Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd

April 29, 2012             Psalm 23- The Lord Is My Shepherd

Acts 4:5-12                 Psalm 23          1 John 3:16-24            John 10:11-18

I don’t know about you, but personally, I’m not the best patient.  I’m not a bad patient, I’ve known worse, but I’m also not the best.  I have problems following orders.  I second guess and question and pretty much do what I want to do and find ways to justify this. Somehow I get by.  It must be frustrating though, being a doctor and knowing how poorly orders are followed.

If I were to tell you I had a prescription that if followed faithfully for only 7 days would radically change your life for the better, would you do it?  Dr. Charles Allen, a minister, in his book God’s Psychiatry, written in 1953 and reprinted repeatedly since that time, does just that.  His prescription is to read the 23^rd Psalm five times a day at different intervals for 7 days.  You can’t sit down in the morning and read the psalm five times at once and consider yourself done for the day, any more than you would take five pills at once if your doctor had ordered you to take them throughout the day.  It must be at different times, perhaps when you first wake up, at breakfast, lunch and dinner and then before you go to sleep.  I can’t say that I managed this myself.   Seems there is always some reason I forget or maybe it’s just because, as I already admitted, I’m not the most compliant patient.  But I can say that for the past twelve years that I have been chaplain here at Vista, every year during the Easter season the common lectionary readings feature Good Shepherd Sunday, including the 23^rd Psalm in the readings. 

Year, after year I have been challenged to come up with new ideas, new ways, to explore that mystery of God as shepherd.  Some years I have focused on sheep, the nature of sheep and how they needed a shepherd if they were to survive.  Sometimes I focused on the shepherd’s voice and how the sheep know it.  Others I focused on the rod and staff that guides.  Still others I have focused on wants versus needs, the restful waters, or the valley of death, or the banquet table.  All worthwhile.  So while I may not have followed Dr. Allen’s prescription precisely, I have certainly reflected on this psalm repeatedly throughout the years.  There is an abundance of riches to choose from in preaching on this topic, an abundance that can be challenging.  

Mark Twain is believed to have said, “I’d have written you a shorter letter if I had more time.”  It can be harder at times to say something in a few words than in many words.  This psalm is a beautifully crafted piece that says so much in only 118 words, 6 verses, well worth repeating, memorizing, praying.  It is one of the most well-known passages in Scripture, second only to the Lord’s Prayer.  People who rarely darken a church’s door, when confronted with the death of a loved one and funeral preparations, will almost without fail ask for this particular psalm, so much so that it has become synonymous with funerals.  Yet it is truly about life, not death, how to live in this life and the next.    

The psalm is written in two parts.  The first section, verses 1-4, speaks of our journey while on this earth, under the care of the shepherd.  The second section shifts to the journey’s end.  The shepherd becomes the host of a wonderful banquet.  Yet the two are connected.  The good shepherd is the good host in verse 2 when he provides green pastures and still waters for his flock; the good host is the good shepherd in verse 6 where we see how goodness and kindness follow, provide the rear guard for the flock.  As one commentator states, “The Good Shepherd sees to his shepherding from the beginning to the end of our pilgrimage that at the eventide we may come to our dwelling, which is also his, where he can lay aside his shepherd’s garments and assume the vestments of the kindly host.” (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 4 p. 124)

Verse 1 states, the Lord is my shepherd.  He is not my task-master, ordering me around, rather he is a care-taker, providing for my needs, watching out for me.  So I shall not want for anything I truly need.

Verses 2-3 portrays a day in the life of the sheep.  We begin with the morning, being awakened by the shepherd’s voice, the flock begins its journey to the appointed place where they will find pastureland and water and rest where their bodies are restored for the next stage of the journey.  Certainly our life is like this.  We journey, then we take a break to rest.  Both are needed.  We don’t spend our days just sleeping and eating.  Our food and rest are to help us with the day’s journey.  Sometimes we can get so caught up with the journey, the work we are doing, that we forget to take time to rest.  The good shepherd knows we need food and rest to sustain us on our journey so even when we resist, he makes us lie down and get the rest we need.  Then, with our souls restored, we renew the journey.  

Then in verse 4 comes the greatest challenge.  The shepherd leads the flock in the path of righteousness (verse 3) but sometimes that path isn’t easy, leads through dark times, dark places.  Knowing what lies ahead, the dangers, the shepherd makes sure the flock is well rested and well fed before embarking on this next part of the journey.  A reminder of how important it is to enjoy those periods of rest when they come to us for we do not know what lies ahead, only the shepherd knows that.  As is so often the case in life, the heaviest burdens and tests do not come in the morning but in the afternoon.  The deep valley is not a short one, the journey through it lasts till evening, but the flock doesn’t worry for they know the shepherd is present to protect them. 

