God of the Thunderstorm

Ghost riders in the sky. Yippie-yi-yay!

Rolling thunderstorm (Cumulonimbus arcus) photographed in Enschede, The Netherlands. Photo by John Kerstholt, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

This is based on a sermon I preached in 2007. I polished and updated it for a lay speaking assignment today, but it turned out I was not needed after all, so it went unpreached. I decided I would share it here anyway.

Psalm 29 (CEB)

A psalm of David.
You, divine beings! Give to the Lord —
give to the Lord glory and power!
Give to the Lord the glory due his name!
Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor!

The Lord’s voice is over the waters;
the glorious God thunders;
the Lord is over the mighty waters.
The Lord’s voice is strong;
the Lord’s voice is majestic.
The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees —
yes, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull,
makes Sirion jump around like a young wild ox.
The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness —
yes, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks,
strips the forests bare,
but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters;
the Lord sits enthroned — king forever!

Let the Lord give strength to his people!
Let the Lord bless his people with peace!