Pastor John as you well know contemporary worship songs get criticized for their

repetition so a lot of them do repeat refrains over and over. So I think the overall critique is fair and should be addressed, but then as we read along together in the navigator's Bible reading plan, we open our Bibles to Psalm 136 today this morning for me and it's

loaded with repetition Psalm 136 is unlike any other chapter in the whole Bible

echoing the very same phrase 26 times for his steadfast love is

forever for his steadfast love is forever on and on and on the

psalm has never appeared in debates over repetition in our worship songs today.

I really enjoyed thinking about this song.

We've read this antifanally at church many times

with the congregation doing that refrain and the leader doing the narrative.

But before I give you the substance, a few style observations and about worship songs. First, this peculiar

Psalm is really there. Let's just say that. It's there. It's in the Bible. It's got 26 repetitions of the English phrase for his

steadfast love endures forever or sometimes translated for his mercy endures

forever or his loving kindness endures forever.

So it sounds like this.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,

for his dead-fest love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods

for his dead-fest love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of Lords for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of Lords for his steadfast love

endures forever.

To him who alone does great wonders,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

...