THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
PSALM 116
Authorized King James Version
I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from
falling.
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
I said in my haste, All men are liars.
What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast
loosed my bonds.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.
A REFLECTION ON THE PSALMS
By Norm Wright
One of my favorite psalms is the psalm for today, Psalm 116. Today, I want to take a moment to reflect on the psalms and their importance in our lives. We say them or a portion of them every Sunday. Personally speaking, when things get really tough or when I find myself not knowing where to turn and in need of an outlet to express what’s going on inside of me, I can turn to the Psalms and find a psalm like today’s psalm that speaks to my soul and speaks for my soul.
If the Gospel of John is the most quoted book in the New Testament, the Psalms are the most quoted book in the entire Holy Bible. The psalms may have been written by others who were thinking about something entirely different than what is going on in our lives, but within all of them resides a human imprint, universal to all. The psalms are an outpouring to God of the vast array of the human condition experienced throughout all ages.
If one is trying to find words to express what going on inside of oneself, the psalms do not disappoint. As Psalm 55:22 invites, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee.” There are psalms that express the depth of our despair and woe; just as there are psalms expressing our unabashed joy and happiness which exceeds our capacity to do so adequately; causing the psalmists to invite the entire universe to join in expressing our joy and praise.
My favorite version of the Book of Psalms is the King James Version simply because of its lyric language that sings even when it is said. It captures in its poetic language the expression of human emotion that takes one’s raw feelings and converts them into the language of worship. Yes, anger as worship, depression as worship, sorrow as worship, joy a worship, and praise as worship.
Worship is meant to be a kenotic act, a pouring out of whatever is inside of us. Worship is where we empty ourselves of our small self to make room for the SELF of God; to engage with and participate in God’s creative will.
This past Wednesday, Earth Day, my wife and I decided to take a walk to Nebraska from our house (about a 4.5 mile round trip) on what turned out to be one of the nicest days of the year. It was a journey into a psalm of praise as expressed in bird song, a gentle breeze, and the swirling dance-movement of the Missouri River we crossed over to get to Nebraska.
One of the lessons being learned during this pandemic is that as the human world has had to slow up, healing of the Earth is taking place. Air quality has vastly improved in cities that have not experienced clean air for decades. Rivers that have been heavily polluted are cleaning up on their own. What does this tell us about the impact we humans have on our environment?
In the midst of so much human suffering and death, we see God renewing life. In earth’s recovery is an important message we should not dismiss in our haste to return to the recent normal we knew before this pandemic started
During this pandemic, we are being given an opportunity to evaluate what is truly important about life. We are being given an opportunity to heal our brokenness, to bring ourselves closer to each other as individuals, as families, as communities, as nations, as a world, and to bring us closer to all other life forms we share this planet home with.
While this pandemic is not God’s will, God’s will is always done in whatever occurs. God works with and through the acts of nature, just as God acts with and through our actions or the lack of them. We can see God’s will manifested in the contours of life shaped by its steady flow and in its outpouring of new life and love. At times such as these, we are reminded that we are not above nature but are a part of it. If we harm it, we harm ourselves. If we try to impose our will against the gentle but steady flow of God’s will, God’s will shapes whatever is attempting to block it to God’s purpose.
In the creation story of Genesis, we are called to be stewards of nature and care for our planet home, which we often fail to do and has resulted in devastating effects on the ecology of our terrestrial home. Nevertheless, there is hope that from this experience a better world, a healthier world, and a kinder world will emerge.
While much sadness and loss of human life continues as a result of this pandemic, today’s psalm assures us that those who have passed away and those who mourn their passing are, “Precious in the sight of the Lord.” God does not treat the death of anyone lightly. Nothing (nobody) is lost in the love of God.
God brought us into life and God will claim us as his own at its end. “We are his for he made us,” Psalm 100 reminds us. As poetic and as lyrical as the psalms are, they keep us grounded in what is true and lasting. They are our soul-songs; created from the depths of woes and the heights of ecstatic joy
Psalm 116 reminds us of the importance of recognizing God who is with us in our moments of strife and who walks us through them. It reminds us that that no one is above “the simple;” that in moments of general strife, we find ourselves on a simple, level playing field that is given voice in the responsive refrain heard throughout the world today, “We’re in this together.”
Psalm 116 reminds us that such things as we are now experiencing should not result in a rush to judgement of others; that we must bear with patience the impatience of others. It reminds us that we must trust in our better angels and in the potential goodness within every person.
Above all, we are reminded on this third Sunday of Easter to trust in God who, having raised Jesus from death to life, will raise us up also.
The psalmist asks the question we should not avoid asking in a trying time, “What shall I render for all for a God’s benefits towards me?
The psalmist answers, “I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of he Lord. I will pay my vows in the presence of all people.”
The “cup of salvation” is often understood by Christians to mean Holy Communion, but there is an older meaning to the idea of taking the cup being offered. It also means accepting and conforming to the will of God, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said, “Not my will but thine be done.” In taking the cup of salvation, we agree to participate in God’s salvific will for all creation; and in doing so recognize that it is God who saves us and not ourselves.
The psalmist reminds us to pay our vows before all people.
We can read it as referring to our baptismal vows to be the Body of Christ in our world or to be true to our human calling as the caretakers of creation.
The psalmist concludes this psalm with a realization: “O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.”
As was true for the psalmist, the time will come when the bonds of our isolation and social distancing will be loosened.
The time will come for us to gather and take the cup of salvation as an offering of thanksgiving.
The time will come for us to pay our vows in the presence of all people.
The time will come for us to call upon the name of the Lord in God’s house of worship.
Gracious God, grant rest to our weary souls and deliver us from all fear; instill in us a confident and enduring faith that when the bonds of this pandemic are loosened we can gather together in joy, take up the cup of salvation, and call upon your Name. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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