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Psalm 98 – The Message, adapted

98 Sing to God a brand-new song. God has made a world of wonders!

God rolled up Their sleeves, God set things right.

² God made history with salvation, God showed the world what They could do.

³ God remembered to love us, a bonus ~ To God’s dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.

The whole earth comes to attention. Look—God’s work of salvation!

⁴ Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!

⁵ Round up an orchestra to play for God, Add on a hundred-voice choir.

⁶ Feature trumpets and big trombones, Fill the air with praises to God.

⁷ Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, With everything living on earth joining in.

⁸ Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!” And mountains harmonize the finale—

⁹ A tribute to God when They come, When God comes to set the earth right.

God will straighten out the whole world, God will put the world right, and everyone in it.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

[A letter from the Apostle Paul, or in the name of the Apostle Paul, to the believers in Thessalonica…]

2 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, ² not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. ³ Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. ⁴ He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you

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¹³ But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ For this purpose he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. 

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. 

November 9, 2025 – Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

Psalm 98 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Rev. TJ Mack – Union Congregational Church of Hancock

There is always a theme connecting the texts that we read together on a Sunday morning. Sometimes more than one… What did you pick up on? I heard the imperative to praise God in all times and in all places, to hold fast to hope, even and especially when all seems hopeless.

Do you remember the movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”? The hotel proprietor, Sonny, who was managing a dilapidated retirement home filled with an eclectic group of individuals, had a very memorable line that was repeated a few times in the movie. He said, “Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not yet the end.”

There are some among us now that are hurting more than we know. Their jobs are at risk or already gone. There is not enough food in the refrigerator or in their cupboards. They have health issues and medical bills that are cause for concern. And there are millions, 42 million, that depend on SNAP benefits to help feed their families. And there are many that are at risk of seeing their health insurance premiums double or triple in the near future.

I am quite sure that for many people, this feels like the end. Are we being tone deaf if we encourage them to be grateful for something each day? 

Listen to our scriptures. Praise God. Praise God through all situations. It is a good spiritual practice to praise God for all of the good that we receive. That practice can prepare us to praise God when things go sideways; when things go woefully wrong.

Psalm 98 encourages us to see the world with fresh eyes each day, to praise God for the wonders that we see and experience. It reminds us that we are not alone, that together with God’s strength, we are capable of making this a just world for all. 

The psalmist promises that God loves us unconditionally and always. That love is evident in myriad ways. 

Psalm 98 teaches us to hold space for forgiveness – for one and for all. This forgiveness is at the heart of who God is and who we strive to be. By modeling forgiveness, God shows us the way to live in peace. 

The psalmist encourages us to share God’s love. Share the good news of what God has done and is doing for you. Don’t let up. Use all the resources at hand. Fill the air with trumpets and trombones and voices to praise God always. Let all of creation take part in praise for God and all that God has made. Praise God again and again. 

The psalmist reminds us, promises us, that God is here. God is with us right now and always. 

Consider how filling our heart and mind with praise for even the simplest joys – joys that cannot be taken away from us – hearing a bird sing; appreciating the intricate wonders of a flower or breathtakingly beautiful sunset – can bring peace and happiness into our consciousness. That gratitude fills our spirit not only for that moment, but can be drawn upon throughout the day.   

The author of the Second Letter to the Thessalonians gives us cause to put this theory into practice. Do we praise God for the lawless one that wakes us up from our complacency? Do we praise God for truth-tellers of information we would rather not know? Do we praise God for prophets that warn of evildoers and shine their light where we do not care to look? 

There is an opening in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians for finger-pointing, naming, and blaming our enemies. We do not know who the “lawless one” is of whom Paul speaks.

Perhaps a false prophet. Perhaps an emperor. We do not know what the rebellion was. Even though we do not know these things, we can apply the text to our own uncertain times, our own difficulties. The lawless are destined for destruction. (2 Thessalonians 2:3) We can look to our ancestors, to our scriptures, to God. We can look to the past for guidance and keep the faith practices passed down from generation to generation. We can look forward, through praise and prayer, in anticipation of a better life. 

It is difficult to praise God for all that is going on – or not going on – in our country right now. But should we? Our scripture calls us to praise God at all times. Our scripture tells us that God has come, and God will come, to set things right. 

The writers at “enfleshed,” one of my weekly commentary resources suggests this:

“God shakes everything up, and this is an occasion of rejoice for those of us on the bottom. We can only go up from here. The holy shaking will disrupt what keeps us in bondage. The holy shaking will unsettle the identities we found in oppressor imaginations. The holy shaking will be a joyful noise to those of us that have been mired and stagnated by systems of harm.

No matter how deeply ingrained or established the status quo, My God, She can shake it.” 

It is not easy or intuitive to be grateful in the midst of upheaval or hardship, but our scripture encourages us to do so. 

I wonder… if we are not praising God for the turmoil all around us, why aren’t we? 

Are we satisfied with our health care systems, our distribution of wealth, our discriminatory biases and behaviors toward Black, Brown, Indigenous, and all People of Color?  

If we are praising God for the turmoil, why are we? What do we hope to achieve on the other side of the destruction and chaos? 

It feels like these questions and the myriad possible answers are dangerous. This week our  scriptures feel especially subversive. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of subversive is, “a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from within.”

What is our secret? Praising God in all situations. 

What systems do we wish to subvert? The systems that withhold food and health care to all of God’s children. The systems that discriminate and dehumanize those different than the power players. 

Our scriptures will help all of us get there together. They teach us not to despair, but to be concerned and actively involved. 

In the final verse of Psalm 98 we are told that God will roll up Their sleeves and set things right. Are we waiting for God? Be assured that God is waiting for us. Every question or demand that we put to God, God puts right back to us. 

When we ask, “Where is God in the suffering?” God asks, “Where are we in the suffering?” 

When we pray for God to comfort, to heal, to end suffering, God prays for us to comfort, to heal, and to end suffering. 

Great is God’s faithfulness. Our God calls us to be faithful also. Faithful to God. Faithful to one another. We are seeing God’s people in action these past 40 days and counting of our government shut-down. 

I am disturbed by the rulers of our government, our elected officials and their advisors. I am disturbed at their inability to communicate and compromise. I am disturbed by the harm being caused to millions and millions of people. 

I am heartened by the response of individuals and private sector businesses that are responding to the need being created by the government shut-down and failure to pay salaries and SNAP benefits. I am heartened by neighbors helping neighbors, pop-up little free food pantries, businesses offering free or discounted foods. I am heartened by people everywhere, from all backgrounds, standing firm and holding fast to what is good and true and right. 

Our scriptures show us the way forward. When we “Sing to God a brand-new song” (Psalm 98.1), a brand-new song will be sung back to us. 

May it be so.

Amen

Rev. TJ Mack – November 9, 2025