POD - Psalm 85

Psalm 85

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For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.


85:1 Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land.

You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.

85:2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people.

You have covered all their sin.

Selah.

85:3 You have taken away all your wrath.

You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.

85:4 Turn us, God of our salvation,

and cause your indignation toward us to cease.

85:5 Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you draw out your anger to all generations?

85:6 Won’t you revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

85:7 Show us your loving kindness, Yahweh.

Grant us your salvation.

85:8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people, his saints;

but let them not turn again to folly.

85:9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

that glory may dwell in our land.

85:10 Mercy and truth meet together.

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

85:11 Truth springs out of the earth.

Righteousness has looked down from heaven.

85:12 Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good.

Our land will yield its increase.

85:13 Righteousness goes before him,

And prepares the way for his steps.

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POD - Psalm 83

Psalm 83

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A song. A Psalm by Asaph.

83:1 God, don’t keep silent.

Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God.

83:2 For, behold, your enemies are stirred up.

Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.

83:3 They conspire with cunning against your people.

They plot against your cherished ones.

83:4 “Come,” they say, “and let’s destroy them as a nation,

that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

83:5 For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you.

83:6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;

Moab, and the Hagrites;

83:7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

83:8 Assyria also is joined with them.

They have helped the children of Lot.

Selah.

83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian,

as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;

83:10 who perished at Endor,

who became as dung for the earth.

83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb;

yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;

83:12 who said, “Let us take possession of God’s pasturelands.”

83:13 My God, make them like tumbleweed;

like chaff before the wind.

83:14 As the fire that burns the forest,

as the flame that sets the mountains on fire,

83:15 so pursue them with your tempest,

and terrify them with your storm.

83:16 Fill their faces with confusion,

that they may seek your name, Yahweh.

83:17 Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever.

Yes, let them be confounded and perish;

83:18 that they may know that you alone,

whose name is Yahweh,

are the Most High over all the earth.

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POD - Psalm 80

Psalm 80

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For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm by Asaph.

80:1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock,

you who sit above the cherubim, shine forth.

80:2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,

stir up your might! Come to save us!

80:3 Turn us again, God.

Cause your face to shine,

and we will be saved.

80:4 Yahweh God of Armies,

How long will you be angry against the prayer of your people?

80:5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,

and given them tears to drink in large measure.

80:6 You make us a source of contention to our neighbors.

Our enemies laugh among themselves.

80:7 Turn us again, God of Armies.

Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

80:8 You brought a vine out of Egypt.

You drove out the nations, and planted it.

80:9 You cleared the ground for it.

It took deep root, and filled the land.

80:10 The mountains were covered with its shadow.

Its boughs were like God’s cedars.

80:11 It sent out its branches to the sea,

Its shoots to the River.

80:12 Why have you broken down its walls,

so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?

80:13 The boar out of the wood ravages it.

The wild animals of the field feed on it.

80:14 Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies.

Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,

80:15 the stock which your right hand planted,

the branch that you made strong for yourself.

80:16 It’s burned with fire. It’s cut down.

They perish at your rebuke.

80:17 Let your hand be on the man of your right hand,

on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.

80:18 So we will not turn away from you.

Revive us, and we will call on your name.

80:19 Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies.

Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

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POD - Psalm 77

Psalm 77

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For the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm by Asaph.


77:1 My cry goes to God!
Indeed, I cry to God for help,
and for him to listen to me.

77:2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord.
My hand was stretched out in the night, and didn’t get tired.
My soul refused to be comforted.

77:3 I remember God, and I groan.
I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed.

Selah.

77:4 You hold my eyelids open.
I am so troubled that I can’t speak.

77:5 I have considered the days of old,
the years of ancient times.

77:6 I remember my song in the night.
I consider in my own heart;
my spirit diligently inquires:

77:7 “Will the Lord reject us forever?
Will he be favorable no more?

77:8 Has his loving kindness vanished forever?
Does his promise fail for generations?

77:9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he, in anger, withheld his compassion?”

Selah.

77:10 Then I thought, “I will appeal to this:
the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

77:11 I will remember Yah’s deeds;
for I will remember your wonders of old.

