"Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, who comes to judge the earth.
The Lord will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity." (Psalm 98:7-9)
There really is a different feel to watching a game in person compared to watching it on a screen from the comfort and relative quiet of your living room. The energy is almost electric when you are at a ballpark, stadium, or arena and you get to watch your team play. Sitting at home to watch is certainly convenient (and you don't have to pay for parking), but it doesn't feel the same, right? There is something both humbling and exhilarating about cheering alongside hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of other people, rooting for the same players you care about, roaring at an impressive play, or celebrating a victory. It changes your perspective, doesn't it? Being there in person reminds you that you are a part of something bigger than yourself... and also that there are others who are just as excited as you are when the home team wins.
I get that same feeling from these verses at the end of Psalm 98, which many would have heard, read, or sung in worship this past Sunday. It's a reminder that we humans are not the only ones in awe over the goodness of God. Even if we don't realize it most of the time, all of creation--including seas, rivers, and hills--rejoices in God. In particular, this passage from the psalms even suggests that the whole world, from the soil and rock of the mountains to the waters of the ocean, celebrates the justice, equity, and righteousness of God. All of creation is cheering for God, celebrating in God's victory, and singing in praise to God.
The psalmist is great at imagining that with his faithful imagination: the sound of the rushing river is like the clapping of hands in thunderous applause or rhythmic percussion; the seas are roaring, too. The hills are not merely inanimate, here in the poetic view--they are joyful about God, glad to see God setting things right. It's like the change of perspective that happens when you walk into the stadium or the ballpark and see that you are not the only one who has been cheering for your team--you are surrounded by so many more who are all as jubilant as you are. To read (or sing) Psalm 98 is to see that we are not alone in being swept up in praise, thanks, and awe toward God. We have a place in the crowd, but we are not the only ones. The trees and the flowers, the rain and the sun, the fish and the birds, all of them are part of the cheering congregation of the universe, praising God by being what God has called us each to be. It's like that beautiful line of Nikos Kazantzakis, "I said to the almond tree, 'Sister, speak to me of God.' And the almond tree blossomed." All of creation, all living things, as well as, apparently, things we usually think of as inanimate, like rivers, seas, and hills, all of it is overjoyed at the goodness of God. We humans have a particular perspective, since we can see and know and appreciate things with our unique senses, intellect, and capacities. But we are not the only ones singing.
For a very long time in what we have often dubbed "advanced" Western society, conventional wisdom has treated the world as merely a pile of raw materials to be consumed and exploited. We have forgotten what the Scriptures keep saying: all of creation is in relationship with God and rejoices over God's goodness. We are not separate from that chorus, or "above" it; we are a part of it. Taking that seriously will change not only the way we relate to God (maybe a little humbler, maybe a little more appreciation of our connectedness), but it will also change the way we treat the world in which we live. If you are in a choir, you don't start eyeing the tenor section to pilfer its music or plotting to take over the seats of the sopranos--they are a part of the same ensemble to which you belong, and you share a common calling to sing together. Similarly, if you are at a stadium cheering for your team, you know it doesn't help the team at all to take the big foam finger of the fans sitting next to you so you can use it to cheer. You are both on the same "side" wanting your team to win, after all. Maybe listening to the psalmist here will help us to see the rest of creation as our fellow singers, and we will learn to listen to their voices alongside our own.
O God, with all creation and the whole cosmos we praise you--not just for your greatness, but for your goodness.
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