In Essentials, Unity... Tonight I will begin teaching a series on the Psalms. Traditionally, when I teach a Bible study I dont teach main points, because that assumes I have the final say on what the main points are. I dont teach with a timeline, because that assumes I know how long it will take our group to not only ask the questions, but also come to some conclusions. I dont teach in a hurry, because that assumes the point of the Bible study is to get from point A to point B. Traditionally when I teach a Bible study the point is to take our time. To allow the text to speak to us. To wrestle with the text. To ask the hard questions. To dissect the meaning and context. To hear various perspectives. But most importantly to experience God while we read the text... together. Tonight I will begin teaching a series on the Psalms, but I will not be teaching it in my traditional fashion. We will not dissect all 150 Psalms line by line (it took us 9 months to read Romans, imagine how long the Psalms would take). We will take some time to talk about meaning and context, but the majority of our time spent studying the Psalms will simply be reading the Psalms. Yet more than just reading, our time together studying the Psalms will be a time of prayer. Within Christian tradition this is often how the book, or collection, of Psalms has been experienced... through prayer. Be it personally or collectively, when we pray the Psalms we join not only thousands of years of Christians, but thousands of years of Jews and even the original authors in praise, in lament, in penitence, in thanksgiving. James Mays says in praying the Psalms we not only recognize Gods work of creation, judgment, and salvation, we also acknowledge the glory, mystery, and misery of the human condition. Thus, as we pray the Psalms, we find solidarity with the rest of humanity in times of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation (as Walter Brueggemann puts it). So today I invite you to join the psalmist in the celebration of the 133rd Psalm: 133:1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 133:2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore. When reading/praying the Psalms, rather than focusing on that which you dont understand... like how precious is oil running down the head, into the beard and upon the robe? Or the dew of Hermon... where is Hermon? Dont get caught up on these things, rather focus on what you do know. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore. Live together in unity... For there the LORD ordained his blessing... I find this message to be quite hopeful. In a day where it seems we lack unity. When we seem to disagree more than agree. When we seem to split more than come together. I am reminded of the quote (most often accredited to Augustine), In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. Oh how I desire for humanity to draw nearer to one another in unity, and I believe, the church should be leading the way in this. We should be setting the example of unity. Im not so naive to believe we will agree on everything, but may we at least approach one another in charity and liberty in the things we disagree on, rather than slinging mud... than demonizing... than damning? May we draw nearer to one another in unity... for there, the psalmist says, the LORD ordained his blessing. Where are places God is calling you to live together in unity? How have you experienced the blessings of God due to unity? The world has seemed quite dark lately. There are many things to mourn... to lament over. I could easily list a dozen things both locally and internationally. Things I wish we could come to live together in unity about. My hope in studying/praying the Psalms together is that we may learn new ways to express ourselves to God and to each other. That we may praise God in our times of orientation, cry out to God in our times of disorientation, and give thanks to God for our times of reorientation... knowing no matter what stage we find ourselves in, it will only be for a time. And ultimately that God is with us through it all! In his book on the Psalms, Bernhard Andersons subtitle reminds us why these prayers are relevant: Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today. Its not that the Psalms simply speak to us today... they speak for us today. Thus, I encourage you, especially if you are looking to enhance your personal devotion life, to begin reading... praying the Psalms. Read a couple a day, or two or three in the morning and two or three at night. Dont read them to get from point A to point B, but read them to find your solidarity with the psalmist. You will find yourself expressing your praises, your grief, your thankfulness right alongside the psalmists. Make their prayers, your prayers as you experience and embrace the fullness of humanity. And if you want to journey these prayers together, you are always welcome to join us Thursday nights at 7:00pm in the youth basement for Shift. Grace and Peace,
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 23:06:22 +0000
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