Day 360 

Zechariah 9:1-17; Revelation 17:1-18; Psalm 145:1-21; Proverbs 30:32

I Bless the Lord at all Times

Unless you give gifts for the Twelve Days of Christmas, most likely all the presents have been unwrapped. For some, the day after Christmas brings a sigh of relief, while others experience an emotional letdown. I believe many of us feel a little of both of these at the same time. But wouldn’t it be nice to recapture some of the holiday joy and celebration on this day?

Psalm 145, A Song of Praise of David, has all the essential ingredients for recapturing Christmas joy. David exclaims, “I will extol you my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.” Notice that David says, “Every day!”

The culture in which we live, work, and play, promises us joy in all sorts of ways, and it usually doesn’t take long to figure out that those were hollow promises. But David found the recipe for everlasting celebration. It begins and ends with praising, extolling, and blessing God.

Throughout the ages, monks and nuns have gathered together three, five, or seven times a day to praise, extol, and bless our Lord. This has been central to their vocation in the world. So what is stopping us from making it a central part of our vocation? Take time to bless the Lord, every day, in every circumstance, and see what happens.

Questions: What is stopping me from blessing the Lord every day? What would it hurt?

The Rev. Gary Jackson
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Bartow, FL

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