This is the Day that the Lord has Made
23This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. 27God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 28Thou art my God and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.
Psalm 118:23-29
|
|
Today, we are observing our 136 Anniversary as a fellowship of faith. It is part of human nature to observe special moments. Life with its ebb and flow, takes us to and fro leading us ultimately to where we are destined to go. We have been brought to this moment in time by the providence of God in whose purpose and by whose direction we journey by faith. We say as Samuel, “hitherto has the Lord helped us” when they were victorious, (I Samuel 7:12). We joined with the sweet lyricist of Israel who said, “If it has not been for the Lord on our side (Psalm 124:1). We gather today to declare that “This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
It has been more than a year that we have been managing since the pandemic began. We are still virtually maintaining our connectivity with each other, fellowshipping with each other on the internet, and witnessing to the reality of the presence of the One in whom we live and move and have being on the radio broadcast. We are continuing to abide by the recommendations of the CDC until we are freed from the constraints that are being practiced to maintain our health and safety.
The 136th Anniversary of Second Baptist Church Los Angeles May 16, 2021: (136 years / 1,632 months / 7,096 weeks / 49,676 days! Reflections on the past, shapes our perception of the present, as we continue to project imaginatively forward to the future.
Consider what it means to cherish the legacy of the congregation of believers in Christ to whom you belong as you reflect on the past, perceive the present and project the future.
|
|
23This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:23-24
Psalm 118 is the last of those psalms which form the great Hallel. Hallel are songs of praise to the Lord. These psalms were sung at the end of Passover. They are found from Psalm113 through 118. These songs were recited in homes at the Passover meal, in the temple, and in the synagogues at the great annual festivals. They celebrated God’s great deeds in the lives of the nation of Israel. Hallel would be the equivalent to praise songs that affirm and acknowledge what the Lord had done in the lives of people and the world.
Psalm 118:8 contains the center verse of the Bible. It says “It is better to trust God than to put confidence in people.” Each verse is a complete thought and stands on its own. It is presumed that this may have been the song that Jesus and the disciples sung as they concluded the Passover meal and went forth to the Mount of Olives. The words of this psalm are found in the gospels as well. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jesus sharing a parable about the wicked tenants references this psalm when he quotes from it, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone: this is the Lord’s doing.” (Matthew 21:42)
Consider what it means that the Lord does marvelous things by creating a day that has special significance for people with incidents that remind them of the goodness of the Lord.
|
|
25Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Psalm 118:25
Focus your attention on the phrases, “This is the Lord’s doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord had made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Firstly, God made the day as a day of celebration.
We have a gathering of people of faith who are invited to join in celebrating. The first, second, and third verses are sung by a single voice. As the procession moves along, the theme of rejoicing is announced. The first voice repeats, “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; because his mercy endures forever.” Another voice calls on Israel to acknowledge this truth. A third voice invites the house of Aaron, the priesthood, to acknowledge their share in Jehovah’s love. The fourth verse is a chorus for everyone to join in rejoicing.
The psalmist is referencing a passage found in the book of Ezra 3:10-11, where we read “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endures forever. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” Now the words mentioned in Ezra are the first and last sentences of this Psalm. It is presumed that the people chanted the whole of this sublime song; and moreover that the use of this composition on such occasions was ordained by David.
This is the day that the Lord has made. The Christian Sabbath is the day of God’s own making to remind us of what the Lord has done for us. The resurrection occurred on the first day of the week. This was of the Lord’s doing. We gather each first day of the week to celebrate what the Lord has done for us.
We have our congregation of believers in Christ because we were rejected by the society at that time. The Lord permitted us to establish ourselves as a congregation of believers in Christ twenty years after the Civil War. Born in segregation, weaned in discrimination, and nurtured by faith, our fellowship of faith continues to witness to the reality of the presence of the Lord in our lives.
Consider the legacy which has been passed to us from our predecessors to continue.
|
|
26Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. Psalm 118:26
We celebrate what we have been permitted in the providence of God to accomplish.
We are managing to survive and thrive despite the challenges we have been facing with the pandemic. We have increased our internet footprint with a website, sharing
inspirational messages, having a variety of zoom programs to engage with one another, a newsletter with pertinent information about activities among our membership, as well as what is happening in our world as it relates to how our faith finds expression.
We gather here knowing that this is the Lord’s doing. We celebrate what the Lord has permitted us to fulfill, as we maintain and sustain ourselves with the challenges of a pandemic; with opportunities to continue to practice our faith with commitment, loyalty, and resolve.
The songwriter composed these lyrics that capture the essence of this moment:
I've got so much to thank God for / So many wonderful blessings and so many open doors / A brand new mercy along with each new day / That’s why I praise you / And for this I give you praise.