Once the journey is made we are welcomed into the banquet hall where no point of hospitality is overlooked, verses 5-6.  A table is prepared, healing oils are poured on the fleece of the sheep, emphasizing how far the shepherd goes in caring for the sheep, and the cup overflows, we have more than enough, more than we need, more than we can drink, our cup never empties.  And what’s even more, at journey’s end, we shall remain in this house of abundance forever, the reward of the righteous, all who follow the shepherd’s voice.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.”  Marcus Aurelius, “A man’s life is what his thoughts make it.”  Norman Vincent Peale, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”  Proverb 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Allen, p. 15) As we think, so we are.  There is a power in these verses.  If said over and over again, thoughtfully, reflectively, they can change your way of thinking.  The words reflect a positive, hopeful approach to life.  No one can live the 23^rd Psalm and remain fearful.  It speaks to the heart of who God is (Good Shepherd), how to think about God and how to be in relationship to God (as followers).  It is a source of comfort and strength for every day. 

One criticism of Psalm 23 is that some may interpret it as a private faith between God and me and doesn’t address the importance of mission and community.  Yet the shepherd tends the flock, community is implied.  He isn’t just there for the individual, yet the individual is not lost in the flock.  The Good Shepherd knows his sheep, Jesus reminds us.

Our Gospel expands on this image of God as Good Shepherd who knows his sheep and they know him, who lays down his life for his sheep.  There is a power that comes from this relationship with our God.  It is this power that allows the apostles Peter and John to perform miracles in our reading from Acts of the Apostles, the power that comes from their relationship with God.  The reading from 1 John reminds us that in that we have been loved, we are to love in return; we are to do as Jesus did in caring for others, following the example of the Good Shepherd.  Not only are we led by the Good Shepherd, we are to be that shepherd to others, leading others to the shepherd’s voice.   In that our God provides for us, we are to provide for others in need.  In that our cup overflows, we are to share our abundance with others.  The Lord is our shepherd, there is nothing we shall want, our cup overflows, and so we are called to share with others.

Psalm 23 - a prescription for peace of mind, change of heart and great love.  Take it five times a day.

Copyright April 2012, Robertson

Psalm 19 - the Heavens Sing of the Wonder of God!

April 15, 2012             Psalm 19, All Creation Proclaims God’s Handiwork!

Acts 4:32-35               Psalm 19          1 John 1:1-2:2             John 20:19-31

The heavens are telling the glory of God, all creation proclaims God’s handiwork!  Our psalm for today is composed of two very distinct parts.  As seems to be a common practice, it appears that two independent poems were joined into one. This psalm truly is a gem.  It ranks as one of the best examples of Hebrew poetry, using fresh poetic imagery and theological insights.  The first, verses 1-6, declares God glory in heaven and on earth, the second, verses 7-14, extol the wonder of God in his law.  They are different in style, point of view and poetry.  So what do they have in common?  Why are they linked together?  Let’s look at them separately first.

The heavens are telling – what are they telling?  Usually a hymn begins with a call to praise the Lord, ie. Psalm 113, 135, 136, 146, 148, 150 to name a few, but not so in this case.  The hymn has already begun, in fact it began it the moment of creation as we hear in Job 38:7 “While the morning star sang in chorus and all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy?”  It began then and has not ceased since then, the heavenly chorus sings endlessly, day by day, night by night, it never ceases.  There is a music in the universe and in each one of us.  Is it any wonder that music has such a power to heal and inspire?  It speaks to the very young, the very old and all ages in between.  Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients that are withdrawn and hard to reach will respond to the sound of a favorite song from their youth.  That’s why I always bring hymns with me when I lead services in health centers.  Those hymns are more important than any words I might have.

Each day tells its story, sings its song, to the next day; night to night declares knowledge – the planets, the moon, the stars, all have their own story to tell, they are witnesses to the mysteries of creation.  One characteristic of Hebrew poetry is personification of inanimate objects, so the trees clap their hands as we see in Isaiah.  In Psalm 19 day and night and the sun are given human characteristics.  As one commentator states, “each day had a life of its own, and is pictured as coming forth from its dwelling to play its part at the appointed time, with a primary duty of declaring to its successor that God is glorious.” (Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 4 pp. 102-103)  Night also has its story to tell.  But then we hear that even though they are constantly in dialogue, yet they do not speak:  “There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (3-4) How can this be?  They are speaking in profound ways, yet they do not use words.  Sometimes the strongest messages are not the ones spoken but ones encased in silence; their silence speaks louder than words. Who hasn’t been left speechless at times by the beauty of God in nature, in a sunrise or sunset, a rainbow against a mountain, autumn trees or cherry blossoms in spring?  Nature speaks so loud it needs no words, yet we, human that we are, struggle to put into words that which needs no words, that is expressed best in silence.

The sun is personified as a bridegroom, arising each day, bursting forth from his tent and joyfully running a race across the sky, running out of sheer joy. Thus the first section which focuses on God’s glory in nature ends appropriately with the greatest of the celestial beings, the sun.

The second section speaks of God’s glory in the Law.  It lacks the poetic brilliance of the first, yet comes from a devout heart.  The psalmist uses six different terms for the law, each introducing a different aspect.  1.  The law is perfect, reviving the soul; 2. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 3. The precepts are right, rejoicing the heart; 4. The commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes; 5. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; 6.  The ordinances are true and righteous altogether.  So the law is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean and true.  It revives the soul, makes the simple wise, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever and is righteous, all good things.  The law is perfect so we don’t need anything else, we just need follow the law.  It is clean, not defiled, it is true, we can count on it, it’s not changing, a good thing in this ever-changing world where it sometimes seems there is nothing we can count on to remain the same.  It is pure, literally meaning “shining”- it shines like a lamp, sheds light on our path, much as the sun lights our day.   The writer then goes on to say it is more desirable than gold, sweeter than honey (10).

