We opened our gathering with hymn 275:
Praise now creative Mind
Maker of earth and heaven;
Glory and power to Him belong,
Joy of the sun and skies,
Strength where the hills arise
So let us praise with joy and song.
Our topic today was Praising God, and the text we studied was Psalms 146-150. We were asked to read through these Psalms and pick out our favorite verses to share with the group. We were also asked to share highlights of what we are grateful to Truth, Life and Love for, consistent with what Science & Health says:
“If we are ungrateful for Life, Truth, and Love, and yet return thanks to God for all blessings, we are insincere and incur the sharp censure our Master pronounces on hypocrites.”
It was pointed out that praising God should never be on the back burner, or a once-a-week kind of “church” thing, but rather praise and gratitude should be a vital part of our daily being.
Inspirations related to the Psalms and thoughts of gratitude will be noted in the comments section below.
Our gathering closed with singing hymn 280. (Interestingly 3 separate individuals were all inspired to bring this hymn to this session!)
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like us His praise should sing?
Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him,
Praise the everlasting King.
Father-like, He tends and spares us,
Well our daily needs he knows;
In His hand He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him,
Widely as His mercy flows.
Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress,
Praise Him still the same forever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him,
Glorious in His faithfulness.