Psalm 148 (2023-2024B)

For all are called to be friends,
companions to the true Friend,
giving their lives joyfully as
co-creators and people of peace!
Praises be to the Blessed One,
the very Breath of our breath,
the very Heart of our heart!
(Nan C. Merrill Psalm 148)

Psalm 148

Reflection:

The elements that we need to sustain life (air, water, food, shelter) can point us to something larger than our selves.  The need for basic necessities can make them feel, well, more than basic; they become symbols that help us understand our relationship to the earth and to the divine and to each other. We are connected. We are connected by the air we breath, the water we drink, and the earth on which we live. 

In Psalm 148 all of creation is called to praise God, who is creator and life-giver. Elements and creatures praise God by holding their places, by being and doing what they are created to be. Nan Merrill captures in a more modern way what is meant by “raised up a horn for his people”. People are invited to be in relationship with God, to be co-creators and people of peace. 

When I think of creation, and co-creation, I think of the breath of God shared by God, by people, and by all of creation, for the purpose of simply being; being together; being in loving relationship; being one. 

Other writings that may add to future reflections on this psalm:

Hildegard of Bingen understood elements (earth, air, fire, and water) making up the cosmos and all beings, especially humans. She combined her theology and science to describe how the cosmos was ordered by God. You can read more detail about her thoughts in the link under the picture of her vision of the universe. Her love of art, music, and healing/medicine come though in her work as well. God is creator of all that is good.

“The Canticle of the Sun” is attributed to St. Francis. It is an Italian poem in which the elements and all of nature praises God with the words that gave this canticle its original title, “Laudato Si”which means “Praise be to You” in medieval Italian. (The full canticle can be found in my notes section below).

The Presbyterian Hymnal includes O God of Earth and Space by Jane Parker Huber (1990) that praises the God through naming elements of creation. (The lyrics can be found in my notes section below).

Thinking about psalm 148, I wrote this call to worship:

Praise the Lord! All creation, all creatures, and all people, praise God. 
Praise the LORD!
We are one with creation. Our care for all of creation is an expression of praise.
Praise the LORD!
We are Inclusive!  Our love for all people is an expression of praise.
Praise the LORD!

Psalm reflections can be listened to on the Period Pastor Podcast series, Like One who Watches for the Morning.  

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.  Advent of 2023 year B.

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

Year B Psalms

Advent – Transfiguration: 1^st Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, 2^nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 85, 3^rdSunday in Advent Psalm 126, 4^th Sunday in Advent Psalm 89, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1^st Sunday after Christmas, Psalm 148, New Year’s Day Psalm 8, Epiphany Psalm 72, 1^st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 139, 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 62, 4^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 111, 5^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 147, Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday before Lent) Psalm 50

Lent: Ash Wednesday Psalm 51, 1^st Sunday in Lent Psalm 25, 2^nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 22, 3^rdSunday in Lent Psalm 19, 4^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 107, 5^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 51 or Psalm 119:9-16, 6^th Sunday in Lent (Palm or Passion Sunday) Psalm 118 or 31

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

Easter: Easter Psalm 118 or 114, 2^nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 133, 3^rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 4, 4^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23, 5^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 22, 6^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 98, Ascension Psalm 47 or Psalm 93, 7^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 1, Day of Pentecost Psalm 104

Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time): 1^st Sunday after Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) Psalm 29, 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 81, 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 138 or Psalm 130, 4^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 20 or Psalm 92, 5^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 9or Psalm 133 or Psalm 107, 6^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 130 or Psalm 30, 7^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 48 or Psalm 123, 8^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 24 or Psalm 85, 9^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 89 or Psalm 23, 10^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 14 or Psalm 145, 11^thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 51 or Psalm 78, 12^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 130 or Psalm 34, 13^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 111 or Psalm 34, 14^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 84 or Psalm 34, 15^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 15, 16^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 125 or Psalm 146, 17^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 116, 18^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 1 or Psalm 54, 19^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 19, 20^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 26 or Psalm 8, 21^st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 22 or Psalm 90, 22^ndSunday after Pentecost Psalm 104 or Psalm 91, 23^rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 34 or Psalm 126, 24^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 146 or 119, 25^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 127 or Psalm 146, 26^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 16, 27^th Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King) Psalm 132 or Psalm 93.

Sources and notes:

“Psalms 146-150, the final Hallel of the Psalter, each begin and end with “Praise the LORD” and together form the closing doxology of book 5 of the Psalter as a whole. The group follows the movement observed in Psalm145, from an individual hymn (Ps 146) to a community hymn (Ps 147) to a creation psalm (Ps 148) to exuberant praise (Pss 149-150).” W p. 303

“Indeed, the psalm not only opens and closes with a “Praise the LORD,” but once having uttered this cry of praise, the psalm repeats the cry over and over. The reason seems to lie in the purpose of the psalm. It is a hymn composed as an invitation to all creation and creatures to join in the praise of the LORD.” Mays p. 444

“The motif “all” punctuates the roll call to insist that the list is inclusive, representative of everything that is.” Mays p. 444

“Psalm 148 is an invitation to all of creation and its inhabitants–the rather and the heavens–to join in the praise of God. All are included; none are excluded from the call.” W p. 312

“Echos of Genesis 1:1-2:4 are scattered through the psalm.” Mays p. 445

“We human beings are one with all being in our relation to One whose name alone is exalted and whose majesty is above earth and heaven.” Mays p. 445

