We all experience times when we are depressed or despondent. These may be due to relationship difficulties, problems around money, illness, isolation, lower numbers in church, or any number of such reasons. The author of the Psalm we have just heard knew of these feelings, too.
This Psalm tells us of the joy of the writer at having been spared a life-threatening illness, and thanks God for having been saved. It uses colourful language to demonstrate what the author had previously thought to be his fate: death. However, his death would have been the kind of death most feared by the Hebrews, for he was in sin, so would have gone to “Sheol” or “the Pit”, which are both Hebrews names for the place of the dead that are most closely equated with our word, “Hell”. Once a soul is condemned to Sheol, all interaction with God ceases. Once a soul is condemned to Sheol, there is no afterlife and no hope of ever coming into God’s Realm.
Much of what the Psalmist has to say is addressed directly to God, just as we direct our own, personal, prayers to God. He speaks to God about his own feelings and failings – the very failings that had brought him so close to death – and of the great elation that his recovery has brought to him. Curiously though, he also shows that he attempted to coerce God to save him from death. When he writes, “Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” he is, in effect, saying: “If I die, nothing will be gained and you, Yahweh, will lose a worshipper!”
But don’t we all, at some point or other in our lives, try to coerce God into doing what we would want? I know that there have been times when my prayers have included an ultimatum to God: “do this the way I ask, or don’t bother to do it at all!”
I remember clearly the time when my good friend Michael was in hospital, dying. I tried to bargain with God to send that one, elusive miracle: I offered all sorts of different sacrifices, in the hope that Michael would become well again. He didn’t. Instead, Michael died whilst I was in Egypt. The timing was such that I missed not only his passing, but also his funeral. I felt utterly robbed by God: not only was Michael gone, but I didn’t even have the opportunity to say “Goodbye” to him. I then, as some of you will have heard me say, “locked God into a cupboard”, refusing, for years to come, to even open that cupboard, wishing that God, too, would die or just leave me and those I love, alone.
As other things went seriously wrong in my life, I blamed God for these, too. Yet, from behind that locked door, God still called out to me.
One day, I cautiously unlocked that door, convinced that I could slam it shut again. God was still there – very much alive – and a healing process slowly started. I know that I’m still on the road to full recovery and change, but, as it was for the Psalmist, so too has my joy come with the morning.
How is this relevant to MCCM?
This church, too, has been involved in much change recently, with our move to this building. Some people love the place, others are still getting used to it, whilst some have used the change of building as an opportunity to move on from MCC Manchester. Whilst these things can be hard for us, and can lead to feelings that we are in the Pit, we should know that our destiny is to be ambassadors for this church and evangelists for Jesus.
But how do we fulfil this destiny? I imagine that everyone here today is a mature Christian. Why else would we come here each week to worship Christ in communion with other people! But do we lead a Christian life outside of this building, on days other than Sundays?
Do we share our faith with our partners, family, friends, neighbours and other loved ones, or do we keep silent about it, afraid of the derision that we might receive from those who do not believe?
Do we maintain a regular prayer life, or is our prayer time limited only to our time at church?
Do we give charitably? Do we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the lonely or imprisoned – and do these things without bragging about them, or is our giving a public spectacle, designed to gain the applause of others?
Do we spread the Good News of Jesus to all who would hear, or do we selfishly keep this priceless, soul-saving knowledge to ourselves?
Do we give of ourselves for the greater glory of Christ’s Realm, or do we stubbornly refuse to use our God-given gifts, skills, talents and callings to anything other than our own, personal gain?
If our lives are self-centred, we echo the words of the Psalmist when he was in his sin: “I shall never be moved”. On the other hand, if our lives are God-centred, we are likely to repeat the Psalmist’s words of joy, and to share in that happiness, “I will give thanks to you forever”.
The overall themes of this Psalm tell of God’s great love and mercy being available to all. Like all good stories, it has a beginning, middle and an end. In fact, the end is so good that it is used also at the beginning, to give added weight and importance to the central theme.
We have heard how the writer of the Psalm had lived a life of excess, how he loved and clung to power, position, wealth and authority. He felt so secure that he saw no further need to pray, to worship God. Then he became seriously ill. As happens still today, when we are faced with serious illness or made to confront our mortality, we suddenly expect God to answer our prayers – even though we may not have prayed or gone to church for years. We expect – and often, demand, a miracle.
That’s certainly how I was when Michael was dying. After years of deliberately not praying or attending any church, I demanded a miracle. When this didn’t happen, I again turned my back on God. Yet, in many ways, I was one of the fortunate ones. A miracle did happen for me – it just wasn’t the one I had asked for. I knew that, some day, the cupboard that I had ‘locked God into’ would have to be opened again. Once this had happened, I learned once more how to pray regularly and, ultimately, found the Metropolitan Community Church. The names have changed, but my story is exactly the same as that of the Psalmist: and I suspect there are many others with exactly the same story to tell.
The Challenge.
What I would ask of you all, then, is to go out and tell your own stories. Let those with whom you live, work and socialise hear why you are a Christian and what your faith has meant to you. Let these people see the depth of your faith and know of your commitment to Christ. Allow them to see, by your own example, that they, too, are loved and welcomed by Jesus.
If each one of us here, tells only one person a week about our faith, what we believe has brought us to this stage of our lives, how God has helped us through difficult times, or of our commitment to MCC, we will not be just evangelists for Christ and ambassadors for our church, but we, too will share in the triumphant praise of the Psalmist as, clothed with joy, we say, “My soul will praise you and not be silent!”
Prayer
Loving God, we thank and praise you for the life and the work of MCC here in Manchester. May your loving Spirit continue to guide and bless this church, her leaders and all who would come to her to worship you. Allow us to know your vision for this church, and give us the courage to work in unity and harmony towards attaining that vision. Implant in your people, loving God, an evangelist spirit that we may be the tools that you use to bring people to your Son; that we may be peacemakers; that all those who no longer feast at the Lord’s Table will see in our example your loving and guiding hand, and come to be restored to life from those gone down to the Pit.
Amen.
(John Stanway)
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.