Sacrifice of Praise

What is praise?

Praise is the glorification of God, who is worthy of thanksgiving, glorification and praise at all times. “You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel” (Ps22:3)
Praise, according to the biblical terminology, is the chanting of Psalms "Sefra Tahlim / The Book of Praise"
- “Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching” (1Cor14:26)
- “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph5:19)
Jesus practiced praise with His disciples, “When they sung a hymn (the Hallel), they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Mk14: 26)
The service of praise must be offered in all of our circumstances i.e. it is not only offered for the status of pleasure, but also for thanksgiving to God, and even at the most severe cases of grief, sorrow and despair ... That is why Sts. Paul and Silas were praising despite their suffering from imprisonment, the darkness of the prison, the pains of the feet stocks, and their torn bodies. “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Act16: 25)
In fact, praise with thanksgiving during suffering or at bad circumstances raises the prayer to the level of obedience and submission, so it becomes a glorification of God and a recognition of the wisdom of His management. It is also considered a faithful service.
Therefore, All the prayers of the Church are presented in chanting and melody on all occasions, even the sad ones, such as the Holy Week
The month of Kiahk is distinguished by being a month of praise and fasting, rejoicing for the birth of Christ and His dwelling among us, and indeed in us, and for preparing ourselves for His renewed dwelling in us
This is the reason that Kiahk ritual differs, with its joyful tones, from the Lent ritual, with its supplicating tones that lead to repentance

Praise as a divine service

The predominant characteristic of prayer in the ecclesiastical rituals is praise... Praise makes our prayer an official service to God, so the word "liturgy" is not applied to the silent prayers that are not accompanied by praise
When the heart moves by the active spirit, the knot of the tongue loosens, so the tongue sings with tones that express the deep feelings more than the words!
Saint Athanasius says, “The singing of the psalms requires focusing on their meaning and to be confined to them with all the being, thus, eliminating all distraction, exactly like the harmony of the sounds themselves. The Lord Himself recommended singing and composing the melodies of psalms so that the melody expresses the inner spiritual harmony just as the words express our thoughts completely. Where the melody comes naturally from the harmony and unity of the soul with the spirit, and both sing through the tongue and the mind together, and they are not benefiting alone, but also with those who hear them... The settled soul forgets its pain, and sings the holy words beholding Christ alone with joy.”

The sacrifice of praise

David the Prophet considered praise to be a true sacrifice, so he was caring to offer it without lethargy, because he realized that the bloody sacrifices were not sufficient to express his love for God, so he uttered his psalms, which are considered the source of prayers, supplications, and praises, and he sang them in arranged tones on specific musical instruments
- “I went round and offer in His tabernacle a sacrifice of joy” (Psalm 26:6 Coptic text)
- “You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to You the Sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Ps116: 16, 17)
- “Sacrifice thank offerings to God” (Ps50:14 NIV)
Definitely, praise is a heavenly service in which we are participating with the angelic hosts in their heavenly service, as we realize that we stand before God and receive His mercy and love. Thus, we can raise the heart and mind with feelings as a sacrifice of love and praise in gratitude for the grace of God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom12:1)
The Eucharist is the praise of the “Sacrament of Thanksgiving” or the Sacrament of Thanksgiving which is linked to praise, where we receive the divine grace ... It is an opportunity to offer the sacrifice of praise to the sacrificed Christ “The mercy of peace. The sacrifice of praise” ... “Pray for these holy and precious gifts, our sacrifices and those who brought them” ... By the actual presence of Christ, the sacrifice of praise becomes acceptable to God, so that the Apostle commands us “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb13:15)
Be careful to avoid deviating the praise from being a sacrifice offered in the presence of God, to be a routine work or a literal ritual without spirit which will not be benefiting. Thus, we have to offer ourselves as a living, sacred sacrifice that is pleasing to God
In order for the praise to be an acceptable sacrifice, we must remain faithful to the will of God, as St. Paul, quoted from (Psalm 40:6-8), says, “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ” (Heb10:6, 7)
And the will of God is to sanctify us. Paul says, “By this will we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ” (Heb 10:10).
This confirms that there is a close relationship between the offering of our bodies as a sacrifice of praise and our absolute adherence to the sacrifice of Christ to sanctify us, so the will of God is fulfilled in us.
This is how the sacrifice of praise in the New Testament surpasses the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, as Justin Martyr says, “The only honor befitting God is not in burning sacrifices with fire, these which were created by God for the sustenance of our lives. But His honor… is expressed by giving thanks to Him by praises and melodies because He created us.”
Let us stand before God to offer the sacrifice of praise to Him, while the blood of the slain Lamb is on our lips so that we may sing the praise of victory and salvation