Presented October 18, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Psalm 28
The Psalms were written approximately 1,500 years ago—and yet they are as relevant as ever. They still speak to us in such powerful ways.
COVID-19 infection rates are once again spiking, and this cursed virus shows no signs of going away. The rollercoaster of election season is in full swing, while we wait with bated breath as to who our next President will be. God only knows what 2021 will bring.
Some of us feel as though we are in the pit of which the Psalmist speaks, or at least many of us find ourselves close to the edge of that pit. We shout out, “Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help!"
Yes, Lord, hear our prayers for these uncertain, frightening times!
Despite the despair of this Psalm, it ends in a hopeful manner. We see that the Psalmist places his trust in the Lord. He declares, “The Lord is my strength and shield; in God my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to God.”
Trust is a huge aspect of our faith. After all, isn’t having faith in God or in one another similar to trusting in God and in one another?
Both trust and faith require letting go of the need to be in control. Trust is an acknowledgement that we are insignificant creatures who are often in need of a helping hand. In a sense, putting our trust in God is an admission of our humanity and our deep need to be connected to others and to God. But we must also admit that trust is often easier said than done.
In college, I served as a ropes course instructor at our Presbytery’s summer camp in western New York. Ropes courses involve a variety of both low and high obstacles which are used to build trust and teamwork among groups, and to challenge and empower everyone who attempts them. Some of the obstacles are over 30 feet in the air—straddling rope bridges, or climbing to a zipline. All participants are connected to a rope, and partner on the group is connected to the other end, ensuring that the individual won’t fall. So from the very beginning, ropes courses involve a lot of trust.
One of the first lessons we always taught participants was that it often takes a long time to develop trust, but it can be broken in an instant. Unfortunately, most of us are painfully aware of what it’s like to have our trust shattered. It hurts … so much so that we become very hesitant about offering it to others again.
We all have stories about our wounded-ness, much like the Psalmist. We’ve been let down by our leaders, some friends have turned into enemies, even our families might abandon us. Our trust can and will be broken sometimes.
But no matter how bad it gets, the Psalmist declares that his trust is in the Lord. Whether or not we humans might let one another down at times, God remains eternally faithful.
Jesus, much like the Psalmist, came out of a harrowing environment, full of violence, poverty, and injustice. Yet he refused to become jaded and abandon the values of God or his faith. Jesus trusted that—in the end—it will be ok. Not only that, he refused to give up on us. Time and time again, Jesus demonstrated to us the power of love and forgiveness, of grace and trust.
Jesus understands our amazing potential, as beings made in God’s own image, and so he urges us to live out the values he teaches us about, so that we might build the kingdom of God here on Earth. “Kingdom values” such as trust and kindness, honesty and humility stand in opposition to those values of the world that adhere to suspicion, aggression, and revenge. When we share these values in our personal lives and in our churches, those with anxiety find peace; those who are hurting find healing; and those with without hope find encouragement.
Our church communities should be safe places where we can offer one another helping hands.
Rather than attempting to bend this world to our wills, which makes us all nuts, we choose to trust that God has a plan for us and we are gonna enjoy the ride.
Rather than forcing newcomers to earn our trust, like grace, we give of it freely so that we can widen our circles of love and build communities of joy.
Regardless of the many bruises and dark valleys we encounter in our lives, in the end, we are still saved. The Psalmist reminds us that, “This, too, shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it shall pass.”
God loves us passionately and eternally, and so God will not abandon us. Much to the opposite, God will find ways to bring us through all the hardships we’ll face. We might receive substantial wounds, or even encounter death, but we will be carried through to another place—be it a new chapter in the life of our nation, be it as a new way of being for our own life, or perhaps it is going on to be with God and all the ancestors who have gone before us.
This is the Gospel message—that Christ has defeated death and nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the promise in which we place our hope and trust.
While I was working in Namibia with a study abroad program, our students decided they wanted to go skydiving. I thought it sounded like fun so I joined them. For beginner skydivers, you always take a tandem jump—which means you are connected to professional skydiver who pulls the ripcord and guides the parachute down to the ground for a safe landing. Jumping out of a plane, then, at 10,000 feet requires a whole lotta trust in your partner who you are literally fastened to. But then you remember that this person is a professional. He or she has jumped out of planes thousands of times and this is their work and their passion. So you trust the process and you take a leap of faith.
High above the Namib desert, I stepped out of the doorway of the small plane, and off we went—flying through the air at 200 feet per second. It was a rush unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life. After 30 seconds of free fall, the parachute opened and we enjoyed a five-minute-long float until we landed softly in the sand. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life; it was a spiritual experience. It was a big risk, but my trust was rewarded with a life-changing experience.
May we be encouraged to put our trust in one another—so that our journeys might be more joyful.
May our churches be places of trust, inspiration and goodwill—so that we would all be empowered to keep moving forward on the journey of faith.
And may we trust in God, knowing that we are loved beyond comprehension.
As the classic African American spiritual reminds us:
“We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord. Trusting in his holy Word, he’s never let us down yet. Can’t turn around—we’ve come this far by faith.”
Amen.
