Readings: Psalm 63 (focus) and Luke 13:1-9
We are in the season of Lent in the church. What many of us know about Lent is that it is a time of giving things up. I wonder how many of us have given up chocolate or coffee or something similar?…
How’s that going for you?!
In many ways Lent is a season of going without. In church life, things are stripped away from our worship, but the point of it all is not really to go without, it is actually to gain, to grow. When we fast – that’s the name for giving things up in Lent, the point is to use that time when we would have been scoffing a bar of choc or having our 4th coffee of the morning, instead to spend it with God. We seek to grow in our faith in doing so.
In the psalm we heard read a few moments ago we see King David, an ancient King, from the Old Testament, ie: the time before Jesus lived on earth, praising God. Now what we need to know here is that King David was actually fleeing for his life when he wrote this, which he had to do a few times but in this case it is most likely he was escaping from his own son who wanted to overthrow him. Let no one tell you the Bible is boring, honestly it’s like a soap opera most of the time.
The intro to this psalm tells us King David was in the wilderness of Judah at the time.
Now for the regulars, what do we know about the wilderness in the Bible? I’ve talked about it quite a bit…
yes, it’s a place of encounter.
We read wilderness and think dry, barren place, no life, not much going on, Burgess Hill town centre maybe… (controversial!) but the reality is it was probably more likely scrub land where animals grazed. And almost all times the wilderness is mentioned in the Bible, someone meets with God. So being in the wilderness can be a real place of growth in faith.
So here’s David in the wilderness, fleeing for his life, and what does he do? he prays.
And I think this Psalm is so apt for today as we baptise L into a life of faith, because it expresses some key things about faith. Faith is not some magical mysterious thing that gets us through life; nor is it a crutch; or a misguided belief; nor is it simply a good moral guide.
Faith is a belief, a hope, and a trust that there is a God who loves us, who has a good and perfect plan for each of us, and who will be with us in all things. No matter what. No matter what we do, say, or have done in the past. God is with us and loves us.
And this is what David is expressing here. In one of the worst times of his life, his own son has turned against him, he is probably terrified. So he calls out to God because he is a person of faith and he knows that God is his help, his strength.
And those opening lines are so powerful aren’t they, they show his need for God in that moment: My soul and my flesh long for you as much as I need a cold drink on a super hot day, or perhaps: as much as I need some chocolate after weeks without… It’s a physical longing. He expresses his need for God.
He declares the truth of God that he knows – he’s reminding himself in a way. He says of God, your steadfast love is better than life.
When you have experienced the love of God you know it is better than anything. Knowing a truth you are unequivocally loved, without boundaries or caveats. And that is the same love for every single one of us.
and so David’s response is to worship – so my lips will praise you he says – perhaps he was speaking out this Psalm, perhaps he sang it – psalms are songs after all
and then, that he will lift up his hands and call on God – so he prays.
because what else can he do when his life is at risk!?
Again later he says, when I think of you in my bed – I’m sure we’ve all had those times haven’t we? We’re awake in the middle of the night and that’s the time your brain reminds you of something embarrassing you said 7 years ago, or the one little fear that at 3am becomes the worst thing ever in your life. Or maybe you have a genuine serious concern or anxiety like David, that means you just can’t sleep. Well in that moment for David, he prays.
and you know in v5 after he has called out to God he says:
my soul is satisfied, as if full of wonderful food
The anxiety and fear is calmed, he knows that no matter what happens, God is there.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. he says
He shows both God’s faithfulness and his own.
Life is never simple is it? We all need help. In my line of work I come alongside and support people in all stages of life and circumstance. In the joyful like today, in the downright terrible, and everything in between. But you know what, those with faith tend to hold onto hope in all they are facing, clinging to God as David said, sometimes by their fingertips, but knowing that God holds them in their despair.
This morning we welcome L into the church and to a life of faith. and I want you all to know that the church will always be here for him, a spiritual home if he wishes. That God will always be there for him, no matter what he faces. And that’s the same for all of you too.
So what do we do to live a life of faith? it’s not difficult you don’t have to pass an exam, or know all the stuff, before you make a choice, or even come to church every Sunday, you simply need to want to know more about Jesus. In the baptism service the parents and Godparents will be asked 3 simple questions on behalf of L:
Do you turn to Christ? literally, are you turning towards Jesus, wanting to know who he is?
Do you repent of your sins? now sin can be a scary or condemning word, but the best definition I think is that sin is something that draws us away from God. So in repenting of our sins we are turning away from bad life choices and turning towards God’s guidance in our lives.
and thirdly: Do you renounce evil? As Christians we do believe just as God is a God of love and all goondess, there is a spirit of evil too, that draws us away from God. And so we simply say we want to walk in the ways of God, to turn away from all that is evil.
That is the start of a life of faith. And when we make that choice, or on behalf of a child, Jesus tells us to be baptised. Not when we know it all, but right at the start, saying God I want to seek you in my life. So that is what we are going to do for Luca in a moment, but if anyone today feels that they want to make that choice for themselves, do come and chat to me later on.
Amen
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