Psalm 147:1-7

Psalm 147:1-7 NIVUK
1 Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the broken-hearted
    and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.

Today’s readings from Revelation and Nehemiah are dark readings. Revelation speaks of God’s judgement on those who stand against him and his people and Nehemiah speaks of his distress at hearing about the state of Jerusalem at the end of the Exile. Tonight, many of us will gather in the dark for our Christmas Eve communion. In each of these, the darkness gives way to light. God’s judgement in Revelation opens the way for God to make all things new. In Nehemiah, Nehemiah’s distress is God’s prompting for him to act and rebuild the city walls. The darkness of Christmas Eve at 11.30pm gives way to the joy of Jesus the Light of the World being born! With the Psalmist, how can we not sing God’s praise!

Spirit, show me how I can play my part in this work this Christmas.

Bible in a Year Challenge readings: Psalm 146:1-10; Revelation 14:14-15:8; Ezra 10:1-44