Henny Youngman always said :

“I never knew what real happiness was until I got married……

And then it was too late.”

The 85th psalm was written by someone who was very happy.

  Their happiness was because they were able to return to their homeland after years of being held as captives in a strange land.

Psalm 85:1 “Lord thou art become gracious unto thy land; Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.”

  

This psalm that we read today is an expression of great relief and joy.

After more than fifty years as captives in Babylon some of those deported from Judah were allowed to return to their ancestral home land.

They were taking advantage of the leave Cyrus had granted them to return home and also were able to restore the old forms of worship when they got there.

  The land to which they returned was devastated by war and had few resources left.

They were to find rubble and weeds where once had been the beautiful city of Jerusalem.

  Many parts of the walls of the city were torn down and the city gates were destroyed.

Solomon's wonderful palaces and the magnificent temple were looted ruins.

   

 Even though they found all this destruction upon their return to their homeland they felt relief and joy.

  They felt that way because they saw that in being able to return home that God was showing His people that He was forgiving them.

 He was forgiving them of their past sins of worshiping false gods and not following his commandments. 

 They felt that he would fulfill his promises to them.

As Christians we should feel that same kind of great relief and joy today and every day.

No matter what our lot may be in this life we must remember that through faith in Christ we have been made inheritors of eternal life.

Through our Savior's sacrifice on the cross for us our sins are forgiven.

Through the blood of Jesus we are washed clean and are reconciled to our Heavenly Father.

So as the Psalmist says“Thou hast forgiven the offence of thy people, * and covered all their sins.”

   How can all Christians not then feel great relief and joy?

Then with Saint Paul we say, “Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice”.

  We who have been cleansed must always be giving glory to God for our undeserved gift from him of eternal life through our Savior Jesus Christ.

The Lord be with you

Let us Pray

  We beseech thee O Lord to mercifully behold the people of this nation called after thy holy name and grant that with thy help we may ever walk worthy of our Christian profession, and enable us by patient continuance in well doing to glorify thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen