Psalm 50:1-6 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 50:1-6 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Verse 2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
Verse 3Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
Verse 4He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
Verse 5"Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
Verse 6The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah
Devotion
Psalm 50 invites listeners to imagine a living and loving God who speaks "from the rising of the sun." That conviction certainly fits well with the entire Epiphany season that ends on Sunday. On the First Sunday of Epiphany we heard of the Baptism of Jesus, "the heavens being ripped open" and a voice speaking from heaven. In Psalm 50 we hear that God speaks and the heavens declare God's righteousness. On succeeding Sundays we heard of Jesus inviting those who met him to follow him, to respond to the power and purpose of the living God present in Jesus. Psalm 50 also tells about "gathering God's faithful ones" and how God is the mighty one who calls, gathers and keeps the covenant made with the people of God.
The Season of Epiphany traditionally concludes with the story of the Transfiguration of our Lord, in which Jesus' garments become dazzling white. Psalm 50 also speaks of a "perfection of beauty" and "God shining forth." Now at the end of the Epiphany Season we stand on the cusp of the Season of Lent during which attention is focused on the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus, the Christ. Psalm 50 in a similar way speaks of a "covenant made with God by sacrifice."
Prayer
Living and Loving God, help us to see and know your presence, power and purpose in Jesus, the Christ, and lead us to confess our faith in all we are and do. Amen.