For waking me up this morning /That’s why I praise you / For letting me see the sunshine of a brand new day / A brand new mercy along with each new day / That’s why I praise you / For this I give you praise. /
You’re Jehovah Jireh / That’s why I praise you / You’ve been my provider / That’s why I praise you / So many times you met my need / So many times you rescued me / That’s why I praise you / For this I give you praise /
For every mountain, you brought me over / For every trial you’ve seen me through / For every blessing / Hallelujah, for this I give you praise.
Consider what it means that we persisted in establishing a congregation, despite the odds of the society of the time, that seemed to diminish the possibility of our success as well as the continuing challenges we face in life.
|
|
27God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Psalm 118:27
Secondly, God made this day as a day of culmination.
A culminating activity is one that embodies all that has preceded it while demonstrating what has been learned along the way. We are concluding 14 months of wrestling with the pandemic that has altered our lives, dismantled our world and threaten our health and safety, forcing us to reassess our allegiances, reconsider our commitments and reorder our priorities.
The Psalm seems to describe either David or some other person who was appointed by divine choice to a high and honorable position. This person found that he was rejected by his friends and fellow countrymen, while at the same time, violently opposed by his enemies. With faith in God, he battles for his appointed place and in due time obtains it in such a way that greatly displays the power and goodness of the Lord. He then goes up to the house of the Lord to offer sacrifice and to express his gratitude for what the Lord has done in, with, for, and through his life. The origin of our congregation was spawn in a social environment that rejected our being in worship with certain people. We built our own sacred space where we could freely praise the Lord because of the Lord’s goodness and mercy which endures forever. We have navigated our way through the turbulent troubling dismissal of our humanity and rights with resolve, resistance, and resolution.
So what has been learned from what we have experienced?
5I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.
6The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
(There is One on whom we can call).
6The LORD is on my side; I will not fear what we have to face.
(We do not live in fear because the Lord is present for us and with us).
8It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
(We put our trust where it is safe, secure, and sure).
14The LORD is our strength and song, and is become our salvation despite the sinister situations we face day in and day out.
The Lord is our strength as long as the day, our song as varied as the day, and our salvation as sure as the day.
Consider what it means that the Lord is your strength, your song, and your salvation.
|
|
28Thou art my God and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. Psalm 118:28
Thirdly, God has made the day as one of commencement.
May is the month for graduations. Graduations are rightly considered commencements as they are a new beginning rather than just an end. As one thing ends another begins. A new era has commenced for the nation of Israel. The day of David’s enthronement was the beginning of better times. This was a new day of God’s own making. No doubt the Israelite nation celebrated the victory of its champion with a day of feasting, music, and merriment.
Jesus is the stone the builders/Israel refused/rejected in scorn. He is the cornerstone of the Church as well as its foundation. This transformation from rejection to exaltation is the Lord’s doing and it is indeed marvelous in the eyes of the Church. This day of exaltation made by the Lord is why we rejoice, spin around in joy, and are glad because we have been spared to see it. When we consider what God had done for us in Christ we can call His Name! What God has done for us in Christ continues to encourage, enlighten and strengthen us.
A new day is dawning. It was a new day in the nation when the results of the 2020 election made history, inaugurating a new president and vice president. It was a new beginning. Special days are moments where we began again to recapture the essence of our purpose and fulfill our destiny. We are on our way to inherit the promise of God. We’ve only just begun. We are making a new start. It was a new day when on the first day of the week there was a magnificent first. We observe the Lord’s Day as our true Sabbath, a day made and ordained by God, for the perpetual remembrance of the achievements of our Redeemer for us. Whenever the soft Sabbath light of the first day of the week breaks upon the earth, let us sing,
“This is the day that the Lord has made, / He calls the hours His own; / Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad, / And praise surround the throne.”
Consider what it means to begin anew after surviving what has upended our lives, threatened our safety and health; with what you have learned as you were going through what you were facing.
|
|
23This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:23-24
Conclusion
This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. What else can we do seeing that we have obtained so great an accomplishment through what God has permitted us to do?
Just as the sweet lyricist of Israel invited people to come and share with them in giving thanks to God, we invite you to join with us as we sing, praising God.
I will sing Hallelujah. I will sing, O Lord. I will sing Hallelujah, O Lord. You are the source of my supply. Lord I praise, I lift you high. I will sing Hallelujah, O Lord.
You have given us hills and mountains. You have given us level plains. You have given us food and clothing. You’ve given us shelter from the storm and the rain.
Hallelujah, thank you Lord. Hallelujah, thank you Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I will sing hallelujah, O Lord.
23This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it... 29O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. Psalm 118:23-24,29
|
|
2412 Griffith Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90011
Phone: (213) 748-0318
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
