29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Written by Eric Wilkes
I remember hearing when I was in middle school that nothing we can do or say can take away from or add to the glory of God. As someone who was already invested in worshiping God through music in a more serious way, I was a bit perplexed as to why there were multiple hymnals at my church dedicated to articulating praises to God’s glory. “What are we doing here?”, I thought. “Why am I doing this?” If I can’t add anything to God’s glory, why should I give Him Glory?
As I looked at the first verse of today’s psalm to see if it might answer this question I posed in my youth, almost teasing my curiosity, the psalmist continued with the “how” first. “Sing to the LORD a new song.” Now this was something I was very familiar with. As someone who has been playing and singing at church for half of my life, I’ve done this many many times. But even if you are not a musician and just attend Mass on Sunday, you’ll have accomplished this task of singing a new song to the Lord. So many Mass goers might feel so accomplished in checking off the how of giving God glory and honor, that they”ll never stop to ask why.
Continuing on in the verses, the psalmist answers the question “why is God worthy of us giving Him glory and honor?”. He mentions that “…the LORD made the heavens” and he mentions that “he governs the people with equity”. One of my favorite lines that starts to touch on the anticipated answer to the question of my youth, is the line, “give to the LORD the glory due His name!” He is due glory. These all touch on the dynamic between the Creator and His creation. This relationship begins to point to this question I posed all those years ago.
We worship for two reasons. The first is that God, the Source of all that is good and infinite Goodness Himself, is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. The second reason is that it is our very nature to worship Him and give Him glory and honor. Outside of the church, we see the natural tendency to praise other people, actions, man made things, stories, etc. Go to a Taylor Swift concert and you will see an arena praising these songs, these stories, and this artist. Social media is littered with glowing reviews on products, food, and drinks. Even natural scenic beauty is praised in the myriad of attempts to capture it through the thousands of photos you’d find online if you search for things like the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, or the Redwood Forest. Someone once told me if you want to see what you worship, check your bank statements. I’m ashamed to admit that after hearing that, I had to have a serious talk with Chick fil A. The reality is that as humans, when we encounter something good, it moves us to action. So when we encounter the SOURCE of ALL good, it makes sense that it also moves us to action. We were made to worship. And God is deserving of it all.
So, if we can add nothing to God’s glory and honor, why praise Him? Simply put, while we can’t change an unchanging God, we can certainly allow ourselves to be changed by Him and our response to Him. The act of worshiping God moves us to be more closely who we were made to be as His creation. When we give God glory and honor, we are acting in a way that is aligned not only with the truth but also with our design. It’s amazing that there are scientific studies showing that there are neurological life extending benefits to those who practice gratitude and meditation. We are hard-wired for worship. And God is deserving of it all. This week, in word and in deed, let’s recommit to living lives that “Give the Lord glory and honor.”
What’s something about my faith life that I’d like to learn the “why” behind? When this week will I seek out answers?
What are the things I praise outside of church in my everyday life? Is there anything I might need to detach from to grow closer to God and to others?
In what ways has giving God glory and honor changed me? How can I let it change me in a new way?
Eric Wilkes is a Louisiana-born and Chicago-based artist, musician and producer serving churches, communities, and ministries on an international level. He has been an artist, writer, co-writer, instrumentalist, and producer for several projects through NOVUM RECORDS, and is a part of the indie rock duo NOVUM. When he’s not playing music, he enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Cori, his family, and his close friends relaxing and enjoying good conversations. When Eric needs medicine for his soul he finds it in new places, sunny days, trips to the ocean, chai tea lattes, playing piano in empty churches and late night adoration chapel visits. Check out his music on Spotify and Apple Music, and follow Eric on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.