77:12 I will also meditate on all your work,
and consider your doings.

77:13 Your way, God, is in the sanctuary.
What god is great like God?

77:14 You are the God who does wonders.
You have made your strength known among the peoples.

77:15 You have redeemed your people with your arm,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah.

77:16 The waters saw you, God.
The waters saw you, and they writhed.
The depths also convulsed.

77:17 The clouds poured out water.
The skies resounded with thunder.
Your arrows also flashed around.

77:18 The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind.
The lightnings lit up the world.
The earth trembled and shook.

77:19 Your way was through the sea;
your paths through the great waters.
Your footsteps were not known.

77:20 You led your people like a flock,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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Travelling Toward Christmas - 5. Jesus

Travelling Towards Christmas

5. Jesus, Downsizing in Love

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Happy Christmas Day! We come to the final meditation in the series, ‘Travelling Towards Christmas'. Today we have arrived and, hopefully, are giving some thought to the spiritual meaning of this celebration. This is Christ's Mass. It's about God sending ‘his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.' Those words are found in 1 John 4:9, and are closely followed in verse 14 by these words, ‘The Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.' As was hinted in the last talk, about the visit of the Magi, Christmas is about incarnation.

Earlier in Advent I was thinking about the idea of the Creator of the universe becoming part of his own creation. It seemed to me to be the ultimate in ‘downsizing'. That's a word people use when they sell their house and buy a smaller one to live in, for whatever reason. However strong one's imagination in envisaging possible examples of downsizing, there is nothing greater than that of God becoming a human being, of leaving heaven to live on earth. And to be born in a stable, what's more, not in a fine palace with all the trimmings of royalty. And this for the greatest of all reasons; to save humanity from its self-destroying lifestyle and to bring us back into a loving relationship with God, for now and forever. As I dwelt on these thoughts some verses began to form in my mind.

Downsizing! That's the word we want

to tell what we've been through,

giving up our Knightsbridge pad

for a flat in Waterloo,

where the folk in cardboard boxes

are our neighbours in dire need;

we've come to show them the love of Christ,

not just in word, but deed!

He showed us how it should be done

when he came from heaven to earth;

downsizing in a massive way

to arrive through human birth.

The Son of God made just like us;

they call it ‘incarnation',

God's love at work in a human frame

- the Christmas celebration!

That first verse, by the way, is not a description of what has happened to me. It is an imaginary scenario that reflects what a number of people have done in responding to Christ’s love and the needs of people they encounter in life on Earth. Some have quite literally sold up and moved among the people they feel called to serve. Some have gone to other parts of the world in order to share the love of Christ, sinking their whole lives into the endeavour. No doubt, you can think of some current examples.

Christmas Day can be a lovely experience for most of us, as we come together as families and friends to enjoy good food and fun, and as we share Christmas greeting and presents. For others, it can be a very difficult day and it would be good for us to think of them prayerfully and to pray for those who devote their Christmas Day to cater for the needs of the less privileged members of our communities. They are, as my verses suggested, incarnating the love of God and the Lord Jesus.

Let’s finish by thinking about the stable scene in Bethlehem. Mary looking at Jesus with a mother’s love for her firstborn child, and with deep thoughts about how different their lives would be from here on. Joseph, still with Gabriel’s words ringing in his ears, already slipping into the role of being father to God’s Son. The shepherds, alive with excitement and looking with wonder at the little baby whose future was to be so big. The Magi, kneeling before the one they know is destined to be more than a king, worshipping him in a manner that befitted their religion and understanding. It’s good for us to join them all around the manger, giving thanks and praise to God for the gift of his only Son.

The Lord bless you today, and then as you move into the new year. Whatever it holds for you, if you’ve stood in the stable today, you will know that God will be with you and nothing is impossible with him.

We began our journey with that promise. We’ve seen how it happened for these characters.

The question we now have to face and work through is, ‘Will it be true for me?’

There’s only one way to find out - trust him; he’s as good as his word. Happy New Year!

