The Lovely New Moon Shining: a Response To Psalm 81

After the sorrow and lamentation expressed in psalms 79 and 80, psalm 81 comes us a beautiful moment of uplift, with the sound of trumpets and the clear shining beauty of the new moon:

1. SING we merrily unto God our strength: make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2. Take the psalm, bring hither the tabret: the merry harp with the lute.
3. Blow up the trumpet in the new-moon: even in the time appointed, and upon our solemn feast-day.

Then the psalm looks back to all that God had done for Israel in the past, how he had ‘eased their shoulder from the burden’ and that renewed memory of grace gives the psalmist confidence for the future. My response to this psalm follows a similar pattern, and like the psalmist I have found that the beautiful clarity of the moon shining high above our passing troubles, becomes a symbol of hope.

As always you can hear me read the poem by clicking on the play button or the title and you can find the other poems in this evolving series by putting the word ‘psalms’ into the search box on the right.

The full set of these poems has now been published as a book David’s Crown which you can buy from UK Amazon Here, or, in North America, it should soon be available from Amazon Here.

There is also going to be a launch event/webinar on Feb 11th at 7pm GMT it will be completely free and you can register for it Here.

LXXXI Exultate Deo

Till shadows flee at last, and sorrows cease

Come down and ease our shoulders from the burden

To give our straining hearts some soft release,

 

Lest from sheer weariness they shrink and harden.

Refresh us with the memory of grace,

Remind us of your mercy, of that pardon

 

You won for us forever from the cross.

Then we will lift a lighter song to you

And glimpse beyond our loneliness and loss

 

The lovely new moon shining, and the true

Signs of the kingdom coming, where they gleam 

And kindle in the east, still showing through

 

This present darkness, even as a dream

Of light before the dawn. Send us a sign

That things are not so hopeless as they seem.

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