Psalm 95 on a Sunday morning in May

 “Oh come.”

How often does the Bible, actually, our Lord, say “come”? How often He invites us in and to?  "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden" (quite relevant to this psalm), and I will give you rest. Is come not a beautiful word?" We might hear “go,” the command to spread the message, but we must come to Him who invites and beckons, the first time and every day after that.

Being the owner of two fairly large and strong-willed dogs (translate that to not obedience-trained), “come” has special meaning to me. I say it a lot. If they are out of the fence for some reason, something I try to avoid, the “come” is full of frustration and fear and annoyance. It is harsh and sharp and loud, and my voice grows more into that sound I do not like to hear—mostly because Butter the lab mix is an escape artist who can take on some speed. Nala the pit bull mix is 12.5 years old and not as likely to rush away; she just feigns deafness and continues to wander and sniff, wander and sniff until she is satisfied that she has smelled anything new in the vicinity.

Once I get close to them, and they have fulfilled their desire to bound or wander, the "come" becomes less frantic and loud and instead, kind and coaxing, and they come. I cannot help but contrast myself to the Savior’s calls to come. He doesn’t have to “yell his head off” like a crazy old woman who can’t control her dogs. He is close at all times, even when we escape, and His come is insistent and calm, full of strength and assurance.

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Singing is what we are invited to. Not performing, but singing as we do in the “shower.” Back in the day when bathrooms were tiled, singing in the shower meant we heard our voices bounce off the walls and layer upon themselves, giving resonance and depth not really there. Now bathrooms are fiberglass and drywall, absorbing sound. We might sing in our cars along with the radio or CD, as long as we forget other people can see us! We sing in private; we perform in public.

Not here. We are invited to sing to the LORD, and whether it is communal or private, it is not a singing where we have to be worried about pitch and quality and being judged.  Singing to the LORD is a judgment-free zone.

I cannot help but repeat the wonderful words of the *man so many of us are mourning, although why I am not sure, since he is not.

“We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” 

And now he is more rested and healthy and cancer-free and joyous than we can imagine.

To be continued

*Hopefully you know this to be Tim Keller.