Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

“Summer Song” seems to be the perfect way to celebrate the glorious Minnesota summer that we are experiencing.  Music is so interwoven into our lives, whether you gravitate toward classical music or rock and roll, love to hear John Philip Sousa’s Stars & Stripes Forever or the national anthem at the beginning of a ball game, music does something to us.  It isn’t just the words or the notes or the melodies; we don’t just hear music but experience it.  We might tap our foot to the beat or sing along.  Music gets into our soul.  How many times have you had a song stuck in your head?  Can you imagine worship without music? 

The writer of Psalm 67 talks about God loving and blessing us, treating all people equally.  How do we move from the divisiveness of today’s world to a world where all “nations be glad and sing for joy?” 

Let us pray using the words of Psalm 67: 

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, 
that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. 
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.