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Travelling Toward Christmas - 4. Magi

Travelling Towards Christmas

4. Wise Men on a Journey

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Greetings! This is Jim Harris with the 4th meditation on the Christmas story. I’ve called the series ‘Travelling Towards Christmas’ and we’re now going to think about the Magi, or wise men as they are popularly known. You might find it helpful now to read Matthew 2:1-18.

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.' "

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

¹⁸ "A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more."

Travelling Towards Christmas? Yes, that’s what these men were doing, and probably for quite a long time, for it seems they originated in what we now call Iran but used to call Persia. The Magi were sort of priestly group - not kings, as is usually supposed in traditional Christmas presentations. They were men who studied the night skies for signs of what was going to happen. We would label them astrologers today but they were more than that. They were aware of ancient writings and promises that had been made long before they were born, and looked to see where and when they would be fulfilled. Those who visited Jesus had seen a clear sign that an ancient promise was shortly coming to pass. There is a verse in the Old Testament, Numbers 24:17 which reads, ‘A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel.’ No wonder, then, that they burst into Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, with the question, ‘Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We’ve seen his star. . we’ve come to worship him.’

With a bit of help from the Jewish scholars, the star took them to Bethlehem, where they found the young child with his mother. They brought gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. These three gifts may have suggested that there were just three of them in the party, but Matthew gives us no data on that. Gold; frankincense and myrrh. Gold, a gift fit for a king. Incense, a gift appropriate for a priest; still used today in some churches. Myrrh, a gift suggesting sacrifice and death, for it was an embalming spice. What other insights did they have, we wonder, as they travelled and talked among themselves. Matthew understood that they were significant to the story of Jesus birth, not just because they came, but because they were part of God’s strategy for Jesus. Those gifts were valuable, extremely so, and their value would have provided the means for the Holy Family to escape into Egypt and remain there for as long as it was necessary. This thought is strengthened by the fact that it was the Magi’s visit that provoked Herod’s wrath and his vicious massacre of the young boys of Bethlehem.

There is something unexplained and mysterious about this visit of the Magi but, whatever else may be true, it makes the point for us that Jesus coming into the world was not only to save his people – that is the Jewish people – from their sins. Far from it; he was coming to be the Saviour of the world. His life, death and resurrection would establish salvation for all who would believe and receive it, regardless of race, colour, creed, culture, or social status.

In emphasising the nature of the gifts they brought, we may overlook that, first of all, ‘they bowed down and worshipped him.’ They realised to some extent, that he was more than just another earthly king; that, somehow, he was destined to be of wider and greater significance than that. The apostle John was later to write of him as ‘The Word of God’ and penned the words, ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.’ Perhaps these Magi were Wise Men after all, in that they partly understood what we’ve come to call incarnation – God on earth as a real human being!

It’s been fashionable in recent years to create some clever slogans about Christmas, such as, ‘Jesus is the reason for the season.’ To my mind one of the more subtle and telling of these says, ‘Wise men still seek Him!’ Living in an age of political correctness, we have to change it a little, but it loses some of its force when we do so. However, so that no-one feels left out, let’s say that, ‘Wise people still seek Him!’

A question for you to think about. ‘What gift could you bring to the Lord Jesus this Christmas that would express your love for him?’

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Travelling Toward Christmas - 3 Shepherds

3. Shepherds, first on the Scene

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Hi there! This is Jim Harris with the third talk in our series, Travelling Towards Christmas. Having previously discussed Mary and Joseph, this time we’ll have a look at the shepherds, who apparently were the first people to see the new-born Son of God, the one we now describe as ‘Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,’ This would be a good moment to read Luke 2:1-20, for that’s where we find their story.

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Shepherds were not sophisticated middle-class people. They were down-to-earth, rugged, hard working men, who tended and took care of flocks of sheep, mostly belonging to rich people. Some of them had a special role in looking after the flocks that produced lambs for the Temple sacrifices at Jerusalem. It’s known that these were pastured on the fields surrounding Bethlehem, because of it was close to Jerusalem. With that in mind, consider the fact that Jesus was to become ‘The lamb of who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29) Isn’t that remarkable?

