23 | Samuel United Church of Christ in Clayton, MO

Psalm 97

1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around

him;
righteousness and justice are the

foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every

side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before

    the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.

7 All worshipers of images are put to

shame, those who make their boast in

    worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is glad,
    and the townsof Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all

the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the

    wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Written by Carol Ann Miller

Carol Ann is a friend of Samuel church who began joining our services during the lockdown.

This is my first time writing a devotional. I’m not sure if there is a right or wrong way. When I read Psalm 97, I at first took it in as something I had always heard. Jesus being born is the happiest celebration; He comes in glory and is rejoiced by all. But it doesn’t start that, way, does it? One word that I noticed and held on to was “wicked,” in line 10, it states, “he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.”

This got me thinking about a musical based on a book. A book entitled Wicked by Gregory Macguire, which then was translated into the world-renowned musical by Stephen Schwartz, Wicked. Wicked follows the story of Elphaba, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West and takes on the role you see in The Wizard of Oz.

What you don’t see in The Wizard of Oz is that The Wicked Witch, or Elphaba, is a person. Elphaba was someone who was like any one of us, and because she had a gift for magic and she looked different from those around her, no one allotted her any attention until they distorted the gift she had and blamed her for things going wrong in Oz.

Jesus was like us. He didn’t come with the glory immediately, and when people realized what He was capable of, most turned against him. But what I’m getting at here is that after the installment of Wicked, the Wicked Witch of the West became more beloved than Dorothy Gale. People adore Elphaba and they relate to her struggles and triumphs. I would like to relate more to Jesus. When we read passages from the Bible, it can seem impossible to humanize and find commonalities, but they are there. To be able to see Elphaba as a friend is understanding her and seeing she understands you. I have trouble seeing that God may understand me; I have to remember that Jesus started like any one of us, and He knows us better than anyone.

There is a song in Wicked, entitled “For Good.” I have it attached here and I believe it applies to what I’ve said. This song is sung by Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good.

For Good

I've heard it said,

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led to those

Who help us most to grow if we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you.

I have been changed

For Good.

Letting faith into your life can change you. Finding Samuel United Church of Christ has changed me for good. So many things happened to lead me here and I believe the above verse explains it all.

Thursday, Dec 24: The Glory of God's Reign