Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Psalm 98:4
Lord God,
All over the cosmos this morning,
not only people but your very creation
will be making joyful noises, singing your praise:
According to Psalm 98,
it might be appropriate to begin our worship services
with a grand parade—
a loud marching band with trumpets and kazoos and clashing cymbals
whipping up joyful noises before our King, the Lord (Psalm 98:6).
The sea would chime in with its roaring;
the rivers would clap their hands;
the hills would sing for joy together,
to celebrate the good news that you are the King of the cosmos,
that you are judging the world with righteousness,
and that you have made known your salvation (Psalm 98:7-9; Psalm 98:2).
Even people like me who can’t carry a tune in a bucket
get to join in with our noisy joy!
Thank you for this joyous worship,
and that we get to be a part of it
because of Christ our risen Lord!
Amen
Read Psalm 98.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26
Gracious Father,
You know how deathly afraid we are of death.
We ask for your grace and mercy
to help us talk about death and dying,
well before we have any inkling that we might die.
We ask you to give us the words
to talk about death and dying
with friends and family members
who are facing a terminal diagnosis.
Help us to talk about things
like advance directives,
which help us to choose
which aggressive medical measures
we wish doctors to use
when our bodies are shutting down
and the hope for a cure is long past.
Help us to educate ourselves
on these medical measures like CPR
which looks nothing in reality
like it does on TV,
or ventilators,
which can prevent a dying person
from uttering her last words to her loved ones.
Help younger family members to not be frightened
when their parents want to discuss their wishes;
help elder family members
be willing to share their wishes
with younger ones.
Because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died
and was raised from the dead
that we might have forgiveness of sins
and join him in eternal glory,
give us the courage
to prepare for glory
by facing our mortality.
In Jesus’ courageous name. Amen.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:26-28; Hebrews 2:8.
To have conversations about these topics, see The Conversation Project.
To listen to hospice worker and palliative care worker, Kelly Markham, LCSW, discuss these things, go here.