But there’s something else, too. Jerusalem was King David’s city but Bethlehem was his home town. That’s why Joseph had to travel to register there, ‘because he belonged to the house and line of David.’ (verse 4) With these ideas in mind it’s good to reread verses 8-11 again. It all comes together into what we can only think of as God’s superb plan for introducing His Son to the world..

These shepherds may have been ordinary people, representing the rank and file of human kind, but they were very privileged people too. That night out in the fields, unexpectedly, the curtain between heaven and earth was drawn back sufficiently for God’s messengers to be seen and heard. ‘An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.’ Then a little later we read, ‘Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel.’ The message they brought was ‘Good news of great joy to all the people’ – the Saviour had been born in Bethlehem. It was made pretty clear to them that they were to bear witness to this tremendous event by visiting the Baby, then passing on the good news to others. What does all this say to us, as we approach Christmas by crossing Shepherds Fields?

First of all, that Jesus is for all people. Good news of his birth was entrusted to what a poet has called ‘a few farm workers!’ News of his resurrection was entrusted to a woman with a dubious history, Mary Magdalene. Jesus is for everyone, whatever their social rank or moral background. He’s the Saviour – he specialises in forgiving the past and creating a new future for all who put their faith in him.

Then, they did what was required of them. They went off immediately to find the Baby and confirm what the angel had said. They were eager to do what God wanted from them, which is a mark of true faith. Mind you, if we’d been among them, I think the excitement of heaven breaking through in the encounter with the angels and in the birth of God’s Son, would have sent us hurrying down to Bethlehem as well.

Then, they told everyone what had happened. They witnessed to others about their experience and the message they’d heard. Another mark of genuine faith is that we become so thrilled with what’s happened to us, that we simply overflow. We tell everyone about it. That’s what happened with Jesus’ disciples about thirty three years after this. They just couldn’t stop telling everyone the good news that Jesus was risen from the dead.

Finally, the shepherds glorified and praised God for all the things they’d seen and heard. They did not draw attention to themselves. They did not entertain a ‘special status’ mentality because God had chosen them for this important role in the nativity. It’s a mark of true spirituality that all glory goes to God for the experiences he grants us.

We sign off with another question for you to consider. Verse 19 reads, ‘Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.’ The question is simply, ‘Will I give some time this Christmas to pondering its significance for me?’

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Travelling Toward Christmas - 2 Joseph

TRAVELLING TOWARD CHRISTMAS

2. Joseph, betrothed to Mary

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Hello again. This is the second talk given by Jim Harris in our series, ‘Travelling Towards Christmas.’ It’s about Joseph, betrothed to Mary.

We meet and learn about Joseph in both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts of the birth of Jesus. He is the quiet man in the story but also a spiritual person who wished to live his life and make his decisions in accordance with God’s will. Please read Matthew 1:18-25.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the me Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Jewish society at that time had an arrangement for approaching marriage called ‘betrothal’. It was a kind of engagement period, in which the prospective bride and groom lived under the same roof but did not consummate the relationship sexually. That was reserved for their wedding day. Mary was pledged in this way to be married to Joseph. It is likely that he was older than Mary, as there is no mention of him during Jesus’ adult ministry. Perhaps he’d died before Jesus reached the age of thirty, which was when he went public.

Travelling Toward Christmas - 1 Mary

Travelling Toward Christmas

1. Mary, the Mother of Jesus

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Hello. My name is Jim Harris. I’ve been asked by Dave to provide some talks taking us towards Christmas Day. He’s also asked me to introduce myself so you know where I’m coming from. I’m a retired Christian Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher, having spent about 31 years in full time ministry.

In the run up to Christmas it is inevitable that we begin to think about the characters involved in the original events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Where better to start than with Mary, to whom was given the great privilege and awesome responsibility of carrying and giving birth to God’s Son, the Messiah.

Please read Luke chapter 1, verses 26-30.


In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.


