Aug 11, 2024 “Forgiven People Forgive People”
“Forgiven People Forgive People”
Psalm 130
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:35
During my most recent stay in rehab, I had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of a Father Dominic from the Trappist monastery in Lafayette. The first thing that I noticed was that Dominic had a laugh that was infectious. It bubbled up from somewhere way down deep and simply exploded into the room.
Naturally, because I know so little about the monastic way of living, I asked a lot of questions. For example, I mentioned to him once how much I admired the Benedictine monks, mostly for their practice of memorizing and constantly reciting the Psalms. This is a task, I told him, that I find nearly impossible. I mean, with my lousy memory, it would take me a lifetime to do such a thing. That’s when he gave me a knowing smile and I’ll never forget it when he said, “It’s easier when you sing them.” It’s easier when you sing them- and when I imagined what it might be like to gather together every day to sing these ancient and beautiful words, I realized that what he said was probably true.
After all, it’s good to remember that when the psalms were originally written they were designed to be put to music, They were designed to be sung, and evidently the people of Israel weren’t shy about breaking into song at the drop of a hat. I mean, these were the Top 40 of the times; these were the greatest hits, you might say.
But there is one group of psalms that have always fascinated me and that is the section from the 120th to the 135th Psalm known as the Songs of Ascent. So imagine, if you will, that you are standing at the bottom of the massive stairs leading up to the Southside of the temple Mount in Jerusalem. They are close to 200 feet wide. They have been destroyed and rebuilt so many times that it’s hard to say how high these steps rose originally, but it is a long climb. They are normal steps 7 to 10 inches high with a normal tread Except for the fact that occasionally there is a big wide step which made for a great place to stand and speak to the crowds below or just for hanging out. These wide steps are also a great place for singing which brings us to the 15 psalms known as the song of Ascent. According to Wikipedia, “Psalm 120 is the first psalm of Ascents. The first Psalm is read at base of the stairs and move up one psalm at a time to Psalm 134 for the rest of the 14 wider steps. A wider step will frequently appear amidst the narrower steps and amazingly, when it came to Psalm 134, one is able to touch the wall (meaning one will be entering the temple in Jesus’ days).”
So that is the story of the Songs of Ascent. I thank you for letting me go out into the weeds somewhat about temple architecture, but I do get a kick out of this stuff. I find it fascinating I find it fascinating that a nation of people could be so moved and inspired and motivated to build such a massive testimony to their God; and then, to top it off, every time the temple was destroyed by their enemies the nation of Israel rushed back in to rebuild it bigger and better. What tickles me the most, I think, is that each time the temple was rebuilt, provisions were made for the people to be able to stop and sing from time to time on their long journey to the temple gates.
Our chosen Psalm for today is the 130th which, of course, is one of the (Songs of Ascent. I’d like to read it to you now. I don’t know the tune to sing it to you and I certainly can’t speak Hebrew, but with a little imagination, maybe we can at least get a feel of the joy and exuberance that went on so long ago. The 130th Psalm: a Song of Ascent-
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
So what’s the big deal? I mean, this particular song of ascent is beautiful, it’s poetic, And is probably the favorite of many people; but what sort of message, what sort of truth might these words bring to us to cause us to stop at the 9th wide step of the temple and just sing it out loud? Or to quote a different Psalm. “From whence comes my help? From whence comes my joy?” Forgiveness, that’s where are joy comes from. I always get a kick out of verse 3 which reads, “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” In other words, if God kept a tally sheet of all the goof ups we make, Then we don’t have a chance.
But we can sing and be joyful in the fact that ours Is a loving God full of mercy and forgiveness. This is not some sort of Santa Claus figure who keeps a list of who’s naughty and nice. verse 4 says it all: “But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” With you there is forgiveness, and isn’t that worth singing about? For those of us who have come to know the peace and blessings of a life in Christ, isn’t that one heck of a source of joy?
In our reading of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians today, you probably noticed that Paul comes on pretty strong right off the bat. “Do this, don’t do that, quit your lying, quit your stealing, quit your bad mouthing” and so on. Evidently, the apostle Paul had received some bad reports from his church in Ephesus. But you probably also noticed that Paul didn’t resolve this with threats of punishment or screaming hissy fits. Instead, he offers a solution that comes straight out of the good news gospel: (vs 31) dislike of others should have no place in your lives. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ. To forgive one another just as God has forgiven you – now hey, There is an idea that just might work.
If you have ever trained or even dabbled in the practice of counseling, then one of the first things you will learn is the concept that hurt people hurt people. That is to say that it is unfortunate but usually true that people who have been hurt or abused or neglected when they were young are likely to practice these same behaviors when they grow up and it is very difficult to break this cycle. Once trust is broken, it’s hard to bring it back.
So here’s a thought: could the same thing be said in a roundabout way about forgiveness? What I mean is, once we have experienced true forgiveness- the kind that is undeserved and comes as a total surprise- once we have experienced that, doesn’t it stand to reason that forgiveness will find a place in our hearts. You know, it might even become a habit. It might even become a behavior that is hard to break.
The message of our scripture readings today is clear: “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.” But with you there is forgiveness.—and finally: , “Forgive one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ”. Just as God has forgiven you. . . .
I like to speak a lot about grace, This overwhelming love and favor that we didn’t ask for, don’t deserve, but we get anyway. This is our joy and the joy of believing, So could it be that forgiven people forgive people? Once we have come to know the power of God’s mercy, might we find ourselves more merciful. more forgiving, and filled with the wonderful grace of God? Absolutely and positively and that is something to sing about.
Amen and Shalom
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