Psalm 98 for Sunday 6 May 2018

Psalm 98

Sing to the Lord a new song, *

for he has done marvelous things.

With his right hand and his holy arm *

has he won for himself the victory.

The Lord has made known his victory; *

his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *

and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *

lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

Sing to the Lord with the harp, *

with the harp and the voice of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn *

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *

the lands and those who dwell therein.

Let the rivers clap their hands, *

and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,

when he comes to judge the earth.

In righteousness shall he judge the world *

and the peoples with equity.

Reflection           It was a day perfect for driving with the car windows open between visits to multiple markets.  Rather than my standard beat the clock, get as many chores checked off the list as quickly and efficiently as possible, I lingered with the vegetables, wandered down aisles that had never been darkened by my shadow, chatted with fish mongers and clerks in each of the markets as I gathered a colorful array of ingredients.  Once home I dove into concocting dessert, then while cutting perfect eclipses of cucumber for hors d’oeuvres I found my self singing, literally singing a new song. It was not an old song not even a hymn. Just singing. 

And I remembered Barbara BrownTaylor’s words, “…one night when my whole heart was open to hearing from God what I was supposed to do with my life, God said (with the voice in her head) anything that pleases you… and,  belong to me.” ( An Altar in the World, p 110) Wow. It is not what we do, but how we do it that matters. 

Do we choose to take on life like a merciless to-do list, furiously scratching off items and endlessly adding more? Or, do we choose to be beguiled by life, absorbed in  the present moment, living with purpose rather than looking for it?

Here is the thing, life is what happens in the present moment. The past is like an empty oyster shell, a crusty hollow bereft of life. Future is airy as unborn wings, impotent and lifeless. It is only in the present moment that we encounter life, life in its fullness, because the present moment is the only place we dance with God.

Following the example of the Trinity (One God expressed in the mutual indwelling of three persons, a community of love) we are meant to live in mutuality of love with God and one another. Each person belongs to the other in the dance of life. The writer of John’s gospel has Jesus pray it this way, “That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21).

To participate in the mutuality of love, to experience the fullness of joy, to sing a new song to the Lord, we must consent to be beguiled by the present moment. When we say yes the dance expands, we move around, make room for one another and allow good fruit to bloom… good fruit that is like a new song making our joy complete. Shall we dance?

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Matthew 18:15-20        Jesus said, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Reflection      Borrowing an analogy from one of my favoirte preachers, Barbara Brown Taylor, we are “like pebbles put in a tumbling jar - smoothing out our rough edges by rubbing up against one another.” Can you imagine one unpolished pebble saying to the other pebbles in the jar, “This is just the way I am. I have always had these points and sharp edges. I have always been like this? Just look at my Meyers/Briggs or my MMPI!” Or, “This point is really special to me?” Or, “You just rub me the wrong way?” 

The thing is, in family life, community life, Church life and global life it is is not all about me. It is all about we. That’s what Jesus wants the disciples and us to understand when he says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” When we come together, work together or worship together, we inevitably rub up against one another. We become as the abrasive grit in the tumbler of life used to smooth the rough edges of gemstones. That is how we grow together, how we become more divinely human and more humanly divine. Like gems hidden in rough unpolished agates the Word of God is secreted within each one of us. The hidden jewel, God’s Word, is love.

For most of us loving our neighbors does not come without a rub, especially if our neighbors do not think, feel, look and behave just the way we do. It is through the rough and tumble of life that we learn to love those, “other people.” Love is cultivated and refined in the give and take of relationships. Anyone who is in a committed relationship or long time friendship knows this. Love means rubbing up against one another. Love is not all about me. Love is about we.

And “Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.”” I believe the operant word in Jesus’ sentence is, “Listen.” In fact, Jesus uses the word “listen” four times in three sentences. It must be important.

Listen. Open the ears of your hearts to your sisters’ and brothers’ points of view. Listen beyond superficial differences; traditional, comtemporary; red, blue; global, local; chocolate, vanilla; listen for the place of our shared humanity wherein we care deeply about our children, families, community, Church and world. Listen beyond our superficial differences; Oriental, Asian, Hispanic or Caucasian; Jewish, Islamist, Buddhist, Atheisit, Hindu, Christian, unaffiliated; listen beneath all that for the place of shared divinity wherein we truly love our neighbor.

Loving our neighbor does not require uniformity of thought nor conformity of behavior. Loving our neighbor means we allow enough spaciousness in our relationship to make room for our differences. Loving our neighbor means the jewel hidden within each person is revealed. Listen.

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