Friday,
August 15, 2014
Scripture
May God be merciful to us and bless us; may the light
of God's face shine upon us. (Psalm 67:1)
Reflection
This psalm has long been a favorite of mine!
When our daughter was baptized, I composed a setting of
Psalm 67 for the occasion. Lynn and I were the vocalists, and Lynn’s sister played flute while my sister
played French horn. Many years later, when First
Lutheran Church
in Duluth was
celebrating its centennial, I was commissioned to write an anthem to this same
psalm, which had been chosen as their anniversary verse. Then it became a large
work for mixed choir, children’s choir, handbell choir, oboe, and organ.
Psalm 67 is a song of thanksgiving for the blessings that
God has poured out upon us. While the context is that of harvest, it sings
beyond its context to the many and various ways God has blessed us.
While the psalm gives thanks to God for
blessings in the past, the last verse is a prayer that God continue to shower
down blessing and that we respond with praise: “May God give us
blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe.”
Prayer
Gracious God, May you give us blessing, and may all the ends
of the earth stand in awe of you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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