To the Church in Exile,

The peace of Christ be with you. Hey, how about this weather we’ve been having. Praise God for surprising gifts, although I am a little concerned about lack of rain. Our lectionary reading for today comes from Psalm 9:

⁷The LORD sits enthroned forever,
          he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸   He judges the world with righteousness;
          he judges the peoples with equity.
⁹   The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
          a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰  And those who know your name put their trust in you,
          for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
¹¹  Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion.
          Declare his deeds among the peoples.
¹²  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
          he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
 
This is such an appropriate Psalm for the first week of Eastertide. The psalm gives us a picture of the kind of God we have, a picture that is confirmed in the raising of Jesus from the dead. We learn three critical aspects of God’s character.

The God of resurrection is the God who sets things right.  “He has established his throne for judgement. He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the people with equity.”  In the ancient world, the marginalized never got their day in court. In many parts of the world still today it can be difficult to receive an impartial hearing in court where a judge will settle issues and make wrongs right. The Hebrews eventually looked to the Day of Resurrection where God would put things right at last. Part of the surprise of Jesus being raised from the dead is that it happens to him alone. As it turns out, he is the first fruits of the resurrection, almost like a down payment that God will indeed put things to rights, exercise judgement and establish equity throughout the earth.  

I like to think of Jesus’ resurrection as an earthly demonstration of God’s commitment to right our world. It’s a done deal. It calls me to line my life up with what God is doing. Not later. Now. It’s a call to me to repent; to decide for Jesus and his reign with my entire life. We have a God who judges with equity and righteousness. That is both comfort and compelling invitation.
 
But the psalmist has more. Our God is a stronghold. “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” A stronghold is a place of security sometimes pictured as a high place, inaccessible, thus providing safety. One of the things that this pandemic has exposed is the inadequacies of all my daily strongholds, my fortresses. Today it is difficult to find refuge. Even in my home, when I see someone in the hallway in my condominium complex, suddenly a neighbor is a potential threat, or I feel like I might be a threat to them. I am wondering if the power of our online worship time is that our fellow worshipers cannot be a threat to us, and we find a certain safe leisure with each other that would not be possible in our sanctuary. When this pandemic is over, we all look forward to worshiping together especially after missing so much of our Bethany Easter traditions. But isn’t it a gift now, to have worship where threat is removed, and we bodily sense the sanctuary that God is? I don’t know about you, but I’m praying hard these days; it’s intense yet so appropriate. In times of trouble, we need that one secure, safe stronghold. Are you going there?
 
And yes, the psalmist has even more to tell us. Our God doesn’t forget. “For you Lord have not forsaken those who seek you.” ”He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” Those of you who are feeling so isolated and lonely in this season, you have a God who does not forget you. Those of you right now under lock down in your retirement complex and can’t even see your own children or even some of your neighbors, God has not forsaken you. And those who are quarantined in ICU units, hooked up to a ventilator, have a God who cannot forget the silent cries of the afflicted. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he declared for all to see and hear that our Lord is the one who rights the world, who remains our sanctuary, and who always hears the cries of the distressed and plagued.
 
O Lord of justice, strength and memory, raise us from our tombs of affliction, fear, and wrongdoing. Redeem us, redeem our world with the power you so ably demonstrated in raising Jesus from the dead. Raise our dreary eyes and our mourning hearts to the new horizon where we meet you. Remember who you are, God, and help us to remember too. In the name of the new life, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.
 

Peace in Christ, 

–Doug

__________________________
Doug Kelly, Senior Pastor
Bethany Presbyterian Church
dougk@bethanypc.org
(206) 284-2222, x11