Wisdom From A Lifelong Friend

Good morning…

Walking down the aisle as mother-of-the-groom, I was surprised to feel my tears well up as I saw the faces of our longtime friends beaming in the crowd. Four couples who helped to raise our son came from Atlanta along with their grown-up sons, guys who had wrestled or played soccer with Kyler since we moved to Vinings, Georgia when he was eight years old. These old friends have shared some of our absolute best memories from over the years.

Another essential couple in our lives came from Hickory, North Carolina. We met the Wachters, our longest close friends, when Steve took his first associate pastor job in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1989. They were a young couple who had married on the same Saturday we had married, who loved church softball and seasoning meals with deep conversation. Supporting us through our four years of infertility and our four miscarriages, when kids finally came along Dave and Noelle became like a special aunt and uncle to our four and we to their delightful three. Now Dave, who is also seminary trained, blogs about a different Psalm every day. Enjoy his life-giving thoughts from yesterday.

******

Psalm 96 – Reflection by Dave Wachter

This weekend we had the honor and privilege of attending the wedding of Kyler and Chandler. Ky is the son of The Rev and Miss Sue. We’ve known Ky since before he was born. We’ve watched him go from “Scrub” to “Man” and are excited to hear the “new song” that Kyler and Chandler will write for G-d in their marriage. It was a Godly and spiritual weekend, a tribute to two families committed to raising Godly children. Basking in the afterglow of the weekend, everything seems right with the world. It seems as if the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Our psalm today is a “new song” to be sung as worship and praise to the God of Creation. Utilizing a classic Jewish three-fold three-peat structure, the psalmist summons the people to sing, sing, sing (vv. 1-2) … praise, proclaim, declare (vv. 2-3) … ascribe, ascribe, ascribe (vv. 7-8) words of acclamation to YHWH.

But the “new song” of Psalm 96 sounds so familiar. We’ve heard all of these words before. The psalm is like a greatest hits mash up of praise and worship from previous psalms that we have read. And all of the praise and worship leads to the apex and fundamental theological truth communicated in all of the psalms, and in fact, all of Scripture:  “YHWH reigns!” (v. 10)

Psalm 96, like the celebration of faith-filled wedding, joyously remind us of this truth. The LORD reigns. He always has and He always will … and all is right with the world.

Godspeed to Ky and Chandler … and to all who faithfully live out lives of distinction in the Name of the One who reigns. May we recognize His magnificence today and praise His name. In doing so, we will bring the Kingdom of God near to those around us.

Shalom  שָׁלוֹם

DWach

PS … The recitation of Psalm 96 at the beginning of this video is INSPIRING!:  https://youtu.be/KCQ3ehcC15U?si=ymgEglJFrFquxZRg

And one from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir:  https://youtu.be/MFqLddbl9Y0?si=ix-mv7qe5sl0R3V9

******