Feb 19th 2005

rizz

New Member
Reading
Psalm 100 (NRSV)
Make a joyful noise to the LORD,
all the earth.
Worship the LORD with
gladness;
come into his presence with
singing.

Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and we
are his;
we are his people, and the
sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with
thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his
name.

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures
forever,
and his faithfulness to all
generations.

Devotional
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
-Psalm 100:1 (KJV)

AS a young minister still in seminary, I served my first church in Brooklyn. One of the members I particularly enjoyed visiting was a woman in her 80s who could have found abundant reasons to be unhappy. She lived alone in a tiny fourth-floor walk-up apartment in a deteriorating tenement. She was in failing health, had very little family, and survived on a meager income. Her "rooms" (as she called them) were often cold in the winter and sweltering in the summer.

Still, I anticipated our visits because of the conversations. She wanted to chat about the Bible -- especially her favorite scripture, Psalm 100 -- and about classics of Shakespeare, Milton, Dickens, and Hardy that she had read and re-read. What I found most exhilarating was her boundless enthusiasm. Everything was "just wonderful" -- her neighbors, New York City, her church. And, "Isn't the Lord just wonderful!" she would exclaim.

Some might call her a bit of a Pollyanna. Maybe. But what a privilege to be in her presence and to feel such joy, such gratitude, and such faith! I'm sure she received a special welcome when she entered the world to come, and I thank her for the inspiration she gave a sometimes-disheartened young minister.

Ralph Lord Roy (Connecticut, U.S.A.)

Prayer
Prayer
Lord, help us even in difficult circumstances to show the joy of knowing you. Amen.

Thought for the Day
How do I show the joy of my faith to those around me?

Prayer Focus

Someone whose faith inspires me
 
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