There is reward in keeping the law, it provides a warning light to let us know when we might be going off the path of righteousness (11), for “who can discern his errors? (12) It is so easy to be misled so the writer prays that God will guide him and keep him from sin so that he can be blameless before God (12-13).  The psalm ends with a beautiful prayer, often used in liturgies, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (14)  Where else does sin arise but in our thoughts which lead to unkind or untrue words.  If we can but keep our thoughts, the meditations of our hearts, pure, then our words and actions will be true.

While each section is distinct, unique, they both declare God’s glory, one in nature, the other in God’s law.  While each can stand alone, they are stronger together for they support each other.  Reflecting on God’s wonder in nature can lead to wonder at God’s law, God’s word.  There also is a natural law, God’s law as written in nature.  These concepts are connected psychologically in that the person who stands in awe at God’s majesty is not likely to slight his laws but would follow them.  Emmanuel Kant linked the starry sky above with the moral law within (Interpreter’s Bible, p. 101).  There is a connection. “The law is no less a marvel of divine creation than the majestic order of the celestial bodies,” as one commentator states (p. 101).  Both are from God and lead to God.   God’s law is written in nature and within the human heart. The theme of light also connects the two.  The sun lights the celestial sky, God’s law lights the mortal mind, so we are led by the sun in the physical world, the law in the moral world.

Our reading from John’s first letter starts with a prologue, much like John’s gospel.  It begins with God’s word, reminding us that Jesus was God’s word in flesh.  Much like our psalm, it begins with the beginning, the beginning of all creation.  The writer has a story to pass on to others, just as each day has a story to tell.  In telling this story he finds joy:  “we are writing this so that our joy may be complete.”  He then goes on to tell how God is light and we need to walk in the light.

In our gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room.  He offers no words of condemnation, rather he chases away their fears with words of peace.  “Peace be with you,” he says three times.  Once was not enough, it needed to be repeated, echoing his earlier words from John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”  There is no word of reproach or recrimination, no mention of sin on their part, rather he gives them a mission to go out into the world, empowered by God’s Spirit; they are given the ability to forgive sins just as he forgave sins.  Jesus appears in bodily form, yet transformed.  He is no longer of this world and yet of this world.  He is recognizable and can even be touched.  He is the epitome of peace, the peace the world cannot give but that is ours in the next world.

Inspired by God’s spirit, we see the early Christian community in our reading from Acts of the Apostles, living together in a unity and peace, unparalleled at any other time, and short lived.  But for that short time they experienced the peace that Jesus spoke of, a peace only God can give.

God’s law and God’s word are linked in Scripture.  They are one and the same. I have a friend who likes to find words, single words that she believes express God’s message to her at this point in time.  In prayer she waits for a word.  Once the word comes to her, she holds onto it, reflects on it, until it no longer speaks to her and it is time for a new word.  God doesn’t speak to us in a lot of words.  Like nature, God is always speaking, but more often than not, there are no words.  When God does use words, they are sparse yet powerful.  We know they are from God.  God does use words at times in order to reach us, tell us of his love and give us guidance.  God’s most perfect word is Jesus.

So what word does Jesus have for us today?  I would venture to guess it is the word Peace.  If all were living in accord with God’s word, in accord with God’s law written in nature and the human heart, then there would be peace, peace in our hearts, peace in our communities, peace in our world.  Jesus in resurrected form is the epitome of peace.

We all have a story to tell, our own unique story that needs to be told to those who come after us, a song to be sung, just as each day tells its story to the next.  There is a joy in telling that story, the story of how God has touched our lives.  If we live our story and follow God’s law then the peace of Christ will prevail, a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Robertson, copyright April 2012

Psalm 18B: The Lord Lives - through the cross to resurrection!

Easter 2012           Psalm 18B: The Lord Lives! Through the Cross to Resurrection

Isaiah 25:6-9               Psalm 18B       1 Corinthians 15:1-11             John 20:1-18

Dear Mildred,

            Remember that fancy “tablet” my children purchased for me so I could send and receive email?  Toast.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let me tell you about my own particular brand of March Madness.

            It started two weeks ago Saturday as I was driving to the library where I was scheduled to do a travelogue on our trip to the Holy Land.  I turned the corner, pressed on the gas and . . . nothing.  My Chrysler 300 with less than 44,000 miles on it refused to accelerate. I called for road service and arranged for a ride to the library.  While in the midst of my presentation, the lens popped out of my glasses.  The only thing I could find to repair them was a paper clip, still I persevered.  After the presentation I received a call from my mechanic.  He told me they could not do the repair, it had to go to the dealer - never a good sign.  I arranged to have my car towed to the dealer, purchased a glasses’ repair kit, fixed my glasses and life was good again.

