Several years ago my Lutheran pastor friend Miriam and I were invited to preach at our town’s Community Good Friday service. It was a big deal. It was the 20^th anniversary of this event. Pastors from different denominations gathered together to preach the Seven Last Words of Christ. But more importantly for us, it was the first time women pastors had been invited to preach. Mind you, there were denominations that came every year that disapproved of female preachers, so the organizers were taking a big step. To break the ice, when it was my turn to preach I thanked them for inviting us but noted that by assigning Miriam the second word and me the fifth, they had ensured that a women didn’t get the last word. Thankfully, everyone laughed and we went on.

Today’s psalm is the last writing attributed to David in the book of Psalms. While Psalm 72 is considered to be his ‘last will and testament,’ Psalm 145 is placed in the final hallel of praise that closes the book. It is an acrostic poem, meaning that each verse begins with a consecutive letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 145 serves as a good summary of David’s life-long relationship with God, praising God’s everlasting compassion, goodness toward humanity, kingship, and grace.

Psalm 145 (Common English Bible)

⁸     “The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
    very patient, and full of faithful love.
⁹     The Lord is good to everyone and everything;
    God’s compassion extends to all his handiwork!”

¹⁴ The Lord supports all who fall down,
    straightens up all who are bent low.
¹⁵ All eyes look to you, hoping,
    and you give them their food right on time,
¹⁶     opening your hand
    and satisfying the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
    faithful in all his deeds.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him,
    to all who call out to him sincerely.
¹⁹ God shows favor to those who honor him,
    listening to their cries for help and saving them.
²⁰ The Lord protects all who love him,
    but he destroys every wicked person.
²¹ My mouth will proclaim the Lord’s praise,
    and every living thing will bless God’s holy name
        forever and always.

Did you notice how many times the word “all” was used? In fact, “all” appears eleven times in the full psalm. Verse 9 gives a good summary of David’s point; “God is good to everyone and everything.” In his last missal, David wanted his readers to realize that God’s goodness extends to every living thing. We can depend on God’s faithfulness to us and count on God to hear our every cry and call. There is a great deal of tenderness in this passage. We can feel how deeply David loved his Lord.

In the end, David invites every living thing to bless God’s name and praise the Lord “forever and always.” How can we do that in our lives? Can praising God become a daily habit rather than a weekly activity? What can you do in this moment to bless God’s name?

Perhaps we can start by widening the gate so that “all” may come in. Think about your prejudices and biases. Do they reflect a good and holy God who straightens up all who fall down and are bent low? 

Once upon a time women weren’t invited to preach but when that gate was widened, it became commonplace. May we challenge the gatekeepers until all have come in and can hear of the faithfulness of our loving and compassionate God.

All Are Welcome