A Gem from the “little Bible”

There were so many opportunities to find out more about Luther and the wider Reformation movement during last year’s 500th anniversary events. One of the facts I learned was that Luther often referred to the book of Psalms as the “little Bible.” He called it that because he considered it to be a synopsis of the main themes of the Bible.

If I were asked to choose a favourite psalm, Psalm 19, or at least its first six verses, would be a strong contender. When I was in high school, I was privileged to sing in the quartet, “The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God,” from Haydn’s oratorio The Creation. Ever since then, it has been my internal soundtrack whenever I read the beginning of this psalm.

While God’s laws seem to be followed effortlessly in the heavenly realm, here on earth we continue to have a hard time following God’s mandates. It’s not surprising. The verses in the second part of the psalm (about earth) don’t sing as sweetly as the ones in the first part (about heaven). I guess we’ll have to wait until earth joins heaven as part of God’s kingdom before all of creation sings in perfect harmony.

Lord, thank you for inspiring writers, artists and musicians. Amen. — CKA