Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!

Scripture: Psalm 100:1 – “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.” (NRSVUE)

Christmas is less than a month away. One of my favorite Christmas stories is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch is a nasty character who hates the Christmas celebrations of his neighbors in Whoville and decides to steal their presents, food, and decorations to ruin the fun. One reason he does this is because of the clamor the Whos all make. “For Tomorrow, he knew, all the Who girls and boys, / Would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! / And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! / Noise! Noise! Noise! / That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! / NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!”

And I was thinking. Does anyone like noise? By definition, noise is a sound that is unpleasant. There may be loud sounds like our favorite songs with volume turned up or disorganized sounds like children playing or not using their “inside voices.” But noise? Who could love that?

Well, God apparently. Psalm 100 begins, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.” I double checked the Hebrew and the word translated as “noise” more commonly means “shout” or “cry”. Sometimes it is used as an alarm, but here it is joyful. It is loud, it may lack sophistication, but it is raised to God in praise and thanksgiving.

I think that God loves the noises we make. Singing a hymn off-key is still praising the Lord. And when I am in church, there are few things I love to hear more than a babbling or fussy baby. In years past, there was this sense that a church service was a serious and solemn time. Children should be silent, at least until they were shepherded away to Sunday School. Parents were stared at when their young children made noise, which I am sure made them feel embarrassed and unwelcomed.

But today, I love hearing noise, even if it is in the middle of my sermon. Because the sounds a child makes are joyous to me. It shows that they belong in church and that it is their time as much as mine. The noise of a child is loud, disruptive, and sometimes fussy since they might be bored or hungry. But I love it all the same.

I think God feels the same way about us. Sometimes we are too loud or complain or are just thoughtless in the things we say. I think God loves us despite this. And I know that God loves our joyful noises, even if they aren’t perfect, because they show our love in all its human imperfection.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, make sure to take a moment to thank God for the joyful noises in your life. They may drive you crazy, but they can also bring you great joy. Who knows? Your heart might grow three sizes before you know it.

Prayer: God, hear my prayer of thanksgiving for all my blessings, even those that are noisy, as I lift my all-too-human praise to you. Amen.