            On Monday morning I borrowed a car in order to keep my 7:30a.m. appointment for an ultrasound.  After weeks of indigestion I had finally scheduled a doctor’s appointment.  I was reluctant to do this because I knew it was never a matter of a one stop shop anymore where my family doctor was concerned.  The days of seeing the doctor, getting a prescription and going on my merry way are gone.  I still get the prescription but one doctor’s appointment usually leads to another and another as well as a round of tests.  I much prefer the one stop shop approach of previous generations to today’s practice of the family doctor being the gateway to countless specialists.  This was not just a pain in the gut but one elsewhere . . .

            After my appointment I called the service department to check on my car.  I was told it would be late afternoon before they would be able to get my car in.  Since they do not provide loaners I decided to get a rental car so I could maintain my busy lifestyle.  By 4:30p.m. they still hadn’t looked at my car.  By 10:30a.m. the next morning they were looking at it but did not know what they trouble was yet.  By 4:30p.m. they were busy working on the estimate – also not a good sign.  When I finally got the estimate at 5:30p.m., I had just pulled into a restaurant where I was meeting friends for dinner.  I was told I needed a complete redo of the transmission, plus rear brakes and rotors.  I told him to forget the brakes and rotors because I could go just about anywhere else and get them cheaper.  Just do the transmission. 

In a state of sticker shock from the cost for the transmission, I sat down, reached into my purse to get my prescription for Prilosec to take before the meal and pulled out an empty prescription bottle—the pills had poured out into the bottom of my purse.  I proceeded to dump the contents of my purse on the table in order to dig the pills out, realizing all along how foolish this was, better to wait until I got home, but I did it anyway.

That night I watched the dvd of the Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon (so cute) that I had borrowed from the library.  I thought to myself, maybe I just need to adjust my thinking on this, be more positive.  I woke up the next morning thinking today would be a better day.  I was going to look on the bright side.  I sat up, reached for my glasses, put them on and the lens popped out again.

Later that day when I called the service department to get an idea when my car would be done, I was told the part was on back order and not expected in until April 11 – two weeks away.  So much for my positive thinking.

Thursday morning I turned on my tablet—no Internet.  The device was stuck on airplane mode and would not allow any internet access.  I called technical support and they weren’t able to help me so I took it to the store.  They were unable to help me as well.  The device was clearly defective.  They were unable to give me a new one.  Instead I was told I had to wait to have a replacement box delivered, return my defective tablet and then wait for a new one. 

I reached into my purse and . . . no billfold! I knew I had it on Tuesday night when I had dumped the contents of my purse at the restaurant but hadn’t seen it since then.  Did I leave it at the restaurant?  Where else could it be?  And me with no internet to check my bank accounts and credit cards.  I racked my brain to remember every step of the last two days.  I called the restaurant and, no, it wasn’t there.  I called my bank – no suspicious activity, called my credit cards – no suspicious activity.  I put a temporary hold on my credit cards while I searched for my bill fold.  I called a friend I had visited the day before to see if I could have left it there.  No answer, she wasn’t home.

At this point when I got the call from the doctor’s office with the results from my ultrasound, I was tempted to not answer and wait until the next week when maybe things would be looking up.  With the way my luck had been this week, who knew what she would say.  Nothing serious, she said, but she wanted me to see two specialists, which was precisely why I didn’t want to see a doctor in the first place.

Then my friend called and, yes, she had found my billfold which must have fallen out of my purse and onto the floor under her coffee table.  And so the tide had turned - the first good news all week.  My car is still in the shop.  I am still without internet and I have a round of doctor visits ahead of me, but my billfold is secure, my identity and financial accounts remain my own and all is right with the world.  March Madness is followed by April Fool’s Day; Holy Week gives way to Easter.  It's better to laugh than to cry.  Happy Easter!

Your Friend,

                                                                        Ethel

                                                                        Vista Grande Boca

Have you ever had days like these, or weeks or even months, when your life has taken a downward turn and you keep thinking, hoping, you’ve hit bottom, time for things to start looking up?  We’ve all gone through our negative patches at times.  Certainly the last few days of Jesus life weren’t the best.  He didn’t die peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, but died alone on a cross, a spectacle for all to see.  Perhaps he hoped against hope that something would happen, that things would turn around and he would be rescued in the nick of time; that his Father would reach down from the clouds and take him from the cross as he knew God could.  But it didn’t happen.  He had to go through the cross to get to the resurrection, but what a glorious resurrection that was.  The Messiah King was finally restored to his throne, not an earthly throne but a heavenly throne. 

Our psalm for today is the victory hymn of a king.  He has proven victorious in battle, has overcome his enemies so that now all nations are subject to him.  Jesus, through his cross and resurrection, has proven victorious over death, alleluia!  The armies of the enemy cannot prevail.  Satan can do his worse, while on this earth it may seem like he is winning at times, but he will not prevail as long as we remain faithful.

