meaning as we live in harmony with the purposes of God. Life as a child of God is not always easy, but it is always right.

We should begin every day, remembering that we are baptized. When we feel the water on our faces in the morning, it should remind us of the waters of baptism. To do so is to enter each day with a renewed sense of ministry. Who will I meet today? How will my activities today be a ministry to others? How can I share the dessert first with others in this community of faith and beyond?

“Oh how I love Jesus,” it’s no wonder “because he first loved me.”

Let us pray: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your deep love towards me and thank You for sending Your only begotten Son, my Savior Jesus Christ, to suffer on the cross for my sake, so that my sins could be forgiven and that I may live with You forever, in heaven. Lord, I know that I do not warrant Your love, and yet You have showered unconditional love and grace towards me through Christ—for which I praise and thank You.

But Lord You desire all Your children to love others as Christ loved us, but my love is poor and weak and is far removed for all that You desire of me. Fill me I pray with the love of Christ that I may love others in the same way that Christ loved me—so that as Your love pours into my soul, so I may be used as a conduit for Christ’s love to stream out to others with whom I come into contact.

Help me to demonstrate Your love not only to those that are lovable but also to those who lash out at me through pain or anger, disappointment, or loss. May the love of Jesus be manifested in me and may the love of Jesus be distributed, by grace through faith—to all with whom I come in contact, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Sermon contributed by Rev. Roger Haugen.
“Oh How I Love Jesus”  We hear the words spoken to Jesus at his baptism, before his ministry has begun that, “This is my beloved, with whom I am well pleased” and the same is said to us without us having to earn it.

The Daily Prayer for SUNDAY, January 12, 2020

The Daily Prayer

SUNDAY, January 12, 2020

On January 12, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi began his last successful fast in New Delhi to convince Hindus and Muslims in the city to work toward peace. Six days later, convinced that harmony was achieved, he ended the fast. For most of his adult life, Gandhi read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount every morning, convinced that it contained a truth more powerful than the empire that occupied his native India or the enmity that divided Hindus and Muslims. Through “experiments in truth” like the public fast, he sought to put Jesus’ teachings into practice for the sake of peace.

Gandhi said, “Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.”

Lord, as we wait for you, teach us how self-denial might open our spirits to receive your instruction and strength. Amen.

Verse of the Day SUNDAY, January 12, 2020

Galatians 3:26-28

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Read all of Galatians 3

Listen to Galatians 3

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Domingo 12 de enero de 2020

El amor a Dios

Dios es amor. El que permanece en amor, permanece en Dios, y Dios en él.

—1 Juan 4:16 (NVI)

Si no amamos a Dios, no podemos dar amor a los demás. ¡Este es otro principio bellísimo! Se trata de entender que nuestra labor más hermosa es amar a Dios con todo nuestro corazón y con todas nuestras fuerzas.

A mí no me gusta mucho escuchar cuando otra persona dice que está enamorada de Jesús. Esto se debe a que, al decir «enamorada», mi mente de inmediato lo relaciona con el amor a mi esposo. Aun así, se escucha con mucha frecuencia en canciones interpretadas por hombres y mujeres. Lo que rescato de esto es que amar a Dios me hace más sensible a las cosas espirituales. Amar a Dios me hace más misericordiosa para entender el dolor de un amigo. Amar a Dios me hace valorar todo lo que Él ha hecho por mí desde perdonar mis pecados, restaurar mi vida y darme una nueva oportunidad de ser feliz.

Te puedo dar fe y testimonio de que amar a Dios, servirle a Él y renunciar a otros intereses me han dado más felicidad que cuando no le conocía. Cuando decidí trabajar en un medio cristiano de comunicación, muchos me tacharon de religiosa, fanática y hasta loca al dejar la fama y el dinero que representaba trabajar en una radio tan importante como lo es Radio Caracol en Miami y dedicarme por completo a servir a Dios. Hoy, diez años más tarde, he dado el mejor de los frutos. Dios ha recompensado cada minuto de mi trabajo, me ha respaldado, me ha usado para servir de ejemplo e inspiración para otros. Lo que es más lindo, me ha permitido trabajar en lo que me gusta y con el mejor jefe… Él.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
¡Este es otro principio bellísimo! Se trata de entender que nuestra labor más hermosa es amar a Dios con todo nuestro corazón y con todas nuestras fuerzas.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Sunday, January 12, 2020

