Loving God, it is a precious blessing when you bring us through the times of crisis and grant us renewed life and joy.  Teach us to always place our trust in you, coming to you in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

    Over the past couple of weeks, the Psalms we have been focusing on have moved from a lament to a Psalm of trust to a Psalm of thanksgiving.  The lament was a cry for help from the midst of a crisis.  The Psalm of trust also came from the midst of a crisis, but was prayed with the knowledge that God had helped in the past, and the trust that God would help again.  And then today, in this Psalm of thanksgiving, the time of crisis has passed, and the Psalmist is looking back and giving thanks for God’s saving help.

    Today’s Psalm begins with a description of what the situation was and a call to thank and praise God (Ps. 30:1-5).  The person who was rescued was facing threats from enemies and even the threat of death.  They cried out to God for healing, and their prayer was answered.  Therefore they are praising and thanking God and are calling on others to do the same.  They have learned that the time of weeping is short compared to the time of joy.  They have learned that God’s anger does not linger, but that God’s favour lasts a lifetime.

    The question, of course, for us, is what similar experiences we might have had ourselves or witnessed in others.  Certainly there are those among you who have told me about answers to prayer, and especially to prayers for healing.  In fact, some of you cried out to God for help for what seemed like a very long time.  Yet, at the right time, your prayers were answered.  Weeping lingered for the night, but joy came with the morning.

    This week, as many glimpses of history have been shared in recognition of Canada 150, one story in particular stood out for me as a crisis that is now past, with help that was received.  Many of the first settlers who came to this land would not have survived without the help of their indigenous neighbours.  They weren’t familiar with how to survive in this climate or what could be grown for food.  They didn’t know about natural medicines to help fight diseases like scurvy.  In all likelihood, many of them cried out to God for help - and at least in some cases, that help came through the inhabitants of this land.  With the Psalm, of course, we don’t know exactly how that help came.  However, we do know that the Psalmist viewed it as an answer to prayer.

    As the Psalm continues, the Psalmist goes back and describes the crisis that happened (Ps. 30:6-10).  In fact, it seems to be a case of “pride goes before a fall.”  In this case, the person was prosperous and believed that God’s favour was upon them, and felt as though nothing bad could possibly happen to them.  However, then it happened, and it seemed as though God was hiding and no longer pouring out blessings.

    The Psalmist, however, cries out to God for help.  In fact, he tries to reason with God.  He says, “How does it benefit you, God, if I end up dead?  How can I praise you then?  Will the dust praise you and tell of your faithfulness?”  It’s like a backwards way of promising to praise and thank God once the crisis is over.

    Once again, what do we have out of our own experience that is similar?  One of the biblical examples that comes to mind is actually King Solomon.  He ends up doing all of the things that it says in Deuteronomy not to do.  Deuteronomy says that once Israel has a king, he must not acquire lots of horses for himself, or acquire many wives for himself, or acquire lots of silver and gold for himself.  Otherwise, his heart will turn away from God (Deut. 17:15-17).  This is exactly what happened to Solomon, in spite of his wise reputation.  And the kingdom ended up being split in two as a result during the lifetime of his son.

    It is the story of somebody who starts out with good intentions and who asks God for wisdom.  It is the story of somebody who becomes rich and prosperous and powerful, and comes to believe that they can do no wrong.  And then they fall plummeting down from grace and end up crying out to God for help.  Do you know any people like this?...  Surely this is something that still happens!

    The Psalm, however, does not end there, for the crisis has passed, and it is time to thank and praise God.  I sincerely hope that many of you have experienced the transformation that happens after you have cried to God for help and you know that your prayers have been answered.  Just as the sun seems much brighter after the dark storm clouds have passed, so joy is that much stronger after a period of intense sorrow.

    The images that the Psalm uses are actually quite striking: Mourning is now transformed into dancing, and the sackcloth has been put away in order to be clothed with joy.  Really, it is like the difference between Good Friday and Easter.  On Good Friday and Holy Saturday the disciples were devastated.  They felt as if all hope had been lost, for the one whom they had believed to be the Holy One of God - the Son of the Living God - was dead.  They were full of sorrow and fear and despair.

    However, when that Easter morning came and they knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead, it was like the difference between night and day.  Their joy was that much greater because of the sorrow that had gone before.  Dancing would have been an absolutely appropriate response, and there was no containing their joy.  Their faith that it was Jesus who had the words of eternal life had finally been confirmed.  From then on, death would have no power over them and sorrow would be approached with the faith that in Jesus there is resurrection and new life.

    May we, too, be granted the gift of such faith, even as we look to God for all that is needed, including resurrection and new life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pentecost 4 (NL summer)                                Psalm 30
July 2, 2017
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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