Praise and Hope for the New Year

Scripture: Psalm 148

In C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books we find a lot of imagery about God, heaven, and creation. In the final novel, The Last Battle we read the following:

“It is as hard to explain how this sunlit land was different from the old Narnia, as it would be to tell you how the fruits of that country taste. Perhaps you will get some idea of it, if you think like this. You may have been in a room in which there was a window that looked out on a lovely bay of the sea or a green valley that wound away among mountains. And in the wall of that room opposite to the window there may have been a looking glass. And as you turned away from the window you suddenly caught sight of that sea or that valley, all over again, in the looking glass. And the sea in the mirror, or the valley in the mirror, were in one sense just the same as the real ones: yet at the same time they were somehow different—deeper, more wonderful, more like places in a story: in a story you have never heard but very much want to know. The difference between the old Narnia and the new Narnia was like that. The new one was a deeper country: every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more. I can’t describe it any better than that: if you ever get there, you will know what I mean.” (Scott Hoezee – https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2023-12-25/psalm-148-12/)

This provides us with a different perspective of what the psalmist is trying to share with us. Creation is good, God is good, and we will recognize it when we see it.

Our psalm today is the third of five hymns/psalms that focus on creation and God’s sovereignty. The close out the book of Psalms and their particular focus should help us understand things that are important to God.

Courtney Pace writes, “The placement of this psalm near the end of the psalter is critical for orienting readers. Life will continue to have ups and downs, ecstasy and tragedy, harmony and division, and yet, God calls us to live in praise.” (Courtney Pace – https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-christmas-2/commentary-on-psalm-148-21)

The Psalms are an interesting piece of scripture. They deal with lament, sorrow, victory, and praise. That the book of Psalms end with passages on praise should tells us something about how we need to orient our world view. God is worthy of praise, creation is worthy of praise and care, and we have a part to play.

The format of the Psalm itself is revealing:

• Verses 1-6 talks about creation and heavenly beings
• Verses 7-10 deals with the creatures of the earth
• Verses 11-14 focuses on humanity

It takes a while for the Psalmist to even get to humanity and when they do, we get four of the fifteen verses. Scott Hoezee writes, “…in many psalms there is no distinction made between telling human beings to praise God the Creator/Redeemer and giving the same command to animals and trees and stars and snowflakes.  In fact in the case of Psalm 148, we go through 10 whole verses out of the song’s total of 14 verses before human beings even make an appearance.” (Scott Hoezee – https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2023-12-25/psalm-148-12/)

This tells us that we are important, but that we aren’t the only important thing. A reminder that just as all of creation sings God’s praise, we too are required to do this. Not only that, but care for creation falls to us as well.

“Stars best serve God by shining brightly, and the wind by blowing. Everything best serves God simply by being what it was created to be.” (Courtney Pace – https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-christmas-2/commentary-on-psalm-148-21)

Our purpose is to praise God, to join our voices with the song of creation. The Psalm leans on images we find in Genesis where the earth and all living things praise God.

Returning to commentator Scotte Hoezee, he continues, “…we are not to ponder any future with God without the created order—God issued a decree that establishes all these things for ever and ever.  To any in the church or outside the church even yet today who think stewardship of creation is a waste of time since we are all destined to be whisked out of this world into some cloudy, vapory realm of “heaven,” the Bible says “No.”  That’s not how it’s going to be.” (Scott Hoezee – https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2023-12-25/psalm-148-12/)

We are called to care for creation and to offer praise to God.

All of this raises some interesting questions:

Can God be glorified in all forms of praise?

Are there good and bad ways to praise God?

Can we praise God when we are angry or sad? Or is praise only reserved for when we are in a good mood? Lamentations and Job among others would suggest that praise can be offered at all times.

As we close out the year, things look dismal. War rages around the globe, people are worried about inflation, disinflation and high interest rates. Food is expensive, more people are using food banks than ever before. There is a housing crisis, with a lack of affordable housing. However, our Psalm this morning asks us to have hope anyway. The Psalmist says that God is good, creation is good, and that we have a role within all of this. We are close to God’s heart and we have a part to play.

We are called to see the depth of God’s creation. To look at every rock and flower and blade of grass and realize that it means more. That there is a depth of colour and meaning, that all things are calling out to God. And so we will praise God as we enter this new year. Amen.