Monday of Easter 4

Jubilate

Psalm 66:1–12 (ESV) Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

The Sundays of the Church Year historically are named based on the first word (in Latin) of the Introit. Yesterday, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, was Jubilate, based on the first word of Psalm 66, translated in the ESV (from the Hebrew), "shout for joy." There are a couple other "rejoice" Sundays: the Third Sunday in Advent (when we light the rose-colored candle) is called Gaudete, and the Fourth Sunday in Lent is Laetare. While the latter two terms are somewhat generic terms for being joyful or rejoicing, Jubilate indicates rejoicing accompanied by shouting or song or whooping (gig 'em!). Another Latin verb that precedes jubilate in Mozart's famous motet is exsultate (also can be spelled exultate), which implies rejoicing with jumping around. Taken together, these "rejoicing" verbs all urge us to praise the goodness of the Lord with heart, body, and voice!

Psalm 66 bids the people of the Lord to shout for joy because of the great deliverance He has worked for His people. However, this does not imply that Christians will have "their best life now" or have a life free of sorrow. The Psalmist speaks of God testing His people, refining them like silver (that is, purging away dross), by laying a "crushing burden" on their backs, letting "men ride over" their heads, sending them through fire and water, before finally bringing them "out to a place of abundance."

This "suffering before deliverance" pattern was the experience of the apostles of Jesus during Holy Week, and it is our experience still today. Jesus had said of His temporary separation from the disciples, "When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:21-22). On Easter Sunday, the apostles were overjoyed when they saw Jesus, since He had promised that since He lives, they too would live in Him, who is the Resurrection and the Life.

St. Paul famously says, "Rejoice (gaudete) in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice" (Phil 4:4). Jesus concludes the Beatitudes, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice (gaudete)  and be glad (exultate), for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Our sinful flesh doesn't like to hear about rejoicing in the midst of suffering, but with the Risen Christ as our Lord, we can rejoice at all times. After the apostles had received a beating at the hands of the Jewish leaders, St. Luke tells us that "they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name" (Acts 5:41), that is, the Name of Jesus. With His Name placed upon us in Baptism, we have cause for rejoicing on good days and bad, in happy and sad times, morning, noon, and night!

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, the consolation of the sorrowful and the strength of the weak, may the prayers of those who in any tribulation or distress cry to You graciously come before You, so that in all their necessities they may rejoice in Your manifold help and comfort; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer requests: for Bessie Mahaffey and Alma Gause, under hospice care; for our homebound members: Joe and Lynn Cottle, Carolyn Dube, Duane Gruetzner, Delma Roitsch, Willard and Ann Teinert, Joycelynn Harvey, Virginia Wilkins, Cheryl Kieschnick, Wilbur Gaskamp, Doris George, Alice Kovar, Helen Ray Gustafson, Uce Gruetzner, Ruth Wissen.