Gratitude in 2023?

Lori always has a song in her head.

not auld lang syne, until I said it, probably .

some people will have pump up music for the gym, music for the car ride, even I who almost never listens to music has a calm song playing before I pick up the students in the morning

During the day a worship song will also come to mind, a song that reminds me of who God is, what God promises, what my life should be for this situation.

We know God through our music

Did you know how long we will be heaven? Eternal right but what is that really like, the writer John Newton in Amazing Grace taught you what that is like when we sing,

“When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the son, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise that when we’ve first begun.”

I thought the weight for Christmas was to long and the length of Christmas too short but we have an idea of the eternal through music.

What we sing here at church really, really matters, these are the phrases, the thoughts, the easiest memorized truths, the way we see God in the everyday. Not all music is like that, and I would say doesn’t have to be. Music has always been part of society. Yet in church the music is teaching us what is true about God. It also teaches us how to follow him and how to encourage each other. It gives us the words. It’s one reason why Phil and Lori are not performing but leading us to sing. Leading us to join in, also why it doesn’t matter how badly you sing. Your memorizing God’s truth as you fumble through the music.

Musicals aren’t life, but a life without musicals isn’t really true either. From ancient times stories of life are filled with music, The Greeks used a chorus, the Bible did it with Moses’s sister in Exodus. Another place is with Mary upon meeting Elizabeth.

As far as I know every language, every place, our God given calling to sing comes out. So it is no suprise that when the Biblical hero, King David,

when he went through the heardest time comes into a new song

Psalm 40:1–3 CSB

1 I waited patiently for the Lord, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. 2 He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.

With all this importance of song,

In 2024 I am going to guide us to take a closer at some of our worship songs. To see their purpose and to grow seeing how they apply in our Monday, Tuesday, etc. so that we will take on the attitude of Christ Jesus.

Songs are powerful. They are clips and there is one song that for me hits me as my song, maybe our song for 2023.

A lot happened this year, but as I come into this end of the year, it feels like I am tired. I am empty. I am toast. But maybe I am buttered toast. So let’s look at the song we just sang,

Gratitude

From Brandon Lake and Benjamin William Hastings off of Passion label. Rarely am I going to be able to tell you why the writer wrote or anything like that. I really don’t care. Songs are not scripture, they are flawed because they are from flawed people. Yet, when we compare our songs with the flawless words of God in the Bible and see the expression of ourselves with the truth of God, a powerful work of the Holy Spirit can occur. In fact, we can learn that even when we are tired, when we are toast, we can still acknowledge how great God is,

All my words fall short I got nothing new How could I express All my gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 CSB

18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Season of 2023 was not a happy season, but it was a season of thankfulness.

We celebrated Stephanie in 2023

We went on our first normal spring break

Work was hard understaffed

Mom survived most of the year with Leukemia

Currently as with many of you I’m learning and wrestling a new normal.

I don’t got much right now to give.

But I also am grateful

Roger and Mom knew they were passing and just kept saying how grateful they were.

The words of this song as I sing them right now is how I feel write now in my grief. I can’t form the words. Yet life isn’t all bad.

We have a church

We shared Jesus with so many

I have friends who poured out and came alongside.

Possessions galore

An amazing Christmas

Grief is like that, the world does not stop even though it feels like it should. As Phil made me aware, “only my world has changed.” Honestly all of our world has changed.

So we come into worship with a lot of feeling and a choice, but I can’t get my mind to wrap around all of that and express something clear.

All my words fall short Yet I have something to put out but cannot.

Words falling short

Romans 8:26–27 CSB

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

In other words of poetry that recalls a powerful worship song of the 1980s-90s is

Psalm 42:1–5 CSB

1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.

So I throw up my hands And praise You again and again ‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah And I know it’s not much But I’ve nothing else fit for a king Except for a heart singing hallelujah Hallelujah

When the conquest is done of the battle of end of times is over, the beings in heaven erupt in praise of God

Revelation 19:1 CSB

1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,

It isn’t just at the end, this is not a roll credits kind of scene but it is a statement of victory. 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus people were saying it

Psalm 106:1 CSB

1 Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.

Hallelujah is the combination of the Hebrew word for praise or shout, Hall and then the beginning of the name for God, the YHWH so Hallelujah is Praise God. It also could be said, “Shout God” . Similar to the roar of the crowd, but the roar is not we will rock you, but Hallelujah, Praise God! Shout God.

Thank God it is so simple, because when feeling so utterly not feeling it, a simple Hallelujah, a 4 syllable word says so much.

The crazy thing about grief is in can turn into sorrow and depression. A lack of desire for anything, a feeling of emptiness, and for some it ends us up on the couch or bed but for others, we just keep going, like caffeine fed little gears, not feeling, but just repeating, even coming to church. As the next verse reads.

I could sing these songs As I often do But every song must end And You never do

For some of you, there is a finding of peace in this time of church and then there is a return to the day to day of life. This is that time of relief. I had a friend tell me once that the weight bench was his church. It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about. Church to me is you, it is connecting with God’s people to worship God and encourage each other to love and good deeds. I might feel good and I might feel beaten, but church doesn’t take me out of what is real to feel good it is reminds me what is real. God in the every day at the end of days in the middle of life, on the toilet as well as rushing into help a hurting friend. God never ends. Nor does his praise. Listen to this about the throne room of God

Revelation 4:8 CSB

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.

