A Christmas Hallelujah

 

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When this breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 146 ESV).

 

Psalm 146 is a rousing song of praise that celebrates God’s faithfulness. Today, we are reminded in this psalm to praise the Lord and put our trust in him alone. For God “reigns forever… for all generations.” The Tabernacle Choir is one of my favorites. It has been sung by many groups and choirs through the centuries since it was debuted. It calls us to sing “Hallelujah,” which means “Praise the Lord!” We give praise because “Christ, the Savior of the world has come!” We sing “Hallelujah” because Christ’s is the highest name of all. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBZ7AfZR9xs.

 

We are reminded in Psalm 146 that God is the Maker of all things and that “he remains faithful forever.” With the coming of Christ, God fulfills his promises to send the Messiah, the Savior; he is faithful forever.

 

Christ our King is born! And because of his birth, life, death, and resurrection, he demonstrates his supremacy overall. He comes to uphold “the cause of the oppressed” and to give “food to the hungry.” He “sets the prisoners free … gives sight to the blind,” and “lifts up those who are bowed down.”

 

And because Christ reigns forever, we sing “Alleluia”; we “praise the Lord all [our] life.”