God's Life Giving Lures

 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
   He will judge the peoples with equity.’
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
   let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming,
   for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
    —Psalm 96

O sing to the Lord a new song. This enthusiastic invitation extends to all the earth. It seeks partnership among all the families of all the peoples. It includes not only humans and the heavens but also earth’s soil and seas, fields and trees, and all the inhabit them. This invitation acknowledges that all our lives and livelihoods are inseparable, interconnected, indivisible. We are bound together.

And the cosmic and everlasting purpose that binds us together and invites us to sing is God’s justice—the promise of dignity, inclusivity, equity, possibility, a transformed reality—for all the earth, all peoples, and all aspects of creation.

God’s justice longs to shower us all with goodness and grace, strength and beauty . . . and it makes its way here among us even though we currently experience brokenness and injustice that leave destruction and despair in their wake. God’s justice calls for a new song—not only for what God has done in the past and what God is doing now but also for all God will do—as God forever casts lures for us to follow toward greater expressions of justice. How might we rework the cultural, racial, economic supremacy we’ve internalized and create new ways to be in relationship?  How might we put our deepest beliefs into practice in the global marketplace to create human and environmental dignity for all, not just for some?

To whatever extent we are able to grasp and follow God’s life-giving lures, we become vital contributors to God’s in-breaking of justice—just as we become vital contributors to the birth, once again, of good news into the world.

See you in church,
Christy