The God Pause for Tuesday, 23 May 2017 - The Lutheran Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Scripture: Psalm 47

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The God Pause for Tuesday, 23 May 2017 - The Lutheran Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Scripture: Psalm 47 Psalm 47:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with cries of joy!
3 (2) For Adonai ‘Elyon is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
4 (3) He makes peoples subject to us,
puts nations under our feet.
5 (4) He chooses our heritage for us,
the pride of Ya‘akov, whom he loves. (Selah)
6 (5) God goes up to shouts of acclaim,
Adonai to a blast on the shofar.
7 (6) Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our king, sing praises!
8 (7) For God is king of all the earth;
sing praises in a maskil.
9 (8) God rules the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
10 (9) The leaders of the people gather together,
the people of the God of Avraham;
for the rulers of the earth belong to God,
who is exalted on high.[Complete Jewish Bible]
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Today we're at Yokota AB, Japan. Our Chapel "Liturgical Service" has a longstanding relationship with a Japanese Lutheran congregation not far from base. One Sunday a year we join in worship in the faith home of faithful Christians who live in a different kind of "chaotic land." What a fellowship, what a joy divine! Including the Japanese-style potluck following the service, with delicacies like...pizza layered with...corn kernels!
But that is not the "best" memory of that unique opportunity to worship together under one son. This is--the hymns we sing that day are familiar ones; what is unfamiliar and unexpected is the beautiful harmony that rises up in praise as those hymns are sung in unison--in both Japanese and English. And these rising praises deliver one more reminder that our Lord, the most high, is awesome! "All you peoples, shout to God with loud songs of joy!"
Almighty king, give me a voice this day to better sing your praise through my words and my actions. Amen.
Chaplain, Lt. Col. Keith Muschinske, USAF (retired), '89
Eagle River, Alaska.
Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. (Selah)
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.
8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted. [New Revised Standard Version]
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THE LUTHER SEMINARY
2481 Como Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
Telephone: 651-641-3456
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