here »
Visualize this with me this morning. We are not sitting in pews but gathered in a circle. If we look to our left and right, we see everyone who is here. All of us together are participants in this circle worshipping God.
Also visualize that our little human circle today is encompassed by a larger circle. We can’t physically see this circle surrounding us but, by faith, we sense we are enclosed within the grace and love and the justice and compassion of God’s presence. And no matter how large or how small our circle is – even if there are only two or three, Jesus said -- our human circle worshipping God in Jesus’ name is always encompassed within the presence of God.
Then visualize someone in the circle stepping into the middle because she or he has something to say. Our companion worshipper has a witness to share with the rest of us. We hear something similar to what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 34:
I will bless the Lord at all times; Praise to the Lord shall continually be on my lips. My soul shall glory in the Lord; the humble or those who know they are helpless shall hear what I am saying and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us highly honour the Lord’s name together.
The church today lives within God’s circle of blessing when its members – that includes you and me – respond to the invitation to “bless the Lord God” – not only within these walls of OYM on Sundays but, as the psalmist says when we bless God at every opportunity.
The psalmist in Psalm 34 invites us to bless the Lord God with our words. “I will bless the Lord at all times; Praise to the Lord shall continually be in my mouth.” What does it mean for us to bless the Lord God? The Hebrew verb for “bless” here means to express appreciation and gratitude. To bless promotes respect for the one being blessed. To bless God is to praise, to thank (Ps. 35:18), to give glory (Ps. 22:23) and to magnify God or to express God’s greatness (Ps. 69:30). The psalmist invites us to fill our lungs – to feel them expand with praise (as The Message Bible vividly describes) and then exhale with praise to God. It is hard to exhale without some sound, especially if we open our mouths!
A Christian band called Sixpence None the Richer performed on David Letterman’s late night show in early 2001. Leigh Nash, the lead singer of the group, was given the rare opportunity for a music performer to be interviewed by Letterman.
Letterman's first question was why they chose Sixpence None the Richer as the band's name. Nash said the name came from a story by the English writer C. S. Lewis in which a father gave his son a sixpence to buy him – the father -- a present. Nash said:
"When the father received the present, he was none the richer because he originally gave the sixpence to his son. The analogy is to God who gives gifts for us to glorify him. [God] is not richer because of our presentation since [God] originally gave [us] the gift."Letterman responded:
"That's a beautiful story. If people could stop being so stupid and actually hear that, and live by that sort of thing, then our world would be a better place. God bless you, thank you for playing, and thank you for being here." ["The Industry of Christian Music," Trinity Magazine (Summer 2001)]I believe Leigh Nash “blessed” God or praised God in telling this story because Nash was keenly aware that he and the band received their gift of music from God and their motivation was to use their gifts to praise God in return.
The psalmist in Psalm 34 also invites us to bless the Lord with our words publicly. And when we do, the psalmist says, those who are really listening and who really hear what we are saying will be those who know they are poor in spirit, who feel weighed down in some way, who are troubled, who feel helpless about their lives and are humbled. And the command to such people is to hear what we are saying about God and be glad or be happy.
I have always had difficulty with singer Bobby Ferrin’s 1988 hit song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” I suppose because it’s hard for me to respond on command to be happy. But that’s what we hear from the psalmist -- a command. Then I read what the translation experts wrote for this Psalm in the United Bible Societies Translator’s Handbook:
In some languages it is not possible to command someone to experience an emotional state such as be glad. Therefore it is often necessary to express this type of indirect command as a wish or request; for example, “I want them to listen and to be glad” or “I ask that the oppressed listen and have cool hearts.” [Bratcher, R. G., & Reyburn, W. D. (1991). A translator's handbook on the book of Psalms. Helps for translators (320). New York: United Bible Societies.]Now that’s cool! So if we listen to God being praised, being thanked, being honoured, being blessed and in this way, learn what God is like, we are in turn encouraged, strengthened and become more hopeful and even emotionally glad in the process. It’s sort of “catching”! Because we learn how good and giving and kind and compassionate and patient and understanding and just God us.
I don’t know if any of the protestors for the G8/G20 Summits in Huntsville and Toronto are singing hymns while they protest but, on the islands of Fiji, singing hymns can get people in trouble. Every summer between 20,000 and 50,000 of the one million United Methodist Christians who live in that South Pacific island country gather for a conference. And about 10,000 of them participate in a massive choral contest. All they sing are hymns. But in July last year (2009), the government said: "No choral contest this year.” There was a lot of turmoil in Fiji. The government feared the big crowd might get out of hand. According to news reports, "Church officials said the government fears the conference and singing contest will lead to further political instability." [Kim Cain, "Fiji Bans Massive Methodist Hymn-Sing," Religion News Service (7-31-09)] As someone said, “Nothing like singing Methodists to make a government nervous!”
