Christmas 1A

Psalm 148

By Laurel Dykstra

Salal + Cedar is the Watershed Discipleship community that curates Wild Lectionary. Psalm 148, which both celebrates and demands more-than-human praise for the creator, has become something of a “theme psalm” that we return to in worship. As it appears each year in the lectionary cycle we use it as a chance to look back at our year.

Praise God!
Praise God from the heavens
Praise in the Heights
Praise God, all you angels
Praise God, all you hosts

Praise God, sun and moon
Praise all you shining stars!
Praise God, you highest heavens
And you waters above the heavens!

 

Praise God from the earth
You sea monsters and all deeps,

Fire and hail, snow and frost
Stormy wind fulfilling divine command!
Mountains and all hills,
Fruit trees and all cedars!

Wild animals and all cattle,
Creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples
Princes and all rulers of the earth!

Young men and women alike,
Old and young together!
Let them praise the name of God.

Psalm 148: 1-13a

Wild Lectionary has been a three year-long exploration of land justice, wild and feral, ecological and agricultural themes in scripture. Following the Revised Common Lectionary (readings shared in common by the greatest number of Christians since the protestant reformation) each Thursday scholars and practitioners have offered scholarship and reflection on the coming Sunday’s lections with the hope that this work would be a resource for preaching, teaching, worship, and the work of ecological justice for pastoral leaders and communities. Having completed the full lectionary cycle, Wild Lectionary will continue in 2020 and beyond as an occasional project rather than on a weekly basis.