Praise

Standing By Night

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Come bless the Lord all you servants of the Lord. Who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Psalms 134:1 ESV

Seeing our precious seniors braving the chilly afternoon to sing and pray was such an encouragement. Here is a video clip of our meeting along with two of the most classic songs of all time on praise. All Creatures of our God and King and The Doxology have echoed down through the centuries through times far more perilous than ours and serve as an example and encouragement. Let’s stand by night together and no matter what we face be sure to Bless the Lord!

All creatures of our God and King

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
Oh, praise Him! Alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise Him, O praise Him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong, 
Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice, 
Ye lights of evening, find a voice,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And ev’ryone, with tender heart, 
Forgiving others, take your part,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Sing praise and cast on God your care,
O sing ye, O sing ye, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 Let all things their Creator bless, 
and worship God in humbleness,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
To God all thanks and praise belong!
Join in the everlasting song:
O praise Him, O praise Him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Lyric poem by Saint Francis of Assisi 1225 (Canticle of the Sun)

William Draper paraphrase and music 1901

Come Bless the Lord

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Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Psalm 134:1

What can I say about today’s monthly outdoor worship at Sunshine Christian Retirement Village? It was cold (by Florida standards) and we were old! The breezy not quite 60 degree weather had us shivering between hymns – but God showed up! We sang, heard each other’s prayer requests and heard from the word. At the beginning of this New Year it seemed wholly appropriate to begin by singing A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Between chattering teeth, Luther’s classic hymn reminded us that opposition to the church is not unusual, in fact it has been standard operating procedure throughout the centuries.

Then we began the praise chorus from Psalm 134, “Come Bless the Lord.” In order to understand what the Psalmist wrote it is important to know that these servants were specifically chosen from the family of Asaph and their duty was both to guard and to give praise to the Lord in the temple both day and night. In this Psalm these musicians and guards had their duties at night, so maybe you could think of them as third shift worshipers!

Are you going through a dark third shift night in your life? Maybe during this time, God is giving you the opportunity to be one of his special servants who stand by night. Maybe your praise in the nighttime seasons gives God the opportunity to show others His grace and glory in a world that so desperately needs the light of the love of Jesus Christ. If you have not heard this little chorus I have posted a fun link to listen to. It is one of my favorites. God bless you and have a blessed Lord’s day as you stand both day and night in the house of the Lord!

Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! Psalm 134: 2-3

Belly Aching

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  True Confessions of a Bellyacher
  
 I complained that I was lonely
 Till it forced me to make friends
 And I griped how big my church was
 Till I saw folks came for Him
 I worried over this and
 I fussed too much on that
 Which I had lost control of
 Till I found God had my back
  
 Then in big ways and in small
 That I never understood
 I found God in every circumstance
 Working all things for my good
 So if He soon calls me homeward
 Or if He gives to me long life
 I am choosing to be thankful
 For His great love in Jesus Christ!

True Confessions of a Bellyacher by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2020 all rights reserved

Though True Confessions of a Bellyacher has appeared in Purpose Magazine as well as on this blog, I included it today for those of us in danger of a grumpy start for 2021. Whatever way elections, lockdowns or our personal situation is, we need to remind ourselves that praise begins with a bit of humility and reminds us that He who is ultimately in charge has our back.

I’m not exactly sure why I started writing poems. For me it has been a bit like making jam from the blackberries we used to pick on hot Summer afternoons. Once those fresh berries were mixed with sugar and sealed in mason jars, their sweetness could be preserved for the long cold days of Winter. For those interested in having some of my poetry on your own shelf, I released a collection in 2020 titled Seasons of Song. It is available in either e-book or print format from Amazon. I am posting the link below or if you prefer you can find the title by searching Amazon by the title – Seasons of Song by Peter Caligiuri – These times ahead we all need to stay close by the side of Jesus and listen to His opinion before hearing the news. May God bless each of you with a season of the sweetness of His presence this morning.