Exhaling Hallelujah

Exhaling Hallelujah – In our last Sunday of our summer look at psalms, today we are considering Psalm 150, the last psalm in the Book of Psalms. The word, “hallelujah,” derives from the Hebrew, a blend of two words that mean “Praise YAH! This final psalm in the Book of Psalms is a crescendo of praise for God. Carol first briefly reviews some of the psalms we’ve studied this summer, the range of situations and emotions they address, and today with this final psalm we are at the culminating call to praise. Psalms and this psalm are also very much in the middle of the scriptures, a highlight and focus for all of the scriptures. What does it mean to praise the Lord? Perhaps it is offering our whole selves toward God. Praise is not transactional, offering God praise for something in return, rather we are called to offer ourselves in praise to our Creator. Besides God, there is nothing or no one worthy of our praise, and we praise God for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness to us, even at times when we’re in the midst of grief or longing. The psalm says there is no place where we cannot praise God, even if we’re not in the sanctuary. It also calls on all of creation to praise God. Our very breath can be praise, exhaling “Hallelujah” with every breath.