Mary was probably a teenager when she received the visit from the angel Gabriel to tell her that the Lord had chosen her for this very special purpose. Hearing his greeting she was greatly troubled. Meeting an angel isn’t exactly an everyday experience. But there was something deeper disturbing her peace of mind – the content of his greeting. ‘You who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ That set her on her guard. Whatever was coming next?

Gabriel sensed her fear and told her she need not be afraid. He was bringing good news not bad. The time had come for God to send his Son into the world; to be born as every human being has to be born so that, in due course, he would become the Saviour that the world needed. Hence the name they were to give the child –Jesus - which means ‘God saves’. Just imagine the mounting excitement in Mary as he went on with his message. That was every godly Jewish woman’s dream; to be chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.

It all sounds very cut-and-dried, when we read ‘You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus.’ Despite the way it sounds, God wasn’t forcing Mary into this role, but he knew her heart well enough to realise he’d get a good response. We have an insight into how she thought and felt about God in the song recorded by Luke in verses 46-55. She knew the Old Testament Scriptures well and used them as a basis for her outpouring of praise and thanksgiving. Mary was a spiritual woman, however young she might have been. She loved God and wanted the best for his people, which isn’t a bad description of spirituality.

But – life is full of buts – there was just one not-so-little practical problem. She was a virgin and, as Mathew’s account tells us, she was betrothed to be married to Joseph. Virginity up until the time of marriage was essential for the marriage to be recognised as legitmate in that society. That could be a huge problem for Mary; how could it be overcome? Conception would occur through the power of the Holy Spirit, said the angel, then, ‘Look what’s happened to your cousin Elizabeth; that’s a miracle for sure!’ Now for the punch line, ‘Nothing is impossible with God.’ Which takes us right back to the start, ‘The Lord is with you.’ That’s the key; God will take care of every detail, so don’t be afraid, however big the ask might seem to you. God is in control.

I can imagine Mary sinking to her knees, or even prostrating herself on the floor. in an act of worship, as she responded with the simple but whole-hearted words, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.’

Mary was unique, but the message for us is the same, ‘Nothing is impossible with God’. The Christmas story has been wrapped up in romance and fantasy by our commercial world, but we mustn’t let that blind us to the truth inside, that God is looking to us for a response of love and submission to his will, so that He can do great things in and through us. That’s not a cheap advertising slogan like so much that’s about at the moment. No, it’s more like a serious challenge to a costly commitment but, ‘He’s worth it!’

Here’s a question to think about as we travel towards Christmas. What will it mean for me, if I follow Mary’s example and accept God’s will for my life?

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POD - Psalm 76

Psalm 76

(as read by Anne A)

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For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm by Asaph. A song.



76:1 In Judah, God is known.
His name is great in Israel.

76:2 His tabernacle is also in Salem;
His dwelling place in Zion.

76:3 There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow,
the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war.

Selah.

76:4 Glorious are you, and excellent,
more than mountains of game.

76:5 Valiant men lie plundered,
they have slept their last sleep.
None of the men of war can lift their hands.

76:6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep.

76:7 You, even you, are to be feared.
Who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

76:8 You pronounced judgment from heaven.
The earth feared, and was silent,
76:9 when God arose to judgment,
to save all the afflicted ones of the earth.

Selah.

76:10 Surely the wrath of man praises you.
The survivors of your wrath are restrained.

76:11 Make vows to Yahweh your God, and fulfill them!
Let all of his neighbors bring presents to him who is to be feared.

76:12 He will cut off the spirit of princes.
He is feared by the kings of the earth.

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POD - Psalm 75

Psalm 75

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For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm by Asaph. A song.


75:1 We give thanks to you, God.
We give thanks, for your Name is near.
Men tell about your wondrous works.

75:2 When I choose the appointed time,
I will judge blamelessly.

75:3 The earth and all its inhabitants quake.
I firmly hold its pillars.

Selah.

75:4 I said to the arrogant, “Don’t boast!”
I said to the wicked, “Don’t lift up the horn.

75:5 Don’t lift up your horn on high.
Don’t speak with a stiff neck.”

75:6 For neither from the east, nor from the west,
nor yet from the south, comes exaltation.

75:7 But God is the judge.
He puts down one, and lifts up another.

