What I Love About Sunday Morning
Good morning, Immanuel. Joy shared is joy multiplied!
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psa. 34:1-3).
The human heart longs to share what it rejoices in. From packed stadiums of cheering football fans to the shared joy around a grill on a summer afternoon, our joy deepens as we share it with others.
This is true of our joy in the Lord as well. David's gladness in the Lord was personal. He says in verse 1, “I will bless the Lord…” The Lord who blesses is worthy to be blessed. When we take a bite of warm chocolate chip cookies from the oven, we taste and see they are good. You might even think to yourself, “These are amazing!” You enjoy it, personally. But soon, that joy overflows. Your gladness is personal, but it’s not private. You start to boast about their goodness and make a public show of approval. Similarly, David says, “My soul makes its boast in the Lord.” David is in awe of the Lord. He moves from enjoyment to boasting so the humble may “hear and be glad.” In other words, when something is good, we naturally want to share its goodness with others. As David internalizes the goodness of God, he can't help but want to make it known, inviting others into his joy.
This is what I love about Sunday morning. Every week, we gather to hear the good news of our good God, who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood. Then, we make our boast in the Lord, calling each other to consider His goodness. The humble, the broken, the weary, the needy, and the sinful hear this good news and are glad. The gospel is heart-gladdening goodness. And together, we exalt His name. Joy shared is joy multiplied!
Exalting!