GOD IS IN CONTROL

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

—Psalm 118:22-23 (NIV)

Co-worker Ron Boyd-MacMillan writes in his epic volume, Faith That Endures, “Your life’s purpose may remain a mystery to you, as may the events of your world, but that’s okay. God is in control. We are relieved of the responsibility of understanding everything and the need to change it.”[1]

R. J. Thomas was a Welsh missionary with a burden for the xenophobic hermit kingdom of Korea in the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1865, while in China, the opportunity he had been waiting a lifetime for arrived. An American ship, the SS General Sherman, was going to steam up the Taedong River to the capital, Pyongyang, in hopes of luring the Koreans into trade. Thomas bought a berth on the ship, hoping to meet some scholars in Pyongyang who spoke and read Chinese, and took as many Chinese Scriptures with him as he could carry on board.

When they reached Pyongyang, they were not welcomed. They got stuck on a sandbank and the ship was set afire. As the crew waded to shore, they were killed by the waiting Koreans. Thomas also waded to shore. Before he could speak, a club swung with murderous force dashed his brains into the water, but his killer noticed he had emerged with books. He picked up a couple of the sodden books. Drying them off, he separated the leaves and saw that they were nicely printed. He could not read but decided to paper the outside of his house compound with the pages, as was the custom at the time.

Imagine his astonishment when he returned from the fields a few weeks later to find a clutch of scholars earnestly reading his walls. One of these scholars became a Christian by reading a Gospel portion plastered onto the wall. A generation later his nephew assisted in the first translation of the New Testament into Korean in Shenyang, China under the supervision of another little-known missionary, John Ross from Scotland.

R.J. Thomas never lived to see the fruit of his labor or his prayers for Korean people. He died, his life’s purpose unfulfilled, his potential unrealized. For anyone aware of Thomas’s death, his life was a mystery for years afterward. But his life was not in vain. The meaning of life does not consist in what we make of it, but in what God makes of it. Success is not about achievement or what we make of ourselves. It’s about placement, or what God makes of us. We take the lesson from the persecuted church that it is okay to die quite unaware of our life’s meaning. We can rest in trust that God, in His mercy, has used us to help build His eternal kingdom.[2]

RESPONSE: Today I leave my placement, my purpose, my potential in the hands of a good and loving God.

PRAYER: May I ever realize that You are in control and thus truly allow You to be Lord of my life.

1. Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, Faith That Endures (Grand Rapids: Fleming Revell, 2006), p. 315.
2. Ibid, p. 314.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Daily Devotions January 12, 2020 - Within the Father's House

"Within the Father's House"

Jan. 12, 2020

♫ "Within the Father's house, The Son has found His home, And to His temple suddenly, The Lord of life has come

"The secret of the Lord, Escapes each human eye, And faithful pond'ring hearts await, The full epiphany." ♫

The prophet Malachi foretold, "The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple" (see Malachi 3:1b). The incarnate Lord had been to His temple before, as an infant carried in the arms of His parents. At that visit, faithful Simeon and Anna recognized Him for who He was—the Lord and Messiah of Israel—the Lord whom they sought, the Lord for whom they had been waiting.

Now, 12 years later, the Messiah has once again come suddenly to His temple. This time He was not recognized. The teachers in the temple did not know that the boy Jesus was the Lord Himself, sitting among them, "listening to them and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46b), but they were amazed at the understanding and answers of the bright, inquisitive 12-year-old boy. Mary and Joseph, upon finding their missing Son, expressed their great distress. Yet where else would the Son of God be but in His Father's house? Still, it was not yet time for the "full epiphany," the full revelation of Jesus' identity as the Son of God and Israel's Messiah.

