Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

1 Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and in misery.
2 Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; I call upon you all the day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, nor anything like your works.
9 All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, and glorify your Name.
10 For you are great; you do wondrous things; and you alone are God.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; give your strength to your servant; and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

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.

You gotta serve somebody.

Scripture, that compilation of 66 books spanning centuries, has been compared to a symphony. Many different sounds. Many different instruments. Many different composers. All collected to tell a story of God’s relationship with us. The beauty of the music comes through, even if sometimes dissonant.

I’ve heard scripture compared to a museum, with many rooms set up to contemplate a rich and mysterious message, all brought together in one space, not all identical. For instance, in the genius of those who shaped the canon, we have four different gospels that tell a similar but not identical story. One would not suffice. While there are differences in the 66 books, they all shed light on God’s relationship with us.

In scripture, there are many ways to describe that relationship. One of those descriptions appears in the psalm you may have heard in church yesterday. In several places, the psalmist is described as God’s servant. That’s not the only way to describe our relationship with the Holy One (more about that later). But it is worth contemplating what it means to be God’s servant. St Paul described his role as being a servant of Christ and steward of mysteries. I’ve often thought that’s a good description for the role of clergy. The fact is, it’s a good job description for any of us who seek to be Jesus followers.

What does it mean these days to be a servant of God, a servant of Christ? It begins with listening. Henri Nouwen, in his book Following Jesus, says that the word obedience means listening with your whole body. He notes that obaudire in Latin means careful listening. Servanthood begins with open ears. In our relationship with God, that means doing what we can to listen with the ear of our heart, to swipe a phrase from the Benedictine Rule. If this idea of being servant of the Holy One resonates, it means we have concluded that it's worth spending time listening, through scripture, through silent contemplation, through the voice of community, through an awareness of the brokenness of our world.

When we listen, it is on some level a willingness to do God’s bidding. Again, looking for consistent theme in the scriptures. From earliest books to the end, love of God and love of neighbor is what God wants. Micah said it this way: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6.8). If you want to know what God’s servant is meant to do, Micah offers a pretty good summation.

I can imagine folks saying I’d rather not think of myself as any kind of servant, thank you very much. We can all buy into that independent spirit reflective of our times. To folks who feel that way (and I include myself in that company at times), consider the possibility that free agency is simply not an option.

I commend the wisdom of Bob Dylan, who in a phase of his life when he embraced evangelical Christianity, wrote a Grammy award winning song. Here’s just one of the stanzas:

You might like to wear cotton, you might like to wear silk
You might like to drink whiskey, you might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-size bed
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Consider this week what it means for you to see yourself as servant of God, servant of Christ. If that’s something you can embrace, what will that look like? And as you explore that question, consider servanthood as just one way to speak of our relationship with the God of scripture. I think of the talk Jesus gave to his disciples on the night before his execution. He said to them: I no longer call you servants, but friends. (John 15:15).

St. Paul speaks of our relationship with God as no longer slaves but adopted children of God. There’s an even more intimate relationship expressed in the idea that we are part of the body of Christ. As St. Teresa of Avila put it, we are Christ’s hands and feet in the world. St. Paul spoke of the reality of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Our baptismal covenant picks up that theme when it speaks of seeking and serving Christ in every person.

Maybe God is calling you this week to focus on what it means to be God’s servant. Take time to consider what kind of accountability that implies. And as you listen for that call, set it in the context of all the other ways we speak of our relationship with God, including the embrace of the amazing grace that says we are children of God, loved with a love from which we can never be separated.

-Jay Sidebotham