The Lesson for the Day

The Revised Common Lectionary recommendation for The Psalter reading for this past Sunday includes Psalm148:3 “Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!”  This is an important passage for me because it was a memory verse that my children included in their night-time prayers for years.  On the one hand, these rote verses may just burn themselves into our minds so that over time we become numbed to their power.  On the other hand, though, I haven’t joined in one of my children’s night-time prayers in well over fifteen years, and I remember that verse.  I can quote it.  And I can be moved by it as an affirmation of the majesty of God Almighty.

When I was in eighth grade – and you remember, that was a different moment in our history – our homeroom teacher had us take turns reading a scripture passage aloud each day.  We quickly discovered the shortest chapter in the Bible:  Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations!

    Extol him, all you peoples!

For great is his steadfast love toward us,

    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

And so we read it, day after day, week after week for an entire school year, with only a handful of exceptions.  Droning, right?  And yet these fifty-odd years later, I recognize those words, I know them by heart, and I find comfort in them on a regular basis.

Engaging scripture is never wasted.  These references point out that the benefit of knowing such passages may not be evident right away.  But I am much the richer for having these words irrevocably imprinted on my soul.