Rev. Danny Morgan - December 31, 2023
Psalm 98
Judgment and joy seem like a paradox, particularly for modern readers. When was the last time you saw a toddler clap for joy when they were being disciplined? Or someone breaking out in song after they’ve been pulled over for speeding? Probably never. The Bible, however, shows us joy and judgment are inseparable. We cannot become all we are meant to be without the wisdom of judgment, and we cannot hold hope for a world cleansed of evil without singing for joy. In other words, we cannot have one without the other. This Sunday, we’ll see in Psalm 98 how the Bible both presents and solves this seeming paradox as the whole of creation sings for joy at the coming of the Lord and praises him for his judgment upon the earth, ushering in the golden age where the whole earth becomes all that it is meant to be.