Living in the Spirit

September 20, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
   horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my might,
   and he has become my salvation,
this is my God, and I will praise him,
   my father’s God, and I will exalt him.|
The Lord is a warrior
    the Lord is his name. –Exodus 15:1-3

I cut my teeth on music. I thought every father played the guitar and sang every night after their children went to bed until I had my first sleepover with a friend, and there was no bedtime music. I just returned from a retreat where each evening, the program closed with vespers where we sang several songs, I forgot I knew. Songs are poetry set to music, and the people we meet when we read the Bible recall their history with God as they sing their songs like the ones above. They remind us that we can recover from trauma, mourn the loss of a loved one, celebrate sharing the bounty of a harvest, and recognize God’s love is enduring. Let us make a joyful until the Lord with all our hearts.

Prayer:

 Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day*! Amen.

The first verse of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You by Henry Van Dyke see at https://hymnary.org/text/joyful_joyful_we_adore_thee

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.