Scripture Focus: Psalm 113
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Reflection: He Stoops to Raise
By John Tillman
The psalmist sees God exalted over the heavens, over the glorious phenomena of visible space. We learn of his vast, majestic glory in this way, through telescopes. But the psalmist also sees God stoop…
To understand God fully, we need a microscope, not just a telescope. The equally interesting, intimate glory of God is how infinitely small he is willing to shrink in order to meet us, save us, and lift us up.
This poem from two years ago explores Christ’s life as a process of descending and ascending. In every aspect of his life, and death, he intentionally moves from the highest place, to the lowest place. And why does he do this? So that, gripping our hands, he may ascend, raising us from dusty ash heaps to a glorious place, prepared for us.
He Stoops to Raise
He strips himself.
He lays aside
His Heaven
His throne
His clothes
His life
He lowers himself
Steps down, descends
He stoops
He kneels
Head bowed
He bends
He sinks, He digs
He slides, prostrates
Below
Our sin
Below
Hell’s gates
And then he lifts
His eyes, His face
Begins
To rise
To claim
His place
With him we rise
Gripped in His hand
The lost
The dead
No more
The damned
No more to die
Held by His side
Faithful
Redeemed
Raptured
We rise
Then he returns
All things in place
Restores
Rebuilds
Redeems
Remakes
He then ascends
His throne above
Worthy
The lamb
Our king
Our judge
Divine Hours Prayer: The Cry of the Church
O God, come to my assistance! O Lord, make haste to help me!
– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle
Today’s Readings
Deuteronomy 23 (Listen – 3:10)
Psalm 112-113 (Listen – 1:49)
This Weekend’s Readings
Deuteronomy 24 (Listen – 3:21), Psalm 114-115 (Listen – 2:18)
Deuteronomy 25 (Listen – 2:38), Psalm 116 (Listen – 1:34)
Read more about The Gospel is an Uprising
The Anastasis can be understood as “already and not yet.” It is both completed in the past, coming in the future, and happening now, in our midst.
Read more about Greater Footstool, Greater God, Greater Redeemer
Christ, who is higher and greater than anyone has imagined, would become less and lower than anyone would imagine, to do for us what no one could imagine.