Psalm 19 Responsive Reading

This is a responsive reading with parts 1 and 2 that could be read with two people or a congregation and leader. The words of the Psalm are in quotation marks. Psalm 19:1-2,7-10, 14 is used.

1-“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”

2-Listen! Do you hear? Listen to nature informing us about the God of all creation. Listen!

1-When should we listen? When should we expect to hear good news?

2-“Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.”

1-“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;”

2-Revive us, God. Breathe new life into our weary bodies.

1-Explain to us again your way. We want to follow you, and we need your help.

2-“the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;”

1-“the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever, the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

2-We delight in you, Gracious God, and know you instruct us in the way to life.

1-“More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.”

2-You paint a beautiful picture of how much we should want to follow you. 

1- “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen.

2-“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen.

Laugh with me.

Recently I was visiting a hospice patient who loves to laugh as much as I do. She had me laughing so hard that my face turned red and my eyes started watering. She looked at me and said your face is so red and started laughing all over again. We laughed and laughed. She said I could visit again if we could laugh more.

I find hope and joy in laughter. While laughing, we realize we all want to find the joy in our lives-big joys and small joys. Laughter kindles a flame of hope in us and reminds us of the goodness we can find in each other. Laughing together reminds us that we are not alone on this journey.

Today, look for opportunities to laugh. Have a giggle. Try a belly laugh. Snort if you want. However, you like to laugh, I hope you laugh today.

Creator of Laughter and All Goodness, we thank you for the joy in our lives. We thank you for the times our joy bubbles up into laughter. What a treat to laugh. For moments of laughter on hard days, we give thanks. For days filled with laughter, we give thanks. For the gift of laughter, we give you thanks and praise. Amen.