Psalm 98: 7-9a, New International Reader’s Version

⁷Let the ocean and everything in it roar.
Let the world and all who live in it shout.
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the mountains sing together with joy.
⁹Let them sing to the Lord,

Message:

Have you ever seen people so happy that they can’t help but sing? (Allow children to answer.) Have you ever seen people clap their hands when someone does something wonderful? (Allow children to give examples.) But have you ever seen mountains sing together with joy? Have you ever seen the rivers clap their hands? Imagine what that would look like.

The writer of Psalm 98 wants everybody and everything to give thanks for all the wonderful things God has done. God wants people to praise God with a lot of noise! Today is one of those days. Today is Christmas morning. God wants us all to sing praises about the birth of Jesus everywhere and to everyone!

But that isn’t even enough. As the writer of this psalm tell us, God wants all created things to join in the praise. Even the mountains and the rivers sing praises because the whole world belongs to God.

The next time you hear the wind blow through the trees or smell beautifully scented flowers, think about Psalm 98. When you see angels in the Nativity like this one (direct their attention to the Nativity from last night), think about them singing and praising God.

¹⁴“May glory be given to God in the highest heaven!
And may peace be given to those he is pleased with on earth!”

If you think about trees whispering God’s kindness, or flowers smelling like God’s love, and angels singing God’s praise, the whole world will start to look different. It would certainly be a more joy-filled world.

Let’s sing God’s praises as we sing “Joy to the World” to remind us of what we celebrate on this Christmas morning.

(Incorporate “Joy to the World” here in this service).

Prayer:

Creator of all, thank you for the beautiful world you have made. Help me join with the trees, flowers, and especially the angels in praising you on this Christmas morning. Help us all join in celebrating the joy that you gave all creation through the birth of Jesus. Amen.