08/04/2024 ~ Proper 13 ~ Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ 2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Psalm 78:23-29; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35 ~ Note: Used Psalm 55 which is not in the Lections ~ Communion Sunday ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/997728401

Hymns, Songs, Psalms

These words are from Psalm 55 in the translation found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church: “Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition.” — Psalm 55:1.

In my News and Notes entry a week and a half ago— I should note if you are not signed up for the News and Notes email which goes out every Thursday please, please ask Stephanie to put you on that list. In that News and Notes I addressed the fact that Thomas Jefferson was in France when the Constitution was written.

The musical Hamilton opens the Second Act by having Thomas Jefferson, who has just returned from France, sing a song called What’d I Miss? After all, Jefferson was not involved in the writing the Constitution. (Slight pause.)

When I was away— I was away the second two Sundays in July— when I was away on July 14th our amazing Deacons put together a wonderful service featuring hymns and Psalms. So picking up on what the Deacons did, I’d like to address the Psalms today. (Slight Pause.)

I hope you’ve heard me say this before. The collection of 150 Psalms is, essentially, the hymnal of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. But Psalms are not just hymns. Psalms are also songs. As songs, as Psalms, these works are both an avenue of worship and an integral part of worship.

But I want to be clear about the nature of worship. The leaders of a service pastors, readers, musicians, deacons, are not in any way similar to actors in a play.

Indeed, I am painfully aware many think a service of worship is simply a play, entertainment. But the congregation is in no way an audience at a play. Further, if there is an audience for a service of worship that audience is God. The only audience is God.

But let’s say a service of worship is in some way akin to a play. If so, who are the actors in this worship? You, the congregation, are the actors.

The leadership at a service— pastors, readers, musicians, deacons— can be compared to prompters. The job of the prompter is to lead the congregation, the actors. It is you, the congregation, the actors, who perform the act of worship. Indeed, without you, without the congregation, worship does not happen.

The work of the congregation, the actors, is to praise God and to interact with God. The script the congregation uses are prayers, songs, hymns, even silence. (Slight pause.)

Any competent translation of the Psalter divides the Psalms into five sections or books. A careful reading of all the Psalms can and should lead us to the thought that these songs are an exploration of our entire relationship with God and also an exploration of the breadth of our own emotions, the breadth of our own existence.

Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann takes an approach which is both more analytical than simply addressing the five books of the Psalter but is sensitive to our emotional life. He says the Psalms can be split into three categories: Psalms of Orientation, Psalms of Disorientation and Psalms of New Orientation.

Psalms of Orientation speak about the creation and the goodness of God. Psalms of Disorientation address our laments, our struggles and the truth that God walks with us, always. Psalms of New Orientation Praise God as the One in Whom we place our trust, the One Who gives us new life and rebirth, this God of covenant. (Slight pause.)

These are the words we hear in the Psalm commonly referred to as Psalm 55: “Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition.” (Slight pause.)

My mother died of cancer in 1983. As these things go that death came at a fairly young age. She was 58. That process— as I am sure you know death is often a process— that process from the time of the diagnosis until her death, lasted nine months.

As the disease was taking her, one Sunday I got to the church where I was a member, All Angels Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and plopped down in a pew. I was feeling mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. I was probably dealing with a broad set of emotions since I knew what the outcome of her illness would be.

Now, all Episcopal Churches have Books of Common Prayer in their pew racks. I grabbed one and in a random way I opened it.

The page which presented itself to me was in the Psalter. I was looking at Psalm 55. I started to read. Quite suddenly, a lyric presented itself to me. I wrote the lyric down and gave it to my dear friend and collaborator Paul Lee Johnson who wrote music for it. This is that lyric. (Slight pause.)

“Hear my prayer, O God / Listen and answer me: / My heart is fearful and trembling, / And so I call out to Thee, / So I call out to Thee. // If I had wings, I would fly away / Seeking shelter and rest; / My heart in anguish is trembling / From the terrors of death.”

“Hear my prayer, O God / Listen and answer me: / My heart is fearful and trembling, / And so I call out to Thee, / So I call out to Thee. // And when I call out you hear my voice, / Whether day or night, / And lo, my God does deliver me, / And takes up my fight.”

“Hear our prayer, O God / Hear and deliver us. / Cast all your burden upon our God / For God alone can we trust. / God alone can we trust.” (Slight pause.)

Psalms can and do include all our fragile times, all our joys and all of our sorrows. Do we despair? Yes. That sentiment is found in the Psalms. Do we joyfully praise God? Yes. That sentiment is found in the Psalms. Do we hope? Yes. That sentiment is found in the Psalms. Do we trust God? Yes. That sentiment is found in the Psalms. (Slight pause.)

Scripture, as a whole, makes this significant point: God loves us and wants to covenant with us. So, life lived in covenant with God, does not ignore reality. Life lived in covenant grapples with reality.

Psalms are hymns, songs which grapple with all the aspects of reality. Sometimes we sing with tears. Sometimes we sing with pain. Sometimes we sing with laughter. Sometimes we sing of freedom and of justice and of peace. Sometimes we sing of love.

But when we sing we always sing with deep, deep emotion. And yes, we can and we do find real fulfillment in the covenant, in a relationship with God and in a relationship with the people of God. And so, we sing. Amen.

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “God is not a concept or a philosophy. The living God engages us and all our emotions. The famous lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II said the only reason for song in a play, the only reason to sing, is to give voice to those times when the emotion being expressed becomes too intense for mere words, mere dialogue. And so yes, we do sing. We need to sing.”

BENEDICTION: May the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ be a reality among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us as we scatter into the world, God’s world, beyond the doors of this meeting house. And may we love God so much that we love nothing else too much. May we we so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.

[1] Walter Brueggemann. The Message of the Psalms. Augsburg Press: Minneapolis, MN. 1984.

[2] For anyone who listens to/sees the video of this service our pianist plays the music for the lyric which was recited.

Also, a 41 year old .MP3 recording of this piece went out to the email list of the church. The email explained that the lyrics of the old recording were slightly different than what was recited in the sermon. Why? The pastor has changed over time and the lyric was updated. It was noted we all do need to change over time.