Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36

1 Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him.
2 Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away; as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them also be merry and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his Name; exalt him who rides upon the heavens; YAHWEH is his Name, rejoice before him!
5 Father of orphans, defender of widows, God in his holy habitation!
6 God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom; but the rebels shall live in dry places.
7 O God, when you went forth before your people, when you marched through the wilderness,
8 The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; you refreshed the land when it was weary.
10 Your people found their home in it; in your goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor.
33 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord.
34 He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.
35 Ascribe power to God; his majesty is over Israel; his strength is in the skies.
36 How wonderful is God in his holy places! the God of Israel giving strength and power to his people! Blessed be God!

This year, Monday Matters is focused on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen.

Refreshments, anyone?

“You refreshed the land when it was weary.” So claims the author of the psalm heard in church yesterday. The action of God is compared to gracious rain, a healing image for any of us who might be feeling weary. It caused me to reflect on the idea of refreshment. In the church setting, that often means snacks after church in the Parish Hall. (Let me be clear: I’m a big fan of such refreshment, especially those that include white chocolate chip cookies.) But is there something more going on here, a deeper understanding of refreshment?

We hear over and over again that the God we worship in the Christian tradition is one who makes all things new. Think of the ways we talk about that holy activity. God renews. God restores. God revives. God resurrects (i.e., God causes us to stand again, which is the meaning of the word “resurrect”). And God refreshes.

The psalm which is our focus this morning suggests that that kind of renewing work comes especially to those on the margins: to widows and orphans, the solitary and those in prison, to the poor, to those in need of a home. Ministry to those on the margins runs as a thread through the scripture.

The Daily Lectionary has had us reading recently from the book of Leviticus, which I admit has never been my go-to place for a message of grace. Yet as I read these instructions given by God to the people through Moses, I noticed how often a holy people is called to care for those on the margins. Some of the crops were to be left for those who would glean. The hungry shall be fed. Strangers, aliens, immigrants were to be welcomed (not put in detention centers). Debts were to be forgiven and equity built into the systemic structure of the community, as every 50 years would be a jubilee year in which inequalities would be corrected. Those were the days.

I imagine we can all imagine ourselves in one of those marginal categories, at least metaphorically. We may feel spiritually hungry, imprisoned, orphaned, alien. Where in your life do you sense a need for refreshment? What makes you weary? Where would you look for restoration? Our faith, our spiritual practices, our engagement with community can provide relief.

Having noted that, it occurs to me that we are not given the option of dismissing the call by spiritualizing it, making it simply a figure of speech. To be God’s holy people, to be followers of Jesus, we are meant to put that graceful, merciful, refreshing work into action. I commend to you Miguel Escobar’s fine book called The Unjust Steward. Escobar reflects on the ways that people of faith have handled wealth from the first days of the church, how they do it well, how they fall short. He notes that in the early church, the gathering of community consisted of three elements: the word (reading scripture, preaching), the sacraments (Holy Eucharist) and an offering of money for poor people. As I understand it, that offering was not the same as money offered to support the church building and staff, not the same as money pledged to balance a budget. Rather it was targeted especially for those who don’t have enough, those in the church and those outside the church. That offering was as much a part of the liturgy as word and sacrament. Most churches are good at the first two. The third element, offering for the poor, not as much.

I’m wondering what that process would look like in our day. We don’t have to look far to see people in exigency, people in need of holy refreshment. I suspect it would be hard these days to make such an offering part of our liturgy every time we gathered for worship. I’m not particularly hopeful that it would happen. But it may be something we can do as individuals, setting aside some support for those in need any time we go to church. Even if it’s just a small offering (e.g., the cost of a nice cup of coffee), the offering puts us in mind of God’s holy activity.

The so-what factor in all of this? It is to see ourselves as Christ’s hands and feet in the world, following Christ who said he came not to be served but to serve. As we find ourselves in need of refreshment in our own lives, it may well be that one of the best ways to find refreshment is to offer refreshment to those around us. It’s what followers of Jesus do. As Jesus said: Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. (Matthew 10:42). Give thought this week to refreshment, in your own spiritual journey, and in the lives of those in need around you.

- Jay Sidebotham