Monday, January 23, 2017

All Creation Praises God Adult Sunday School Lesson

International Sunday School Lesson
For Sunday January 29, 2017

Purpose: To join the chorus of creation in hallelujah to the Lord

Bible Lesson: Psalm 148

Key Verse: Let all of these praise the Lord’s name because God gave the command and they were created! (Psalm 148:5)

Psalm 148 (CEB)
(1) Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from heaven! Praise God on the heights! (2) Praise God, all of you who are his messengers! Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces (3) Sun and moon, praise God! All of you bright stars, praise God! (4) You highest heaven, praise God! Do the same, you waters that are above the sky! (5) Let all of these praise the Lord’s name because God gave the command and they were created! (6) God set them in place always and forever. God made a law that will not be broken. (7) Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all you ocean depths! (8) Do the same, fire and hail, snow and smoke, stormy wind that does what God says! (9) Do the same, you mountains, every single hill, fruit trees, and every single cedar! (10) Do the same, you animals—wild or tame— you creatures that creep along and you birds that fly! (11) Do the same, you kings of the earth and every single person, you princes and every single ruler on earth! (12) Do the same, you young men—young women too!— you who are old together with you who are young! (13) Let all of these praise the Lord’s name because only God’s name is high over all. Only God’s majesty is over earth and heaven. (14) God raised the strength of his people, the praise of all his faithful ones— that’s the Israelites, the people who are close to him. Praise the Lord!


Some Thoughts by Burgess Walter

This is the fifth and final lesson from Psalms. At the end of the Book of Psalms (146-150) there is a series of Psalms called the “Hallelujah Psalms” because each one begins and ends with “Hallelujah” or “Praise the Lord.”

The Psalm is remarkable because it lists every part of creation that praises the Creator God. It also makes clear that only the Creator is worthy of praise and none of His Creation.  No moon, sun, stars or world leaders no ocean or land mass. This eliminates a lot of worldwide religions both now and then. Nothing created by The Creator God should be worshipped, and more importantly they should be a part of this chorus of praise.

How many times have you thought about the sound grass makes as it grows as a praise hymn?  The sound that the wind makes as it rustles the leaves or is funneled through a small opening as a hymn of praise? The Psalmist sees all of this, and more.

From Hump Back Whales to the tiniest insect to the largest of boulders cracking and the earth groaning, to explosions on the sun.  Everything created, from angelic beings to unknown beings residing in unknown realms.

We fall far short in our appreciation of the Creator God. We tend to trivialize God to some sort of Santa Claus rather than worship Him. By comparison it too much for us to understand when we compare our power to His.  We are called to worship Him and sing our Hallelujahs and Praise the LORD.

The Creator God exists outside of and above creation, maybe the 13th-century medieval monk St. Francis of Assisi said it best in the words to the hymn “All Creatures of Our God and King” based on his reading of Psalm 148.

So, that is my hymn for this week “All Creatures of Our God and King” enjoy.


 

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