The intrigue is that Christians worshipping the Lord can be dangerous but not because they are physically violent. Worshipping God in Christ upsets world systems and is regarded as revolutionary and subversive because worshipping God – blessing and praising God -- brings another kingdom into view – God’s Kingdom. Even a Kingdom of peace and justice and compassion and love can be seen as dangerous by repressive and oppressive regimes. Our worship and praise of God calls for our involvement in social justice activities, for instance, because we know God has a special place in His heart for those who are poor and oppressed and homeless and helpless. Our United Church concern for social justice is a theme, I believe, that pleases God, especially when it is grounded in the justice and love of God in Jesus Christ.
The Psalmist in Psalm 34 also invites us to bless the Lord with our words publicly because of God’s blessing in our lives -- our personal broken lives. If we read a little further in Psalm 34, verses 4 to 11, we hear these words in The Message Bible:
- GOD met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears. - Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him. - When I was desperate, I called out,
and GOD got me out of a tight spot. - GOD’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray. - Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good GOD is.
Blessed are you who run to him.
- Worship GOD if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness. - Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but GOD-seekers are full of God. - Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in GOD worship.
In an interview about his book The Folly of Prayer (IVP, 2009), author and pastor Matt Woodley shared a story about his friend Theresa. Theresa was experiencing what St. John of the Cross called “a dark night of the soul” -- a period of great spiritual loneliness and despair. Listen to how Woodley discovered that where he felt the most helpless in his ministry was actually the most helpful for Theresa:
After marrying the man of her dreams, [Theresa] dropped into the abyss of a deep depression. Everything went dark in her mind and body. She even started writing her obituary. Three years ago I would have had plenty of answers and solutions for her. I would have been so clever and powerful. But now I could only sit with her in her pain. We prayed. I didn't know what to do, didn't have any answers, so I said, "Theresa, I have no idea what to say, so could we just read the Psalms?" Then I read Psalm 77, an agonizing psalm of lament, and I went home. I left feeling utterly powerless, and I sure didn't think that I made her feel better.The author then said what I have also discovered is true for me when I am honest about my brokenness before God:
The next week another leader of our church visited Theresa. She was still suffering intensely, but when the leader asked if he could pray for her, Theresa said: "Yes, but before you pray, please read Psalm 77. I've been clinging to it all week. It is my lifeline to God." Apparently when we read Psalm 77 in utter powerlessness [together], God showed up in her life with power.
"At times the best, most powerful and most useful way to love someone is to get to the end of myself. I admit that I can't fix or change you. My words and my advice won't heal your brokenness. But I can be with you, and we can go together to God."[IVP Books, "Are You There, God? An Interview with The Folly of Prayer Author Matt Woodley"]
I am reminded of the Scripture in the Gospel of Luke 4:18 and 19 where Jesus was attending the local synagogue and was invited to read the Scripture of the day from Isaiah 61:1, 2:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,Jesus came – and still comes -- to heal those who know they are broken.
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
One more thought about living in the circle of blessing. When we bless one another, we are intentionally bestowing favour and good on each other. But it is one thing to bless someone you like; it is quite another to bestow your blessing on your enemy. When we do as Jesus said and pray for our enemies and bless and not curse our enemies, I believe we are also blessing God. The following prayer was written by Serbian bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, who spoke out against Nazism in the early 1940s. Because of his protests, he was arrested and taken to the Dachau concentration camp. And there in the camp, he prayed this:
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to Earth; enemies have loosed me from Earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless and do not curse them.
This past week I posted on my Facebook page a blessing written by a Franciscan from the order of St. Francis of Assisi. This blessing is my prayer for the world leaders from the G20 Summit who are leaving Toronto today to return to their own countries. Each of these world leaders possesses the potential to bless every person -- every child, every woman, every man, every family -- within his or her circle of influence with all that is good rather than all that is self-serving and corrupt. And actually, each of us has the same potential. So I pray:
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers,Let us, today – and at all times really – tell of the greatness and goodness of God. “Together let’s get the word out!”
half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that we will live deeply in our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression
and exploitation of people and the earth,
so that we will work for justice, equity and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer, so that we will reach out our hands
to comfort them and change their pain to joy.
And may God bless us with the foolishness to think that
we can make a difference in our world,
so that we will do the things that others say cannot be done.
May this be so for you and for me.
Rev. Chris Miller
June 27, 2010
OYM United Church, Toronto - website »
No comments:
Post a Comment