Psalm 100 (A)

We belong to God and to each other.

Psalm 100

From Nan C. Merrill's Psalms for Praying:
Sing a joyful noise to the Beloved all peoples of the earth!
Serve Love with a glad heart!
Join hands in the great Dance of Life!

Know that the Beloved of your heart is the Divine Presence!
Love created us, and we belong to the Most High;
We are born to be loving, expressions of the Creator's Divine Plan.

Open the gates of your heart with gratitude 
and enter Love's court with praise!
Give thanks to the Beloved, bless Love's holy Name!

For Love is of God, and lives in your heart forever, 
with faith, truth, and joy, now and in all that is to come.
Alleluia!  Amen!

Reflection:

We belong to God and to each other. We belong to something greater than ourselves, Love. Love calls all of us to live and worship as a community. This is relational work. Doing the work means we must examine all the ways that our community functions. Who are we leaving out of community? Who is being taken advantage of? Who is benefiting? When we see racism, sexism, classism, or any person or group being marginalized, we must correct our course, because none of us can freely praise God with joy until all of us are free.

Let us open our hearts to Love’s way.

I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020 shortly after we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom.  It is a practice I have continued since.  Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C).  Starting in Advent 2019, Third Church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C.  Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others.  While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A.  In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B.  Advent of 2021 year C.  Advent of 2022 year A.

I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings to make text selections.

Year A Psalms

1^st Sunday in Advent Psalm 122, 2^nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 72, 3^rd Sunday in Advent Psalm 146, 4^th Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, Christmas Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1^st Sunday after Christmas Psalm 148, New Year Psalm 8, Epiphany Psalm 72, 1^st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 40, 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 27, 4^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 15, 5^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 112, 6^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 119, Transfiguration Sunday Psalm 2 or Psalm 99.

Ash Wednesday Psalm 51, 1^st Sunday in Lent Psalm 32, 2^nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 121, 3^rdSunday in Lent Psalm 95, 4^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 23, 5^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 130, 6^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 118 or Psalm 31.

Holy Week: Monday Psalm 36, Tuesday Psalm 71, Wednesday Psalm 70, Thursday Psalm 116, Friday Psalm 22, Saturday Psalm 31.

Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 114, 2^nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 16, 3^rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 116, 4^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23, 5^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 31, 6^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 66, Ascension of the Lord Psalm 47 or Psalm 93, 7^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 68, Pentecost Psalm 104.

1^st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 8, 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 33 or Psalm 50, 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 116 or Psalm 100, 4^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 86 or Psalm 69, 5^thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 13 or Psalm 89, 6^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 145, 7^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 65, 8^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 86, 9^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 119, 10^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 17 or Psalm 145, 11^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 85, 12^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 133 or Psalm 67, 13^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 138, 14^thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 26, 15^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 149 or Psalm 119, 16^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 114 or Psalm 103, 17^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 145, 18^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 25, 19^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 80, 20^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 106 or Psalm 23, 21^stSunday after Pentecost Psalm 99 or Psalm 96, 22^nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 90 or Psalm 1, 23^rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 107 or Psalm 43, 24^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 70, 25^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 123 or Psalm 90, 26^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 100 or Psalm 95.

Sources and notes:

“Psalm 100 initiates worship and sets forth a theology of worship.” Mays p. 317

“To serve the LORD is to live in a rule that excludes slavery to human governments and subjection to the power of the “gods”. ” Mays p. 318

“So the call to worship is at the same time a summons to assemble as the realm of the LORD. The assembly can be called religious because its focus is god; but its symbols and rituals come from political life. So the assembly convenes to recognize the locus of the power that rules. By their rituals they point to the power to whom they entrust and submit their lives. Worship means opting for one “power structure” as decisive. It is, therefore, the most significant social action that people can take.” Mays p. 318

“Because worship is the direction of trust and obedience to a power whose will and way make a difference in life, it is always an activity with political consequences. If it makes no difference in the way those who worship set themselves in relation to other powers, it is not worship that Psalm 100 inaugurates.” Mays p. 318

Referring to verse 3, ‘He made us’, “”God” means the one who creates and cares for the congregation, the one upon whom we depend for our existence and life as the people of God.” Mays p. 319

“Worship is joy because, as far as time runs, the future is ruled by the loving-kindness and faithfulness of the LORD.” Mays p. 320

“The two great mottoes of radical monotheism are: “I am the LORD they God; thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “Whatever is, is good.” The second can be said because the source of all things and the power by which they exist is good (H. Richard Niebuhr, pp. 37-38). Psalm 100 is a hymnic expression of these two great mottoes as praise. It creates a worship that knows who God is and why he is praised.” Mays p. 320

“While Psalm 100 is classified as a Hymn of Praise rather than as an enthronement psalm, it is a fitting conclusion to this grouping of psalms in book 4, with numerous parallels to the psalms that precede it.” W p. 38

“The closing words of the psalm are words of confident praise that YHWH is good, which steadfast love and faithfulness to all generations–those living in exile in Babylon, those who returned from the exile and dwelt as vassals of the Persian Empire, and those enduring various “exilic” life situations today.” W p. 38

Take from the quoted “Inclusive Praise Silences Oppression” by Christine Nel on pp. 39-40, “In verse 3, Psalm 100 gives a fourfold rationale for the call to make a “joyful noise”: the Lord is God, the LORD made us, we helton to the Lord, and we are the sheep of the Lord’s pasture. The psalmist confronts the reader of hearer twitch the reality of God’s sovereignty. The affirmation that we were made by and therefore belong to something greater than ourselves challenges any form of authority that might try to impose restrictions of rules concerning how, where, or when someone can praise the Lord based on gender, race, age, or social status. We are not self-made; we are created by God and we belong to God alone. Verse 4 of Psalm 100 issues a collective call to all worshipers to enter into the Lord’s gates and courts, reminding the reader of hearer that praise is a communal act. We are not autonomous individuals; instead we are called to live, work, play and worship in community. In response to the call to worship we must continually ask ourselves who we are leaving behind, whom we are excluding, whom we are ignoring when we enter the gates and the courts. What unwritten rules do we have; what hidden prejudices do we carry; what are the unspoken structures of society that foster exclusion, that undermine people coming together as a whole to praise the creator and sustainer God? As long as racism, sexism, classism, and all forms of marginalization persist, no part of creation can be truly free to “make a joyful noise” to the Lord.” W p. 40

Altar, Robert.  2007.  The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company

WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.

Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.

Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.

Brueggemann Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022.  Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.

Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House. 

Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.

Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.

Chittister Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing. 

Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books. 

WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.

Creach Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.

W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020. 

Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press. 

W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016. 

NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. 

Mays Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.

McCann McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Miller Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.

Morgan, Michael. 2010.  The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.

Schlimm Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know.Nashville, TN: Abington Press.

Spong Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.

WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.

Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres

OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.