While on this earth, we have troubles, but those who persevere in faith will be rewarded.  The indigestion of today will give way to feasts on the mountaintop, as we see in Isaiah, where we will be able to eat our fill with no negative effects.  While on this earth, we experience the effects of death in our bodies as we lose abilities we once had.  We experience the loss of loved ones, friends, family members who have died.  While on this earth we are limited indeed.  We are dependent on cars, trains, planes, boats for transportation.  It can be very frustrating when those do not work.  But Jesus came to let us know that this life is not all there is. 

In the next life, death will be no more.  We will see again those we have loved and lost.  We will be able to run, even fly, our feet will be as swift as a deer’s, like a mountain goat we will be able to climb great heights, walk on the edge of cliffs.  Our feet will be sure, we will not stumble or fall, as our psalm tells us (33,36).  The psalm speaks of the greatness of our king.  We as his followers share in that greatness, but we also share in his suffering while on this earth.  It is through the cross that we get to the resurrection, but oh, what a glorious resurrection that will be.  So let us keep the faith, fight the good fight, following under the banner of Jesus, Christ our King.

Robertson, copyright April 2012

Psalm 22: He Has Done It!

Passion Sunday, 4/1/12           Psalm 22:  He has done it!

Psalm 22          Mark 14:32-15:47

“My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” – Jesus at his lowest, also his highest.  This was what he had come here to do, to die so that we might live.  In that moment he fulfilled all the Father had commanded.  The Aztecs believed that the destiny of the soul after death was determined by the manner of the death rather than by conduct during life.  It all comes to this one moment, yet as we live, how we have lived our life, has an impact on how we die.  It is the culmination of our life.  Today we focus on the culmination of Jesus life, his finest hour and his darkest hour.

Jesus last words in Mark’s gospel are the first line of our psalm for today, a well-known psalm as evidenced by its use in other parts of the gospel.  It was chosen for a reason.  Mark 15:29-32 equals verse 7 of the psalm; speaking of how others mocked Jesus, even those crucified with him. Matthew 27:43 “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s son,’” equals verse 8.  All four of the gospels, Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:23-24, mention how they divided his clothes among them, casting lots for them, verse 18. 

The Psalm has two parts: the first, verses 1-21, is a hymn of despair, a lament, where the writer cries out to God in his pain and suffering; the second part, verses 22-31, is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise for deliverance.  As is typical for laments, it doesn’t end on a note of despair but one of hope and thanksgiving.  Some commentators believe that the hymn was written in two parts at different times, yet others state that it is one piece, that the hymn of praise was written either in anticipation of what God would do for the afflicted one, or reflecting back on what God had done.

The psalm starts with the anguished cry, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”  His physical sufferings are made worse by his feeling of abandonment by his God.  He cries to God and God does not respond.  One definition of suffering is pain without meaning.  We can withstand a tremendous amount of pain if we know there is a reason for our pain.  Women experience pain during childbirth but they don’t suffer because they know there is a reason for the pain.  This makes the pain easier to endure. 

He goes on in verses 3-5 to state that God is holy, our fathers trusted God and God delivered, indicating that even in his suffering, he remembers who God is, that God has proven trustworthy in the past.  Even though he doesn’t feel God’s presence, he trusts.

In verses 6-8 we see further reason for his suffering, besides his physical pain people are mocking him.  Yet he remembers how God has been with him since his birth, how God has kept him safe, vs. 9-10.  He asks, “be not far from me” now that trouble is near, vs. 11.   Verses 12-17 speak of his physical complaints, which are many.  He is wasted by sickness and fever, poured out like water, bones out of joint, heart like wax (14) his strength is dried up, his mouth is so dry his tongue sticks to his jaws (15).  He is so emaciated you can see his bones (17).  His enemies encircle him, ready to pounce, much like vultures waiting to devour the carcass.  They are like bulls (12), lions with mouths open to tear (13) and dogs (16) waiting for the kill.  They don’t even wait for his death but have taken his clothes (18).

The only resource left to someone in such dire straits is prayer, and so he prays in verses 19-21.

At this point the psalm changes dramatically, the prayer has been heard, or the faith of the writer is so strong that he believes even in the face of so much suffering and tragedy that God will save – “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; and he has not hid his face from him.” (24)

Not only will the writer praise God (25), all the ends of the earth, all peoples, even all generations to come will praise God, “that he has done it.” (31)

The similarities to Jesus’ sufferings during his last hours are very clear and would have been clear to his listeners.  Just as the suffering servant songs of Isaiah came to be attributed to Jesus, so this psalm has become associated with Jesus, as a prophecy of a suffering servant Messiah, besides dealing with the real situation of the psalmist who wrote it.

Worse than any physical pain or humiliation, is the experience of feeling abandoned by God.  This truly is a dark night experience, this loss of the sense of God’s presence.  What greater loneliness is there than this?  Once you have it, how much more painful to lose it.  Mother Theresa, after an intense three month period of feeling God’s presence, spent the rest of her life in that dark night because that intense presence was gone.  Hard to miss that which we never had.  Most of us are lucky to get glimpses, brief moments of heightened awareness of God’s presence. For someone who had become accustomed to this, the loss must have been terribly painful.  How much more so for Jesus who had such a close relationship with the Father that he said he and the Father were one.  What a terrible loneliness at the time of your greatest need to feel abandoned, yet he remained faithful.  Those hearing his words would also have known the rest of the words.  How they were not ultimately words of despair but words of faith during a time of great trial. 