75:8 For in the hand of Yahweh there is a cup,
full of foaming wine mixed with spices.
He pours it out.
Indeed the wicked of the earth drink and drink it to its very dregs.

75:9 But I will declare this forever:
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

75:10 I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

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POD - Psalm 71

Psalm 71

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71:1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge.
Never let me be disappointed.

71:2 Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me.
Turn your ear to me, and save me.

71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go.
Give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

71:4 Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

71:5 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh;
my confidence from my youth.

71:6 I have relied on you from the womb.
You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb.
I will always praise you.

71:7 I am a marvel to many,
but you are my strong refuge.

71:8 My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your honor all the day.

71:9 Don’t reject me in my old age.
Don’t forsake me when my strength fails.

71:10 For my enemies talk about me.
Those who watch for my soul conspire together,

71:11 saying, “God has forsaken him.
Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”

71:12 God, don’t be far from me.
My God, hurry to help me.

71:13 Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed.
Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.

71:14 But I will always hope,
and will add to all of your praise.

71:15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness,
and of your salvation all day,
though I don’t know its full measure.

71:16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh.
I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.

71:17 God, you have taught me from my youth.
Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.

71:18 Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me,
until I have declared your strength to the next generation,
your might to everyone who is to come.

71:19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens;
you have done great things.
God, who is like you?

71:20 You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles,
you will let me live.
You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

71:21 Increase my honor,
and comfort me again.

71:22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God.
I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.

71:23 My lips shall shout for joy!
My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!

71:24 My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long,
for they are disappointed, and they are confounded,
who want to harm me.

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POD - Psalm 70

Psalm 70

(as read by Anne A)

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For the Chief Musician. By David. A reminder.


70:1 Hurry, God, to deliver me.
Come quickly to help me, Yahweh.

70:2 Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul.
Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.

70:3 Let them be turned because of their shame
Who say, “Aha! Aha!”

70:4 Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation continually say,
“Let God be exalted!”

70:5 But I am poor and needy.
Come to me quickly, God.
You are my help and my deliverer.
Yahweh, don’t delay.

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POD - Psalm 67

Psalm 67

(as read by Anne A)

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For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song.


67:1 May God be merciful to us, bless us,
and cause his face to shine on us.

Selah.

67:2 That your way may be known on earth,
and your salvation among all nations,

67:3 let the peoples praise you, God.
Let all the peoples praise you.

67:4 Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you will judge the peoples with equity,
and govern the nations on earth.

Selah.

67:5 Let the peoples praise you, God.
Let all the peoples praise you.

67:6 The earth has yielded its increase.
God, even our own God, will bless us.

67:7 God will bless us.
All the ends of the earth shall fear him.

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POD - Psalm 62

Psalm 62

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For the Chief Musician. To Jeduthan. A Psalm by David.


62:1 My soul rests in God alone.
My salvation is from him.

62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress—
I will never be greatly shaken.

62:3 How long will you assault a man,
would all of you throw him down,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

62:4 They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place.
They delight in lies.
They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.

Selah.

62:5 My soul, wait in silence for God alone,
for my expectation is from him.

62:6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress.
I will not be shaken.

62:7 With God is my salvation and my honor.
The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people.
Pour out your heart before him.
God is a refuge for us.

Selah.

62:9 Surely men of low degree are just a breath,
and men of high degree are a lie.
In the balances they will go up.
They are together lighter than a breath.

62:10 Don’t trust in oppression.
Don’t become vain in robbery.
If riches increase,
don’t set your heart on them.

62:11 God has spoken once;
twice I have heard this,
that power belongs to God.

62:12 Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness,
for you reward every man according to his work.

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POD - Psalm 60

Psalm 60

(as read by Anne A)

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For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A teaching poem by David, when he fought with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.


60:1 God, you have rejected us.
You have broken us down.
You have been angry.
Restore us, again.

60:2 You have made the land tremble.
You have torn it.
Mend its fractures,
for it quakes.

60:3 You have shown your people hard things.
You have made us drink the wine that makes us stagger.

60:4 You have given a banner to those who fear you,
that it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah.