“The creation and the creatures praise in their very being and doing, by existing and filling their assigned place. But verse 14 says something more about Israel as the faithful people of the LORD. For them, the LORD “has raised up a horn”; the expression is an idiom for the bestowal of dignity and fame (75:10; 92:10; 112:9). The LORD has given his faithful praise as their dignity and power. They are the ones who are “near” to him, know and can speak his exalted name. They are given the praise with which to voice the unspoken praise of all creation. Praise is their place and purpose. In the praise of the people of the LORD, the name that is the truth about the entire universe is spoken on behalf of all the rest of creation.” Mays p. 445

“While the songs of praise generally push toward universality, Psalm 148 takes inclusivity to the limit, surpassing even the final climactic verse of the psalter (150:6). The inclusivity of the invitation to praise God has profound implications that demonstrate the inseparability of theology and ecology. We human beings, we people of God, are partners in praising God with a multitude of other living beings an inanimate things as well. For this reason, Psalm 148 recalls not only Gen 1:1-24, but also Genesis 9. In Genesis 9 the covenant after the flood is established not just with Noah and his descendants (Gen 9:9) but also with “every living creature” (Gen 9:10, 12, 15-16), indeed, with “the earth” (Gen 9:13). This covenant, along with the all-inclusive invitation to praise in Psalm 148, suggests that the human vocation of “dominion” (Gen 1:26,28) involves not just a stewardship of creation but a partnership with creation. Francis of Assisi had it right when, on the basis of Psalm 148, he composed his Canticle of the Sun, in which he addresses the sun and wind and fire as brother, and the moon and waters and earth as sister. Psalm 148 is not a call to pantheism, but on the basis of Psalm 148, we must speak of a “symbiosis in praise” involving humans and nature; we can hear in Psalm 148 “an implicit call to human beings to relate to the natural orders in such a way that natures praise might show forth with greater clarity.” In short, human beings are called to exercise their God-given “dominion” or sovereignty in the same way that God exercises power: as a servant. To so fulfill our vacation is to praise God by, in effect, imitating God.” NIB p. 722 

This version of Canticle to the Sun is from Francis and Clare The Complete Works translated by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. CAP. and Ignatius C. Brady, O.F.M. (pages 38-39)

1. Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessing.
2. To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your Name.
3. Praise be You, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day and through whom You give us light.
4. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
5. Praise be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
6. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.
7. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. 
8. Praise be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
9. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
10. Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love and bear infinity and tribulation.
11. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.
12. Praise be You, my Lord through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape.
13. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.
14. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.

From the Presbyterian Hymnal #270 O God of Earth and Space by Jane Parker Huber (1990):

O God of Earth and Space, of sea and fire and air,
Your providence surrounds us here and everywhere.
In fruit and grain and tree, in shelter from the cold,
in cooling breezes, flowing wells, now as of old.

Where faithfulness is show, where love and truth abound,
Where beauty graces human life, there you are found.
Inspirer of all thought! Creative force of art!
The melody on every tongue, in every heart!

Wherever freedom reigns, Where sin is overthrown,
Where justice fused with mercy rules, there you are known.
Give us the courage clear to make the earth a home
For all to live in harmony in Christ’s shalom.

Your word commands response and summons us to life.
We follow, strengthened by your grace, in calm or strife.
Our ever-present help, Our challenge and our prod,
We praise you know and to life’s end, Eternal God.

“Several other hymns that proclaim God’s reign also invite heaven and earth and the beings and objects therein to praise God (see Pss 29:1; 96:11-12; 97:1; 98:4, 7-8). Indeed, the moment of Psalm 148 is similar to that of Psalm 29; the praise of heavenly beings (Pss 29:1-2,9; 148:2-4) is accompanied by a prayer for o the affirmation of God’s strengthening or blessing of God’s people (Pss 29:11; 148:14). The same movement is also found in Luke 2:13-14, where the heavenly beings proclaim both God’s glory and peace on earth. The angel’s song communicates Luke’s conviction that the birth of Jesus represents God’s enthronement, God’s cosmic sovereignty. Its parallel movement with Psalm 148 suggests the appropriateness of Psalm 148 for the season of Christmas.” NIB pp. 722-723

“One of the richest deposits of such hymns of praise is at the conclusion of the Psalter in Psalms 146-150, in which the particulars of psalmic praise wanes, and the exuberance of praise comes fore vigorous and bold. In Psalm 148, the singers can image all creation, all creatures, including sea monsters and creeping things, united in praise of YHWH.” 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. p. 3

“In this psalm the linguistic pattern is completely preoccupied with the summons. The repeated and extended summons constitutes the act of praise, varied only by the difference of vocative, which sweeps the entire created world. Indeed, if one focuses on those addressed, one has an inventory of God’s creation. All of these creatures are now called to answer back to the one who gave life. It is a bold touch to classify the great elements of creation simply as part of the worshiping congregation, including the heavenly bodies, the great animals, the elements of weather, and in verses 11-12, the human creature as well. ” Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg. p. 165

“The basis of praise is expressed only in verses 5b-6 and 13b-14, but it is everywhere assumed. The basis offered does not do other than the summons, for in this case, both basis and summons attest to Yahweh’s majestic and incomparable power. The idea of God’s graciousness may be implied, as always in creation speech, but in the rhetorical pattern, it is power and not graciousness which overwhelms the assembled creation.” Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg. p. 165

“The last verse makes the standard Israelite connection almost a footnote (as in Ps. 147:19-20). Rhetorically this is presented as being equal in importance to the other acts of creation, but structurally appears almost as an addendum to the psalm.” Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg. p. 165

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.