Praise God in His Holy Place

The celebration of the birth of Jesus gives us reason for great joy. It is this event that is the reason for all of our hope. What could symbolize hope more than an innocent child? What, indeed, could be more hopeful than this child? The One who gave his name to Moses on Sinai’s heights, I Am Who Am, spoke himself into the world in this child. This child, Jesus, through whom all things seen and unseen were made, entered our humanity to give us the hope of eternal life once again. In him we have come to know the love that God has for each of us. A love so great that it let go of divinity to manifest itself in the flesh and would sacrifice everything for the forgiveness of sins and to heal our broken relationship.

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It is in this knowledge that we can sing our praises to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, like the psalmist:

Praise God in his holy place

Praise him in his mighty firmament.

Praise him for his powerful deeds;

Praise him for his boundless grandeur.

O praise him with sound of trumpet;

Praise him with lute and harp.

Praise him with timbrel and dance;

Praise him with strings and pipes.

O praise him with resounding cymbals;

Praise him with clashing of cymbals.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Alleluia!

Let us, while we are still joyously enthralled with the celebration of this birth, sing our praises to the One who has loved us more than we could ever imagine. Let us share that joy with all we meet each day, even those who deny God and his intimate, personal love for all of us. It is our joy, not our condemnation, that will bring others to Him. Meet the world with a smile. Speak joyfully of hope to this world that seems so crushed by cynicism. Be servants of hope to those who are in despair. Let them see the reason for your joy in your actions and let them hear it in your words. After all, Emmanuel! God is with us! Let the world see that in your love for one another. Let them see it in your compassion for poor. Forgive those who insult you cheerfully. There is reason for such joy. The Messiah has come!