Jesus in his humanity experienced all that it is to be human, even to the point of feeling abandoned by his God.  Yet he remained faithful.  Jesus knows what it is to suffer the pain of loneliness.  No matter how well loved we are, no matter how close we might feel to our loved ones, they can’t understand us entirely.  There are limits to our understanding of each other.  Our souls are encased in physical bodies that limit and provide boundaries.  No one understands us like our God does for there are no limits on God’s understanding of us, but we are limited in our understanding of God.  Ultimately we all stand alone before our God at the time of our death and so must prepare for this now, while alive.

In being fully human, Jesus experienced all that we experience.  As long as he felt God’s presence, Jesus knew there was a reason for what he was enduring, but when in doubt, in the garden where he steeled his will to align it with the Father’s will, at this final moment, he suffered.  Was this all vain?  Was all this suffering for nothing?  Was it truly God’s will and if so, would it really make a difference or would people remain in their sin?  Was all of his life’s work for nothing?  Hard questions.

Those questions remain to this day, a challenge to each of us.  Those who knew Psalm 22 knew it did not end in despair, rather it ended in triumph with all generations to come praising our God, saying “he has done it!”  And so death is not the end.  It wasn’t the end for Jesus, and is not the end for us.  The questions behind Jesus’ suffering remain for each generation to answer.  His death has meaning in that so many have changed their lives because he lived and yet we have our part to play in providing meaning, in the continuing unfolding of salvation.  It’s up to us to live our lives so that at the hour of our death it will be our greatest moment, our homecoming to God.  It’s up to us to ask ourselves today and every day, is my life different because of Jesus’ death and if so, how?  How do we respond to his great gift of love? 

Robertson Copyright March 2012  

Psalm 18A vs. 1-30 A Shelter in a Time of Storm

March 18, 2012           Psalm 18A vs. 1-30  A Shelter in a Time of Storm

Numbers 21:4-9          Psalm 18:1-30             Eph. 2:1-10                 John 3:14-21

“Don’t tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is,” Marcy Keefe-Slager

Storm season is upon us early this year, making this statement appropriate as we are already experiencing thunderstorms and the threat of tornados.  Also appropriate for today’s psalm.  This is a long psalm, two psalms joined together, verses 1-30 is an individual thanksgiving hymn, verses 31-50 royal psalm of a king who has won victory in battle.  Because of this I will be separating the two and doing first one, 18A, today, 18B at a later time.

Our psalm starts out with words of praise of God, “I love you, Lord, my strength, Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. . . I have been delivered from my enemies.” (1-3)  God is seen as the “rock” – strong, reliable, a natural symbol of strength and safety.   He praises God for delivering him from his enemies.

He goes on to talk about his troubles in vs. 4-6, how he called upon God and God heard – death surged around him; menacing floods terrified him; cords of Sheol tightened around him.  He was in the throws of death and God heard and saved him.

Verses 7-15 recount God’s response in the form of a theophany - God’s great power in nature.  They provide a powerful description of God’s majesty, grandeur and power through the image of a storm, earthquake, thunder, lightning, hail.  In the midst of this storm, God reaches down and saves the writer as we hear in vs. 16-17, God brought him to a safe place.

Vs. 20-24 state how God rewarded him because of his righteousness.

Vs. 25-30 then point to how God deals with others:  how God is loyal to those who are loyal to him, blameless with the blameless, pure with the pure, crooked with the crooked.  (Or forward with the forward - King James Version.  Froward means from-ward, as opposed to toward, however God is never from-ward with his people, always “toward”, moving towards us, his people.)  This is a way of invoking “karma” – what goes around comes around, or as you measure out, so shall you be measured as Jesus said (Luke 6:30, Mk. 4:24).  Writer goes on to say God delivers a humble people, but brings down the haughty – a common theme in Scripture (vs. 27).  Vs. 28 – God lights my darkness, in contrast to the darkness of God in vs. 9.  With God all things are possible, the weak are strong, with God “I can leap over a wall,”  “I can crush a troop.”  The psalm concludes with statement that God’s ways are perfect, God’s promises true – he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Whatever peril the writer was facing, it was perceived as huge on his part, life-threatening, thereby requiring a mighty act of salvation on the part of God who appears in all of his power and majesty.

With all of the natural disasters that occur in the world, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, tsunamis, hurricanes and most recently tornados, this is an apt and timely description of God.  Storms can be terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time, reminding us of God’s awesome power.  In our psalm God rescues the just from the storm.  There is clearly a problem with this, though, for we know that natural disasters strike the just and the unjust.  There is no guarantee of safety amidst a storm. Natural disasters are not God’s punishment for sins, though there were those who believed this in Old Testament times and even today.  They just happen.  So what is this psalm saying to us today?

