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Let us walk through 2025 praising the Lord!
(Psalm 150)
Andy Nagahara
It seems strange timing that the first service message of 2025 should be the last time of a long-running psalm series, but this psalm is full of a fitting call to action as we walk forward in the new year. The last psalm, Psalm 150, is a summary verse of the 5th volume of the Psalms, which begins with Psalm 107, and also a summary verse of the entire Psalm. In other words, it is a song that allows us to reaffirm the essence of the entire psalm.
This psalm teaches us how important it is for us who believe in God to “sing praises to God.” Let’s read the whole thing first.
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
1. Where and why do we praise?
What is the most common word in this part of the psalm? It is “Praise!” In this short poem of just six verses, the first and last Hallelujah mean “Praise Jehovah,” so in total, the command to “praise” is given 11 times.
Repeated reminders are usually given for two reasons. First, because it is so important, and second, because it is easy for us to neglect something so important. So let’s start by looking at verses 1 and 2.
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
The first passage presents two occasions for praise. It says, “In the sanctuary of the Lord and in his mighty heavens.” These are two very different places: the sanctuary, the central part of the temple made by human hands, and the heaven that covers everything.
However, this passage could also be translated as, “Praise God who is in these two places.” The Jews of this era also understood that God was not confined to the sanctuary of the temple, but rather revealed himself throughout his creation. In theological terms, this is called God’s omnipresence. If God is omnipresent, why is a “sanctuary” necessary?
To rephrase this as our problem, if we can praise God alone, then why do we need a place like the church, and why are we commanded to gather together to praise God?bThe clue is in verse 2. Verse 2 gives the reasons for praising God. It says that he is the one who shows “mighty deeds” and “amazing greatness.” How do we become aware of the invisible “mighty deeds” and “amazing greatness”? It is through the work of a visible person or people. It is the work of the church, that is, people who believe in God as their Lord and seek to carry out His will. God reveals his glory through the connections and relationships between people that make up the church. Time alone with God is very important and indispensable, but even if we cherish it, if we neglect worship together, we will not be able to maintain a healthy faith. That alone makes it difficult to notice if our attitude toward God has shifted in an undesirable direction. When this happens, we fail to recognize God’s mighty works and His greatness.
Through the poet, God is teaching us that we should recognize the temple, which is in a sense an artificial place, as his own presence, and that the communal worship we offer there should be just as important as our personal worship. For us, of course, this refers to the worship we are offering here and now.
2. Is Your Church Leading Worship in the 21st Century? (3-6)
Let’s read the next section, verses 3-6.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Here you will find the various instruments used in worship and praise at churches at the time. And there are two things that are mentioned about other than instruments.
One of them is “Praise God with tambourine and dancing.” It is fun to imagine the worship that the people of Israel offered at that time. It is a service where people dance and sing to the lively sounds of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Of course, keyboard instruments did not exist in this era. However, from the Middle Ages onwards, the organ became the standard instrument used in worship, a practice that continued into the 20th century.
When I first came to faith and began my church life, it was actually said that using instruments other than the organ was wicked. In many denominations, worship services require silence and solemnity, and dancing during worship is unthinkable.
The main reason we started Your Church was because we began to feel that there must be a better way to worship than the way we had been doing it. We felt that rather than worship being a solemn affair, we should worship in a way that allowed us to honestly express our feelings to God, whether they were joy or sorrow.
This verse teaches us that worship is not only rational, but also emotional and physical. From the very beginning, in Your Church’s worship services, I have always encouraged each individual to freely express their thoughts to God. However, we have been unable to dispel the impression that our worship services are of “solemnly offering worship” and “listening to a sermon,” and I have felt that it would be nice if our worship services were more freely and vividly expressed.
This is not something that can be commanded to happen. For example, if I say, “Let’s stand up and dance in worship,” that is no longer freedom but being forced to dance.
I have said, “Let’s have a worship service where some people are dancing, some are bowing their knees, some are sitting and clapping their hands, and some are standing and raising their hands,” and I have never said that as a joke; I have meant it seriously. In Japan, there is a strong sense of peer pressure, and people are sometimes uncomfortable expressing themselves differently or are criticized for doing so. In this regard Your Church has a great advantage. That is because we come from a variety of backgrounds. It enriches the worship we offer.
What made me happy last year was seeing more and more people expressing their gratitude and praise more freely during worship, not just through singing, but through their hearts and bodies. If someone tells you that such expressions are not worship-like, read this Bible passage to them instead of arguing.
14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might,
15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. (II Samuel 6)
Any expression of worship is pleasing to God if it comes from the heart. But the one thing to avoid is an attitude like Michal’s. If we believe that only our own attitude of worship is correct and look down on the expressions of others, then that is an incorrect attitude of worship. So, without any worries, please worship God from your heart in your own style. Whether you are jumping up and down or sitting with your head down, God is pleased with your worship.
Finally, I would like to touch on verse 6. There is something else written here that is not about instruments. It is not just believers, nor just all human beings, but all living things that are commanded to praise. Animals and plants are also commanded to do so. Although it is not mentioned in this psalm, the previous psalm, Psalm 148, commands the sun, moon, and stars to praise the Lord as well.
This means that all of creation, everything that exists, should praise God. Do the animals and plants of the world see the glory of God? Are they placed in an environment that allows them to praise with joy? Do the seas and mountains, which God created to be perfectly good, retain their beauty? They are not given the power to control it.
Who is responsible for preserving the beauty of all creation? Let’s read the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:26.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Yes, God created humans in his own image and gave them the responsibility to govern the world in a righteous way. Are we fulfilling this responsibility properly?
In order for all creation to praise God, we humans have a responsibility to keep the world’s environment good. Ever since God created the earth, we humans have been so busy with our own concerns that we have not been able to protect the environment. However, with the environmental changes that have begun to occur in the last few centuries, we have finally come to realize that if we do not fulfill the responsibility entrusted to us by God, we will be strangling ourselves.
Protecting nature is not a romantic sentiment or a practical benefit, but a responsibility that must be fulfilled by human beings created in His own image.
Today we conclude our Psalm series. But we will continue to praise God as long as we live. In 2025, let us respond to new blessings by singing new songs and working hard at the ministry given to us as we sing with God.
(Prayer) God, thank you for the blessings we have received this past year.
You have spoken to our hearts and shown your grace through people.
We are truly grateful for this great blessing.
Guide us so that we may continue to walk in this new year praising you, listening to your voice and walking in accordance with your will.
May your mighty works be manifested through us in the world.
We begin this new year with anticipation and gratitude for your new blessings.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
God’s amazing work, which are worthy of praise not only from humans but from all of creation, are demonstrated by those who believe in God, obey God, and do God’s will. In other words, it is represented by the church. But this won’t happen unless the church makes worship a top priority, whether that be communal worship or group or family worship.
For Discussion
1. What event last year made you feel God’s greatness the most?
2. Why does the psalmist encourage so much praising?