Focus
Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.
Read
Psalm 111
New Revised Standard Version
1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
Reflect
August and into September brings the winding-down phase of summer. Students return to school. Vacations end. The camper, boat, tent, or slip-and-slide is cleaned and stored for another year. Perhaps during the summer you have traveled and missed Sunday services. Maybe there were weeks that you just decided to sleep in and worship at home. Now we begin to return to familiar routines. One of those is the return to church.
There is nothing like giving thanks to our God in the “company of the upright, in the congregation.” Last spring, we returned to our normal church routines as the pandemic became less threatening. It was like waking from a very long sleep and felt a little disorienting at first. At the same time, it felt like coming home. I was glad when they said unto me (finally!), “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Let us not take for granted the privilege of gathering to give thanks to our God.
Pray
Holy Father, your works are full of wonder and majesty, and I praise you and thank you together with your people.
Go with God!
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