I have spent the last 2 months watching and reading a lot of media about end times and associated conspiracy theories. Many theories clearly do contain a lot of truth *. Others, look way out there. There is an evil plan for this world, I don’t believe that people of influence necessarily know what they are doing though. We know we are not wrestling flesh and blood but dark principalities and powers.But we don’t have to be troubled by all of this because we also know Jesus is on the throne.
Psalm 2:1-6 says
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
There are certain things God puts in place at the beginning. Like the sun coming up every day and the moon at night, the seasons and the festivals, Communion is one of those things. And it is good we can rely on our God in this unstable time we are living in.
And while I was reading and thinking about sad laments and songs I remembered a verse from the Last Supper right after Jesus shared the bread and wine it says
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:30
We’ve missed that part of Communion of singing together in church these last few weeks haven’t we ? We as a family have been humming along to the songs for online church but not singing out loud from the heart like we do in church together. No one has suddenly jumped up, burst into song, and led the family in karaoke. It’s just not the same. There is nothing like worshiping the Lord together. And thanks to the good old NZ Police, that is going to be very soon.
I wondered what hymn did they sing after that first communion ? At PCC we fairly regularly sing « The Old Rugged Cross » and « Amazing Grace » but not too many others very often. These days we don’t learn many hymns, have we forgotten a part of our heritage ?
So what would you guess that hymn they sung at that Last Supper was ?
Well, there was a tradition at Passover to sing Psalms 113-118. Psalm 113-114 during the meal and Psalm 115-118 after.
So I went and read them and you know what, they are a real medley of songs we already know. They help to remind us that in a time of crisis like we are in, like on the night of that Last Supper, though we may face our most difficult day tomorrow or even today, we don’t need to be afraid but trust in the Lord and remember his goodness.
The last Psalm in that sequence 118 starts and finishes with a reminder of this. I’m going to read not sing it haha... You may recognise some other lines in our modern day songs or even Miriam’s song from Exodus 15;
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let Israel now say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord now say, “His mercy endures forever.”
(By the way, that last verse has special meaning for me in my French Bible because it calls the last group ses nouveaux fidèles - His new faithful - or Gentile converts in the Living Bible.)
I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord , I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord . God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118
When we’ve messed up, when everything is going wrong, we all can remind ourselves Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Yes, even on the worst of days we can sing with Jesus. He is with us here in the midst of our troubles singing with is just like on the night before he died This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
* References
- The Good Club
- Event 201
- ID2020
- Scientific American Magazine (Invisible Ink Could Reveal whether Kids Have Been Vaccinated)
- Wuhan Military Games
- WHO Pandemic Exercise Dec 2018
- World Economic Forum
- Rockefeller Foundation
Comment
It is difficult for me to understand why we need to download a tracing app when the borders are closed and the only people who have been sick in NZ are the elderly and people already in poor health and 99% recover anyway. And if a vaccine is found I can see no point at all. If they open up the border it probably makes sense but will they do that before they find a vaccine ?