60:5 So that your beloved may be delivered,
save with your right hand, and answer us.

60:6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“I will triumph.
I will divide Shechem,
and measure out the valley of Succoth.

60:7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine.
Ephraim also is the defense of my head.
Judah is my scepter.

60:8 Moab is my wash basin.
I will throw my shoe on Edom.
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”

60:9 Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who has led me to Edom?

60:10 Haven’t you, God, rejected us?
You don’t go out with our armies, God.

60:11 Give us help against the adversary,
for the help of man is vain.

60:12 Through God we shall do valiantly,
for it is he who will tread down our adversaries.

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POD - Psalm 57

Psalm 57

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For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

57:1 Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me,
for my soul takes refuge in you.
Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge,
until disaster has passed.

57:2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who accomplishes my requests for me.

57:3 He will send from heaven, and save me,
he rebukes the one who is pursuing me.

Selah.

God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.

57:4 My soul is among lions.
I lie among those who are set on fire,
even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword.

57:5 Be exalted, God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be above all the earth!

57:6 They have prepared a net for my steps.
My soul is bowed down.
They dig a pit before me.
They fall into its midst themselves.

Selah.

57:7 My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.

57:8 Wake up, my glory! Wake up, psaltery and harp!
I will wake up the dawn.

57:9 I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples.
I will sing praises to you among the nations.

57:10 For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens,
and your truth to the skies.

57:11 Be exalted, God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.

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POD - Psalm 50

Psalm 50

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A Psalm by Asaph.


50:1 The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, speaks,
and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.

50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.

50:3 Our God comes, and does not keep silent.
A fire devours before him.
It is very stormy around him.

50:4 He calls to the heavens above,
to the earth, that he may judge his people:

50:5 “Gather my saints together to me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

50:6 The heavens shall declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.

Selah.

50:7 “Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, and I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.

50:8 I don’t rebuke you for your sacrifices.
Your burnt offerings are continually before me.

50:9 I have no need for a bull from your stall,
nor male goats from your pens.

50:10 For every animal of the forest is mine,
and the livestock on a thousand hills.

50:11 I know all the birds of the mountains.
The wild animals of the field are mine.

50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

50:13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?

50:14 Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Pay your vows to the Most High.

50:15 Call on me in the day of trouble.
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

50:16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right do you have to declare my statutes,
that you have taken my covenant on your lips,
50:17 since you hate instruction,
and throw my words behind you?

50:18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him,
and have participated with adulterers.

50:19 “You give your mouth to evil.
Your tongue frames deceit.

50:20 You sit and speak against your brother.
You slander your own mother’s son.

50:21 You have done these things, and I kept silent.
You thought that I was just like you.
I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.

50:22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
lest I tear you into pieces, and there be none to deliver.

50:23 Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me,
and prepares his way so that I will show God’s salvation to him.”

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POD - Psalm 40

Psalm 40

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For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.


40:1 I waited patiently for Yahweh.
He turned to me, and heard my cry.

40:2 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay.
He set my feet on a rock,
and gave me a firm place to stand.

40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God.
Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Yahweh.

40:4 Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust,
and doesn’t respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

40:5 Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you have done,
and your thoughts which are toward us.
They can’t be declared back to you.
If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

40:6 Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire.
You have opened my ears.
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.

40:7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come.
It is written about me in the book in the scroll.

40:8 I delight to do your will, my God.
Yes, your law is within my heart.”

40:9 I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly.
Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know.

40:10 I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart.
I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation.
I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly.

40:11 Don’t withhold your tender mercies from me, Yahweh.
Let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.

40:12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me.
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up.
They are more than the hairs of my head.
My heart has failed me.

40:13 Be pleased, Yahweh, to deliver me.
Hurry to help me, Yahweh.

40:14 Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it.
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt.

40:15 Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that tell me, “Aha! Aha!”

40:16 Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.
Let such as love your salvation say continually, “Let Yahweh be exalted!”

40:17 But I am poor and needy.
May the Lord think about me.
You are my help and my deliverer.
Don’t delay, my God.

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