Jubilate

Psalm 100 (Message)
A Thanksgiving Psalm
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

What an opening line! Look what the psalmist encourages us to do! He is lighting the fuse on a stick of dynamite and rolling it down the aisle. The command comes to stand to our feet and start clapping, to make God an offering of holy laughter while singing His praises.

I used to play a game with the kids at church where they shouted out a scripture while clapping and they hopped on one foot while spinning in a circle all at the same time. We always ended up in a dizzy pile of laughter.

John, a friend and myself were so blessed with a special time in God yesterday. A word came up I had to look up to see if it was even a real word. That word was jubilate.

I discovered as a verb it means to raise a shout of joy or triumph. As a noun it is a song of joy most specifically the 100th Psalm which was set to music. When the Holy Spirit gave each of us a personal revelation of that word it was spinning time! Some of us spun words, some spun songs and John spun the saxophone. The fire hydrant was full open and the entire block was underwater! We were "jubilating" and heaven was pouring it down.

There is a wonderful piece of music called the Jubilate Deo, so John informed me. (pronounced ju-bi-la-tay or u-bi-la-tay) It is high art but it comes down to the same thing as the children's dizzy pile and that is: Applaud God! Applaud God with laughter. Applaud God with singing. Applaud God with thanksgiving. Now do them all at the same time.

The 89th Psalm talks about the blessing given to people who "know the passwords of praise." Psalm 100 reveals one of those passwords, "Thank you." At this season that seems a most appropriate one. Each one of us has something to thank God for. I could not list it all here such is my debt. If I may connect the two psalms it would seem that thankfulness and its manifest expression is the way to a genuine soul drenching time of joy and fellowship in His Presence. A way to jubilate the very ground upon which we stand.

We are told God is beautiful, loving, generous and loyal. That is OUR God. The Almighty God who loves us. Who loves our ground, favors it, tends it and causes a harvest there. I want that ground to jubilate and return to Him the love He has lavished upon it.

Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can't keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us— you've been so good to us! We're walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God...Psalm 89

Thank you, Lord! Show your people the jubilation dance that we may dance it all day long in your presence. Teach us your holy laughter and we will fill Heaven with your praise. All we are we owe to you.

We applaud you, God.

May all our lattes be Jubi-lattes!
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To Kim and John with thanksgiving for a wonderful time in God last evening.

To all our family and friends Happy Thanksgiving with love. John & Kathy