Psalm 40: 1-17 (links validated 1/2/23)
Quick Locator
Readings | Related Pages | Resources | Information |
|
|
Resources from 2017 to 2023
Sermon Starters (Epiphany 2A)(2023)
C.S. Lewis once gave one of his many memorable images for dealing with some questions about prayer. We know of Jesus’s invitation to knock so that the door may be opened to us. But, Lewis wondered, what might happen when the door opens? Well, in regard to any given prayer and request, God may open the door to say “Sure, yes, I can do that.” Or he could open the door to give us the disappointing reply “No, I’m afraid not—not this time.” But it’s also possible the door will be opened to us only to have God invite us to come inside, take a seat, and then we will have a chat about all of this. There may not always be a straightforward yes or no answer. It might be more complicated than we know and that might require some patient learning over time on our part. But, Lewis said, the good news is that God welcomes also this conversation. And he is always there to be part of it.Sermon Starters (Epiphany 2A)(2020)
C.S. Lewis once gave one of his many memorable images for dealing with some questions about prayer. We know of Jesus’s invitation to knock so that the door may be opened to us. But, Lewis wondered, what might happen when the door opens? Well, in regard to any given prayer and request, God may open the door to say “Sure, yes, I can do that.” Or he could open the door to give us the disappointing reply “No, I’m afraid not—not this time.” But it’s also possible the door will be opened to us only to have God invite us to come inside, take a seat, and then we will have a chat about all of this. There may not always be a straightforward yes or no answer. It might be more complicated than we know and that might require some patient learning over time on our part. But, Lewis said, the good news is that God welcomes also this conversation. And he is always there to be part of it.From the Mire
includes discussion of the song “Oh, He’s Taken My Feet” | Early American folk hymn, performed by Lucy Simpson, with Rock Creek (Bill Destler, Wally Macnow, Tom McHenry), Mary Alice Amidon, Peter Amidon, and Caroline Paton, on Sharon Mountain Harmony: A Golden Ring of GospelOut of the Mire
The promise of God is not that we will not suffer for him, but that God will not forget us in the muck and the mud of everyday life and will reach down to us and be with us in our need. It is a psalm that inspired Bono and the other members of U2 to write the song “40,” a meditation on Psalm 40, for their 1983 album, “War.” In U2’s version, Bono sings: I waited patiently for the Lord He inclined and heard my cry He brought me up out of the pit Out of the mire and clay...Ordinary 2A (2020)
I fly a lot, but I never fly first class. One day last summer, however, I ended up in first class for a long-haul, transatlantic flight. There were certain amenities that were obvious from the beginning – more leg room, a nicer meal, more attention. However, it wasn’t till I was stretching my legs in the forward service area that I witnessed something amazing. A young businessman came forward and asked the attendant for a Kit Kat – a Kit Kat! The chocaholic in me paid attention. Without batting an eye, the attendant opened a cabinet where every kind of candy and snack known to man was lined up in a bountiful display and handed the man his Kit Kat. It was free for the asking. I remember thinking, who knew? I returned to my seat and told my seatmate, and very soon after that, we each requested our favorite candy bars. They were ours for the asking all along, but we hadn’t known exactly what we could hope for. As the psalmist shifts back from thanksgiving to lament in Psalm 40, I get this same impression. Yes, life brings us back to a season of desperate need for rescue. Yes, we can’t live in the shininess of Christmas all year long, and we have to step back to some days where the cold takes our breath away...Telling Others the Glad News
As part of their annual mission trip to Brazil, the high schoolers of a congregation from Canada agreed to lead an outdoor worship service at one of the parks in the business district of Sao Paulo. They chose noontime, despite the midday heat, hoping to attract the lunch crowd from the surrounding office buildings. They started with about 20 minutes of rousing praise music and when they had assembled a dozen or so people, they began reading from the Bible and sharing some of their own faith stories. The few people who had stopped to listen slowly dwindled away. The kids were feeling a little discouraged as they picked up their instruments and sang one final song. When the music was done, the kids were shocked to hear applause. They looked up and saw people with their office windows open leaning out over the sills whistling and clapping for them. The Lord had opened their minds, hearts, and their windows...
Resources from the Archives
Seek and You Shall...
("This week we will let Paul David Hewson (aka Bono) be our exegete. Bono, the frontman for the Dublin-based band U2, wrote two songs that intersect with today's lectionary passages. Our texts for this reflection will be Psalm 40 and John 1:29-42, and alongside the Biblical text will be 40 (How Long) and 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'...")Epiphany 2A (2014)
I’ll never forget a man who told me about his experience of God’s grace. He was an intensely private man, a man who never expressed his emotions– not his faith in Christ, not even love for his family. Indeed, they were estranged by his cold and distant demeanor. But when his wife fell terribly ill and was hospitalized for a length of time, he was deeply worried about her. He prayed fervently that she would be healed. As he prayed, he heard God say, “She will be just fine.” He was startled. He had never had a direct experience of grace like that, even though he was a lifelong believer. He told me about it with tears in his eyes, repeating over and over, “I’ve never had an experience like that.”...Prayer: Wireless Communication
("I recently heard a presentation by one of the local leaders in the telecommunications field. She was speaking of the rapid changes and developments in her field. She said soon a person will be able to punch into their wireless device the address of a bar they are going to and it will tell which, if any, of the patrons currently in the bar want to hear fishing stories...")