Friday, March 6, 2015 (World Day of Prayer)

Friday, March 6, 2015 [World Day of Prayer]

Psalm 95

Psalm 95, or at least a portion of it, is familiar to many from its liturgical use, when it is commonly called the Venite. Meaning ‘come ye,’ it is said or sung either before or at the beginning of worship, as an invitation to prayer. In Psalm 95 God is depicted as powerful ruler and king. It’s interesting to me how the tone shifts at the end of verse 7. It’s not unusual for psalms to have a change in mood, but oftentimes a negative message grows more hopeful, whereas today’s psalm transitions from uninhibited joy to caution and solemnity. 

Today as we read this Psalm and reflect on God as our King many people are gathering to worship together for the World Day of Prayer (here in Kitchener at 11:00 AM a downtown service is taking place at St. Peter’s Lutheran). The World Day of Prayer is a movement that was started (and continues to be organized) by Christian women from all over the world. It’s a recognition of our unity in Christ that transcends denominational boundaries, and it’s an opportunity to learn more about the lives and situations of Christians, especially women, from different parts of the world. This year’s service was prepared by women in the Bahamas.

If God is King, and if, as Jesus proclaimed after his time in the wilderness (which we read a couple Sundays ago as our gospel reading) that the Kingdom of God “has come near,” then I guess that makes us God’s people, tasked with getting things ready. Certainly this is a challenging task as it involves, as we read this past week, the courage to carry our cross and follow in the way of Jesus. But maybe if we remember that we are all God’s subjects we can start to focus on the common tasks involved in preparing for the coming of the Kingdom. Maybe then we can start to overcome our tendencies toward dysfunction, autonomy, and negativity.

- Matthew Kieswetter