Second Sunday of Easter (Ps) April 15th

Psalm 98:1-9
1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Ps 98:1–9). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Sing to the LORD a new song. God is beginning to make all things new. Christ our LORD is risen from the dead. Jesus is the firstfruits of all who are now alive in Christ Jesus. God has given us the righteousness of our Lord. He has provided us with Salvation.

"The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations." The witness of the true righteous one has come to the nations. They hear this message and hopefully listen to it. But many people hear about the righteousness of God or the righteousness God requires and reject it. Most of us would rather hear of righteousness of the world.

We like to think about how good we are. Most humans think they have lived pretty good or fairly good lives. This may not be wrong but when we compare this to the righteousness of God it is insignificant. We are not if fairly or pretty close. We are well behind or short.

But the LORD has made known his salvation. He has made him visible through his word and those who are witnesses to his resurrection. We listen to the witness of the disciples and the 500 others with St Paul. We know that our Salvation comes through Jesus Christ. He is the one who gives us his own righteousness. He gives us life and salvation through his death and resurrection.