Today's Reading Septermber 1

Welcome to September. The year is now about 2/3 gone.
This morning we finish up the Psalms with 148, 149, 150. If that seems like rather a lot, it is. But the hymnbook in the church of your choice has more, probably. I find it interesting to ponder what was going on in the lives of the authors of these psalms, some were in the midst of great trouble , or had enjoyed some great blessing, and were pouring out their heart to the Lord. We all have had great troubles (and if you haven't, some are coming) and many of us have known the Lord's blessings as well. I wish I'd been granted the eloquence of the psalmists to make my gratitude a public record. It is hard to imagine a more fitting endpiece for the psalms than the last one.

Chapter 150

1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

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This evening's New Testament passage comes from 1st Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 16 through 34. Paul is speaking here about the proper conduct when the church body comes together and reminds them (us) of what it is all about. I want to lift out of it a section that attracts my attention most today,

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Our coming together, our service of worship, is important. We should treat it as if it is important. I fear greatly that too often it becomes routine, it becomes something to treat casually, lightly, of less importance than the other matters of our lives, rather than the centerpoint of our lives. Nothing good comes of that.