Reading from Numbers we hear the last of the murmuring stories.  The people in the desert were constantly complaining.  They complained that they were hungry and God provided manna and quail.  They complained of thirst and God gave them water from a rock.  In today’s reading they were complaining because they didn’t like the food God had given them, not so unlike us today.  Always something we can complain about.  God’s punishment is to send serpents with a fiery sting.  When the people repent God instructs Moses to put a bronze serpent on a rod where it can be lifted up for all to see.  Those who looked upon the serpent were healed. 

In some ways a troubling passage, would seem like Moses had made a false image for the Hebrews to worship.  There were cults at the time that worship images of serpents.  It was also troublesome because the serpent was an image of the devil.  King Hezekiah later had the bronzed servant destroyed in his efforts to abolish idolatry (2 Kings 18:4).  And yet, Jesus chose to use this image as a sign of his saving power, as we see in our gospel today.  Reminder that God’s ways not our ways; God will use anything and everything to reach his people.  A serpent can be a sign of the devil, or a sign of the healing power of a physician, as it has come to be.

In Numbers, God sends the scourge and then removes the scourge, a seeming contradiction, yet with a contrary people, perhaps God needed to be contrary to get their attention.  As we see in our psalm, sometimes God returns to us what we give to God, not out of contrariness on God’s part but because it may be the only way to reach us.

In Ephesians, Paul says that “you were dead in your transgressions and sins” but now through Jesus, we all have life.  Like the psalmist who counted himself as among the dead and was rescued, so we, too, are rescued from our sins.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.  Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that all who look upon him might be saved, a sign of God’s everlasting love.

What are some of the storms in your life?  Perhaps you are dealing with the storm of cancer or another life-threatening illness for yourself or a loved one.  Perhaps a financial storm brought on by losses in the stock market, or sudden, unexpected job loss that can leave one bereft of financial security and the identity that a job provided.   Just this past week had news of a friend who suddenly lost a position she had held for a quarter of a century.  Perhaps you have loved ones dealing with the aftermath of a physical storm such as the tornados that tore up areas of our country recently.

Perhaps you are dealing with a spiritual storm or darkness.  Psalm speaks of how God made darkness his secret hiding place (vs. 11).  If so, perhaps God has called us to this place to speak to us.  What we call darkness may very well be the overwhelming light of God that appears as darkness to us with limited vision.  Perhaps you are overwhelmed with grief and thus called into the darkness of grief where God may be waiting to whisper to you.

The rain raineth on the just and the unjust alike.  None of us get through this life without encountering some storms, but for those of us who believe, there is salvation, there is safety, shelter in the times of storm.  The shape of that salvation may not take the form of worldly goods, health or wealth.  It is better than that.  It is life everlasting with Jesus in heaven.

So whatever storms might be blowing about in your life, don’t tell God.  God already knows.  Instead, tell the storm how big your God is.  God is master of the storm, he rides the winds of the storms, he controls the seas and the depths of the earth, and he will rescue all who call upon him.  He truly is a shelter in a time of storm.

Robertson Copyright March 2012 

Psalm 17: Keep Me as the Apple of the Eye

March 4, 2012             Psalm 17:  Keep Me as the Apple of the Eye – Believe in the Promise

Gen. 17:1-7, 15-16                  Psalm 17          Romans 4:13-25          Mark 8:31-38

“Keep me as the apple of the eye,” our psalm asks today.  It is a beautiful prayer for protection, calling upon God to save the writer from evil, slanderous men who had brought charges against him in court.  The writer had taken refuge in the temple and called upon God to protect him.  It is an individual lament.  The writer makes an appeal, states his case, makes his request then ends on a note of trust and confidence in God.

The writer is a righteous man, falsely accused.  First he appeals to God, vs. 1-2.  He insists on his righteousness, saying that if you visited him in the middle of the night, when all is silent and free from distraction, when the soul is most open to scrutiny, you would find nothing to charge him with- he is clearly innocent, vs. 3.  He goes through a list of possible transgressions: he never achieved material gain by breaking a divine rule (4); has never been violent (4); and has kept to the straight and narrow without budging (5).  He is a righteous man and was not afraid to say so.  His mouth has not transgressed God by false witness, oath or worship.  He has control of his tongue, quite an accomplishment as we have seen from our study of Psalm 12 and the difficulty of controlling the human tongue.  He has control of his mind, hence of his tongue.  He truly is a worthy man, by his own account.  May sound like boasting, yet in the face of being charged falsely, nothing wrong with defending yourself.

After his statement of his innocence, he renews his appeal with confidence to God, vs 6-7.

Vs. 8-9 put his request in poetic terms – keep me as the apple of the eye.  The apple of the eye in common parlance has come to mean that which is most precious to us.  For early Hebrews it referred to the pupil, the most vulnerable part of the eye, which needed protection.  Apple of the eye was the pupil of the eye, in Hebrew, “the little man of the eye.” It was the reflection of one looking into the eye, in other words the psalmist is asking God to keep me as a reflection of you, as almost a part of yourself. (The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 4, p. 89)  Keep me so close to you that I am a reflection of you; protect me as you would that which is most precious to you.  He goes on to say, hide me in the shadow of thy wings, protect me under your wings the way a mother bird protects her young, for his enemies are surround him.

