Psalm 136

I LOVE Psalm 136. This is a pep rally psalm, one that I can see building up to an absolute riot at the Temple. This is a Call and Response psalm. You have the priest/worship leader up front who is leading with the main statements, and the people are responding "His love endures forever." Woven through this psalm is statement after statement of God's faithfulness. And it's a story that the whole people owns. I don't see this take place as much in the American Church. We don't always own our story... probably because our story is full of things that we would rather forget and distance ourselves from (Crusades, Inquisitions, schisms, religious wars, etc.). Interestingly, the place I see people "own their story" the most is at a 4th of July ceremony. At the ceremony, people rejoice in a story they didn't take part in. When I go to an Independence Day ceremony, I take part in the celebration of events my family had nothing to do with. The Bossardet clan didn't arrive until the 1800's, well after the War of Independence was over. Yet, because I am an American, they let me come to the party anyway.

The story of God unfolding over all time is one that we can also participate in and own. In fact, it is even more our story than the history of our nation. If it's true that God's love endures forever (and I believe it is), then the story has a lot more unfolding to go. So let's approach today with gratitude and and a watchful eye, because you never know when you might see the next chapter of God's story.