Psalm 100 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 100 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Verse 2Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Verse 3Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Verse 4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
Verse 5For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Devotion
Psalm 100 invites a key question for this week: How vast is God’s pasture and who are the ones who belong within its borders? This may apply to the observance in the United States of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Who benefited from that and who did not? Further, how does that legacy impact persons living within the borders of this nation today.
Those questions challenge us further. What do borders mean when smoke from wildfires travel great distances? What about our food supply, which requires workers regardless of whether or not they carry certain documents?
“Sheep” may be singular or plural. We like the image of the lone, lost sheep being found. The shepherd—we recall Jesus’ use of the image—does, however, bring the lost one back to the flock, the whole community. The Good Shepherd is interested that all the sheep get to dwell in the Creator’s nourishing pasture.
Prayer
Thank you, O God, for the gift of this fruitful earth. Open our hearts and transform our wills so that we respect, share, and enjoy your abundance with all your children. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.