Realize that God’s praise never ends and realize the limitlessness of God. In the midst of constant praise, God is near

Psalm 23:4 CSB

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

Psalm 34:18 CSB

18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.

These two are happening at the same time. In the midst of your despair God is with you while experiencing the ever constant party and praise of who He is.

If you read Revelation or description of the Kingdom of Heaven you read of a place that bombards with beauty but has no limit to take in the grief or needs for compassion.

This overwhelms our math sensibilities.

For many of us we cannot both join you in your emotion, crying alongside you, as well as hear the most joyful song we have heard at the exact same time. It overwhelms are ability to understand. Imagine hearing the requests of others, while listening to songs of others, a full laser laser light show, and showing compassion to someone in the midst of grief. Then magnify it by at least 7 billion. This doesn’t overwhelm God. It overwhelms me when trying to talk on the phone and a song is playing in the background.

Yes we are limited, but God never is.

So please, whenever you think I don’t want to bother God with this or God can’t handle this, remember God constantly receives praise, comes alongside the hurting, cries with the newly orphaned, heals the sick, sees intense beauty, creates a show and rests too.

God gots your stuff. God got this.

Why would God desire to have us praise Him?

So I throw up my hands And praise You again and again ‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah And I know it’s not much But I’ve nothing else fit for a king Except for a heart singing hallelujah Hallelujah

The songwriter hits into the same problem the song writer of the Bible goes into. As the characters from Wayne’s World said, “were not worthy”

Psalm 8:4–6 CSB

4 what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? 5 You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

You are endowed by God for worship of Him. You are invited in to give to the King of Kings. And yet we find ourselves limited by our emotions, not feeling like we have anything left or can give anything.

I feel this right now. I feel blah. I feel broken and at this same moment the King of Kings is before me.

At the height of the AIDS epidemic Princess Diana visited a children’s hospital with AIDS patients. Little tiny and sick kids. Kids who made stuff and kids who couldn’t make anything. When so many were afraid for themselves, princess Di hugs a child that could give nothing, but affection. When the future queen from a family of incredible wealth picks up this child and loves, in turn of course the child is themselves, showing the love of affection back.

My friends, true humility is realizing that even when we feel like we have a lot we are the same as the child in the hands of a princess or a person in immense poverty approaching God with an offering

Mark 12:41–44 CSB

41 Sitting across from the temple treasury, he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on.”

Hallelujah may be all you have to give today and it is all you are today. That is your two tiny coins, four syllables, Praise God, Hall YH, Shout God.

So as we get near the end of the song, in a moment of courage, and growth the song writer calls us to really give it all up, give it all, give a great Hallelujah

Come on my soul Oh don’t you get shy on me Lift up your song Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs Get up and praise the Lord

Get up and Hallelujah! You excited by these lines, you should be! A lion inside lungs! Obviously don’t get an x-ray, no animal there.

Honestly this metaphor is not written from a Biblical perspective but form the perspective of someone who visits lions in zoos or watches them on nature documentaries. Lions are proud animals, a lion is king of the jungle, we probably wouldn’t feel so happy about them if they roamed our streets though.

The majority of Biblical verses see a lion roar from a negative perspective like,

Isaiah 5:29 CSB

29 Their roaring is like a lion’s; they roar like young lions; they growl and seize their prey and carry it off, and no one can rescue it.

1 Peter 5:8 CSB

8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Perhaps this is because to those who wrote and listened to the Bible at first, a roaring around lion was a much bigger threat to their everyday than an identity thief stealing their credit history. At different times in biblical history a Lion could come and eat your sheep or eat you as you walked from place to place and their was very little that most could do to stop it. Those that did stop it were famous.

Lions eating people was done as part of punishment. Because Lions trigger fear before they even eat.

A lion roar is actually a way that a lion can scare and slow down it’s prey, intimidate rivals. I was at a zoo once and some kids were playing in front of a lion cage and the lion just started barking almost and I could hear it loud and clear across a large field. A lion roar , it’s defeaning.

But the writer of the song is like us, he grew up in times when lions are in zoos or game preserves, an animal to be admired rather than feared. A lion roar is still so powerful that it is the sound of MGM studios. So it is fitting that we think of a positive to take courage, we find one of the few Bible verses where lions are positive

Proverbs 28:1 CSB

1 The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Perhaps it is this boldness that we call upon or is it that the positive picture of Jesus as the Lion of Judah, who saves us is what the song leads us to think, as we look for the courage to even in the midst of our emotional sorrow, are mental trauma, to shout God, to Praise the Lord or do we just need to recall what the Psalmist said worship the Lord

Psalm 42:10–11 CSB

10 My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.

Praise Him! Praise Him when you can’t! Hallelujah in your tears, Hallelujah when you got nothing left, remind yourself that you are just a sick toddler being hugged by the King of Kings! Put your hands to his face and say with all your little might, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, God got this, Hallelujah