Daily Bread

O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth;
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

Know that the Lord is God;
it is he that has 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 and bless his name.

For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting,
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

A canticle is a Bible text that is recited in church worship (not including the psalms as they are nearly all recited in church worship) however, Psalm 100 holds a special place and is often regarded as a canticle. It is given the title 'Jubilate' or 'Jubilate Deo' which means 'Rejoice in the Lord' and when it is said it can be said all together or antiphonally — that means taking it in turns between the leader and congregation and this can be by whole or part verse! My goodness, you are learning a lot of 'churchy' stuff today!

Psalm 100 is the only psalm with the subtitle 'A Psalm of Thanksgiving' and it is an invitation to the whole earth to know and to worship God. In the first three lines the earth is called to shout out in praise to God and to do so in song. For much of creation their song is the very expression of their existence but for human beings, musical songs are often what overflows from our hearts.

You don't have to watch many musicals to know that when the lead character is feeling something deeply, they break out into song! Whether it is a frosty princess declaring her freedom by singing 'let it go' or a cowboy dude riding on horseback singing 'oh what a beautiful morning', when we too feel a deep sense of joy and thankfulness we cannot but express our gratitude in song.

We have a great deal to be thankful for, not least because God made us and we belong to God. We are God's people and the sheep of God's pasture, and we, with all creation are the recipients of God's gracious, everlasting, and steadfast faithfulness and love.

I feel a song coming on!

Lyrics from a song written by Rev Gav

Praise your holy name
Praise your holy name
Praise your holy name, Jesus

Praise your holy name
All the earth will sing about your love
We worship and adore you here
Praise your holy name
The sun and moon an stars that shine above
All creation speaks of who you are

Praise your holy name
Praise your holy name
Praise your holy name, Jesus