Psalm 53
December 21, 2025 Father, the Apostle Paul makes an apt portrayal of those who say “There is no God,” that gives substance to this Psalm:” He says they are dead in trespasses and sins. They follow the course of this world and follow the prince of the power of the air. They follow the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and are by nature children of wrath. The Psalmist calls them fools who have no understanding, who do not seek you. They deny you through a willful ignorance of the knowledge of you and a trust in themselves or the human spirit. They are like a boat with no rudder or whose pilot follows a North Star attached to the bow of the boat. Directionless, they are doomed to destruction. Atheism is not harmless, for the denial of you is the source of unrighteousness and crime. The embracing of this premise leads to corruption and ultimately, destruction. It’s a fool’s choice.
The Psalmist describes our true state when he says there is no one who does good. We would all be self-styled atheists except for two profound words: “But God….” But you, O God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which you loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ, raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Jesus. Surely your salvation has come out of Zion.
Father, you stepped in with mercy and grace. You reached down in love. “For the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” You made it possible for humankind to have a knowledge of you and to trust you. And what you, the holy and sovereign God, asks of us in return is to imitate you in seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking with you in humility. A broken and a contrite heart is what you desire along with much thanksgiving. Here there is no terror. All of this is for the praise of your glorious grace.
Father, protect us from a practical atheism that embraces a form of godliness but denies your power. Lead us into the knowledge of you. May your love transform us into the image of your Son. May we walk in love.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray.
And all of God’s people said: AMEN