Called and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we recognize the boy Jesus revealed in God's Word. We know and believe in Him as Lord and Christ. Like those teachers long ago, we listen to His wisdom from the pages of Scripture. But we also know much more about the Lord who came suddenly to His temple that day. Malachi prophesied that the coming Lord would be "like refiner's fire and like fuller's soap" (Malachi 3:2b). The Savior came to purify us, to wash us clean from our sins in His blood shed on the cross. He was crucified, He died and was buried. Then, on the third day after His death, the Messiah suddenly and unexpectedly appeared in the flesh—risen from the dead and bearing the marks of the nails in His hands and feet. On that bright Easter morning, Jesus' identity was revealed as He was "declared to be the Son of God ... by His resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4).

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we know and believe that Jesus—the infant in Bethlehem's manger, the 12-year-old boy in the temple, the crucified and risen Savior—is exactly who He claimed to be. He is the promised Messiah of Israel, the Son of God and our Lord and Savior. Still, we wait for our Lord's "full epiphany" when He comes again in glory—suddenly!—on the Last Day. With "faithful pond'ring hearts" we wait in hope for that great day when we will see and recognize our Lord: "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12a).

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, as we await the full epiphany of Your return on the Last Day, may we, like You, find a home in our Father's house. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Do you ever think about Jesus as a young boy? What do you think He was like?
• Do you think Jesus had any personal aspirations/interests as a young man that we might call "hobbies"?
• How were you as a young person with respect to faith and God and the church? Much interested?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "Within the Father's House." Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you ever think about Jesus as a young boy? What do you think He was like?

Unser Täglich Brot - Ein Lebensstil des Lobes

Ein Lebensstil des Lobes

Lesung: Psalm 146 | Die Bibel in einem Jahr: 1. Mose 29-30Matthäus 9.1–17

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Matthäus 9.1–17

Die Mutter des Autors Wallace Stegner starb im Alter von fünfzig Jahren. Als Wallace achtzig war, schrieb er ihr schließlich eine Notiz, „Brief, viel zu spät“, in der er die Tugenden einer Frau lobte, die aufwuchs, heiratete und zwei Söhne großgezogen hatte. Sie war die Art von Frau und Mutter, die ermutigend wirkte, selbst für diejenigen, die nicht so erwünscht waren. Wallace erinnerte sich an die Stärke, die seine Mutter durch ihre Stimme zeigte. Stegner schrieb: „Du hast keine Gelegenheit ausgelassen, um zu singen.“ Stegners Mutter sang, solange sie lebte, dankbar für große und kleine Segnungen.

Auch der Psalmist nutzte die Gelegenheit zum Singen. Er sang, als die Tage gut waren und als sie nicht so gut waren. Sie sang die Lieder nicht, weil sie meinte es sei richtig oder weil sie musste, sondern als natürliche Reaktion auf den „Schöpfer von Himmel und Erde“ (V. 6) und wie er „den Hungrigen Nahrung gibt“ (V. 7) und „den Blinden Sehkraft gibt“ (V. 8) und „erhält die Waisen und die Witwe“ (V. 9). Dies ist wirklich ein Lebensstil des Lobes, der mit der Zeit an Stärke gewinnt, da das tägliche Vertrauen auf „den Gott Jakobs“ gelegt wird, der „für immer treu bleibt“ (V. 5–6).

Die Qualität unserer Stimmen ist nicht der springende Punkt, sondern unsere Reaktion auf Gottes anhaltende Güte, ein Lebensstil des Lobes. In einem alten Lied heißt es: „Es gibt in meinem Herzen eine Melodie.“

Wie kannst du Gott regelmäßig durch Loblieder preisen? Was ist dein Lieblingslied des Lobes?

Schöpfer des Himmels und der Erde, wenn ich innehalte und nachdenke, überwältigt mich deine Vorsorge und dein Schutz. Möge mein Leben ein ununterbrochenes Loblied auf dich sein, solange ich lebe.

Von John Blase

© 2020 Unser Täglich Brot
Die Mutter des Autors Wallace Stegner starb im Alter von fünfzig Jahren. Als Wallace achtzig war, schrieb er ihr schließlich eine Notiz …