Sermon 12/28/08 (Psalm 148)

“Cacophony of Praise”
Psalm 148
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 28 December, 2008
First Sunday after Christmas
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 I was recently asked what my favorite image of God is in the Bible. I thought for a moment and then answered, “The image of God as Creator.” I don’t know if I love this image because I believe so strongly in environmental causes or if I am an environmentalist because I believe so strongly in a Creator God (I believe in evolution too, but that’s another sermon for another day). In any case, I cannot but give thanks to God when I witness a particularly beautiful scene in nature. In the same bent, I cannot but feel heartbroken when I see nature being destroyed.

Thus, when I read our Psalm for this morning my heart veritably sang with recognition. The Psalmist calls upon the sun and moon to praise the Lord, and then: “Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.”

I can imagine all these members of God’s Creation praising God in their unique ways. The sea monsters -- whales, for example -- would praise God through their whale song. Wild animals would praise God through the unique noises they make. Cattle would praise God by mooing joyfully. Creeping things would praise God by, well, whatever way they would. Birds of the air would praise God by soaring to the heavens or singing beautifully. Fruit trees and cedars would praise God by striving to get the best sunlight and the best nutrients. Men and women would praise God through song and dance. I imagine all of God’s Creation praising God at once, making a deafening sound that somehow was beautiful and did not bother other species, because it was done as an act of praise.

Although this Psalm was written long before Jesus was born, I can imagine all Creation engaging in these simultaneous songs of praise as Christ is brought into the world. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” They would fall silent immediately thereafter so as not to disturb the newborn infant who, like any child, needed sleep. Then all of God’s Creation would find silent, but still beautiful ways of praising God for the birth of the Christ child. Some of our Christmas carols describe the animals in the manger “bowing down before him,” and I imagine all of Creation doing so. “Silent night, holy night.” For this one magical night the lion and the lamb would lay down together, with no desire to destroy the other, yet no hunger gnawing at them.

On this first Sunday after Christmas, when Christians are still well-ensconced in the Christmas season, I have not yet let go of the peacefulness of Christmas Eve. I still feel the hope that seems to open like a flower on Christmas Eve, the light coming back into the world after a dark year. I still feel that things will be better this year, and I connect this to Christ Jesus being born in us again on Christmas Eve -- just as he is year after year. I am still praising the Lord softly with all Creation, and I feel a peace I have not felt in some time.

But, of course, not all of Creation is at peace. We still have violence and poverty and sickness and heartbreak. The son of family friends of ours was found dead a few weeks ago. I imagine his parents are not praising God as vociferously as I am. There are those among you who are having a difficult time. To you, these songs of praise may seem to exist for the sole purpose of tormenting you. “How can anyone -- wild animal or human -- praise God when I feel like this?!” Or you may feel guilty for begrudging anyone their joyous celebration. “I know I should be praising God. I am wrong not to join in the songs of praise. I am wrong to shrink away from the babe in the manger.” You get so tangled up in your guilt that you join in the songs of praise even as your heart breaks -- you sound more joyful than anyone else in the room. You will praise God, even if it tears you apart to do so.

But listen. In this morning’s Psalm the whole of God’s Creation is singing songs of praise. The entire Christian world is singing “Joy to the world!” Don’t you think these songs of praise will still be beautiful, even if you can’t participate this year? We are called to praise God, and your voice will be missed. But God forgives those who do not join in songs of praise when their hearts are breaking. Indeed, there is nothing to forgive. Would God begrudge a bird with a broken wing if it did not fly in a beautiful formation? Just so, God simply reaches out to comfort those among God’s Creation who cannot join in the celebrations.

Much of God’s Creation is limping -- facing extinction, suffering the effects of pollution, losing the only place it has called home. God is only too aware that survival needs to be at the top of the list for these creatures, and they may not be able to join in the dance around the manger this year.

The rest of us, however, are called to pick up the slack by joining together in praising the Lord. We have just been given the incarnation of God in the world, the Christ child, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Let us praise God! And let us do so not only with our cacophony of voices, but by caring for God’s Creation. Let us praise the Lord by caring for our sisters and brothers who are hurting. Let us praise the Lord by fighting against pollution and fighting for conservation. Let us praise the Lord by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Let us praise the Lord by doing all that we can to make sure that God’s Creation is here another year.

What better way can we praise the Lord than by making sure the sea monsters, and wild animals, and creeping things, and birds of the air, and cedars, and fruit trees, and women, and men are here to celebrate another Christmas? What better way can we celebrate God’s incarnation into the world than by making sure the world is still here next year to celebrate?

May those of you with aching hearts find comfort in the familiar words of scripture. God embraces you as you are silent this year. God loves each one of us no matter who we are or where we are on life’s journey. But may those rest of us who are able praise God with our songs and with our actions. Now let us pray.