Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, June 6, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God invites us to make a joyful noise.
There is a lot of noise in our world. It’s been estimated people receive from 6,000 to 10,000 advertisements in a day. And that doesn’t include news, feeds, texts, and songs we take in. We are bombarded with noise, and much of it is not joyful.
To be sure, some of the noise of the world shouldn’t be joyful. When advocates protest for a cause, the noise is filled with angst, anger, and longing. But that noise needs to be made, and it needs to be heard. When abused persons speak out against their abusers, the noise is hurt, frightened, and often silenced. But that noise needs to be made and heard.
This noise—these voices—can be drowned by the noisy, unnecessary sounds made in the name of power, supremacy, hatred, and lies. How can we honor the voices that need to be heard?
We can start by making a joyful noise to the Lord. Before we can begin to process the noise of the world, when we bring our worship, our attention, our ears, our hearts to God in the centering, still space of worship, we can clear space in our heads and hearts to discern the noise. Making a joyful noise doesn’t mean being happy all the time. It means approaching God’s space with openness to receive the gifts God has to offer—“enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.” It means focusing our attention on God’s word. It means speaking your truth and listening for the truth in others. If we are able to bring our whole selves into worship, and offer and receive joyful noise to and from God, then we can clear space in our heads and hearts for the less pleasant noise that we must allow ourselves to hear and make.