As to the nature of these enemies, KJV offers a poetic image, “they are enclosed in their own fat,” as opposed to RSV, “they close their heart to pity.”  In this day and age where obesity has become an epidemic, this is a timely image.  It brings to mind the image of Jabba the Hutt from the Star Wars movies, so fat that he can hardly move, he waddles, devouring all who get in his way, to his own detriment as he is destroying himself with gluttony.  They are a people unreceptive to any positive influences because they are encased in their own fat, in their own greed and selfishness.  Fat is their way of life, keeping them from feeling any concern or pity for anyone else.  Like a lion, they are eager to tear, they lurk in ambush, both openly attacking and waiting in hiding.

His prayer for vengeance takes an interesting turn.  He prays for a violent overthrow.  Using a traditional blessing formula, he twists it into a curse.  He prays that these men whose portion in life is of the world, whose bellies are full of that which they have chosen, may have their fill until they burst, “May their belly be filled with what thou has stored up for them.”  Let the portion they have chosen be their portion – to their own detriment, is one interpretation.  Or let their belly be filled with what you have in store for them, assuming that is punishment, is another interpretation.  It isn’t enough that they be punished, but future generations, their children and their children’s children as well, for they are sharing the benefit of their ill-gotten gain and so are to share the punishment.  NAB version, “their children are satisfied too, for they share what is left with their young.” (14b)

After venting, the psalmist ends with a beautiful passage of serenity and trust – “As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form.” (15)

The poet’s conscience is at rest, he trusts completely in God’s righteousness, gives it all over to God.

This extreme is almost comical, to go from harsh words of vengeance to complete trust – yet they are truthful and so human.  After asking God for what he wants, venting his anger against his enemy, he releases it all into God’s hands, trusting God to do what God will do, and so does not sin.  Sometimes we need to vent our anger before we can release it.  The writer ends with confident belief in God.. 

Is God worthy of this trust?  Does God keep God’s promises?

In our first reading from Genesis, God makes a promise to Abram, changing his name to Abraham, as well as changing his wife Sarai’s name to Sarah.  The promise was that he would be the father of a great nation, that Sarah, who was considered barren and past the age for baring children would have a son.  The promise was so incredible that Abraham laughed, as did Sarah when she heard about it, but a year later she gave birth to a son.  Abraham believed.  And then when asked to sacrifice this son, Abraham still had faith, faith that was willing to do what he believed God was asking even when in flew in the face of what God had promised.  God’s promise remained true.  Through Isaac, Abraham was the father of a great nation, the Hebrew nation.  As Paul tells us in Romans, “he believed, hoping against hope,” and so is a model of belief.  Abraham was justified in his belief, justified by faith.

In our gospel, Peter one minute shines, recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, the next shows how little he truly understands when he rebukes Jesus for predicting his suffering.  Peter shows himself to be very human.  He thinks in human terms, not in God’s terms.  He thinks the Messiah is meant to be a worldly leader not a suffering servant.  The middle portion of Mark’s gospel, 8:22 – 10:52, begins and ends with the healing of blind men.  In this they go from blindness, to half sight, to seeing clearly.  “After they have thrown off the mantle of ignorance through a full encounter with the Lord, they are able to follow him in the way which is his.” (Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, p. 33)  Peter is still in half sight.  He doesn’t understand.  He wants to follow Jesus, but he wants it to be under his terms, how he thinks it should be.  He doesn’t understand the cross.  Jesus’ rebuke doesn’t cast him out, just tells him to get in line.  Don’t try to lead, get behind me where you belong.  As disciples we are called to follow God, even when we don’t understand.  Abraham followed God, even when he didn’t understand. 

We all have our own ideas about who God is and how we expect God to be in this world, ideas that are colored by our experience and limited sight.  The writer of our psalm saw himself as a righteous man.  As a righteous man he asks God for vengeance, his form of vengeance.  Like Peter he was mistaken in his thinking.  Just because we don’t understand God’s ways, doesn’t make God’s promises any less real.  Abraham believed in God’s promise even when he thought he was to sacrifice his son Isaac.  Peter needed to learn to believe in God’s promise even when it didn’t come in the form that he expected, even when it meant suffering and the cross before getting to the resurrection.  God is always true to his promises; they just don’t always take the form that we expect.  This doesn’t make them any less true.

And what does God promise?  He doesn’t promise that life will be easy, in fact the reverse.  He does promise that someday we shall be happy with him in heaven where we shall see him face to face.

The psalmist writes, “keep me as the apple of the eye.”  We are God’s precious ones, the pupil that reflects the soul, wherein we see the inner person.  Keep us as a reflection of you, O God.   Keep us so close to you that we are reflections of you; protect us as you would that which is most precious to you.  Hide us in the shadow of your wings as a mother bird protects her young.  Truly we are precious in God’s sight.  This doesn’t mean we will not have challenges in this world.  This doesn’t mean that God will spare us our own particular cross.  It does mean that God’s promises are true, to be believed.  If we put our trust in our God then we can say with the psalmist, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.”  We, too, shall see God face to face. 

Robertson, copyright March 2012