‘This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118: 24)
This is one of those Scripture verses that readily comes to mind, very likely borne along by the tune of the popular hymn it inspired. It’s a verse that we we would love to have on our lips every morning when we wake up, a wholehearted thanksgiving for a new day in the Lord’s service. If you don’t always feel that way then I am glad I am not alone. It’s not always easy to say it and mean it. At the time, however, it was easy for the Psalmist. It’s not clear what were the actual circumstances but it was a time of national celebration for deliverance from an enemy. We read of ‘shouts of joy and victory’ resounding ‘in the tents of the righteous.’ (v. 15) And there is repeated acknowledgement of God’s goodness and the endurance of His love. (v.1 and v. 29)
So how does this apply to me today? I wake up to my own personal challenges but also to a world in lockdown, people unable to work, disrupted education, families and friends rendered untouchable. And this is apart from those who face another day of sickness or the heartache of bereavement. ‘Let us rejoice and be glad in it’? That could sound in many ears as a whistling in the dark. How is it possible to sustain that attitude to life in these Covid-19 days?
Let’s be clear, this does not involve facing the world with pasted on smiles and manufactured jollity. That is shallow and in the end just gets on people’s nerves. We need to go deeper, to connect with the heart of the faith which speaks of a victory we can celebrate every day. In that great Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians Paul works out the implications of Jesus’ Resurrection. He looks forward to that time when:
“ . . . the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”’ (verse 54-55)
This is the destiny of the new humanity of which Jesus is the prototype. A humanity no longer disturbed by sin and terrorised by death. A humanity destined to share in the victory of Jesus. No matter what our personal circumstances or the condition of the world in general that great purpose is unfolding. That is surely the prospect Jesus is opening up to His disciples the night before His death:
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a lace for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’ (John 14: 1-3)
In this darkest of all moments in the history of humankind the Son of God stands with His promise. A promise which will be confirmed by His victory over death.
This is what carried the early followers of Jesus through their worst of times. They were part of a community which knew the reality of the Resurrection and the blessings that flowed from it: the eternal presence of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, life beyond the grave and the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God. It is a mixture of present and future blessings which enabled them to say with the dawning of every new day:
‘This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.’
