Proper 19/Pentecost 17/Ordinary Time 24
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
Object:
Psalm 19 celebrates two different media through which God is revealed: nature and the law.
The first part of the psalm calls our attention to the presence of God in nature -- "The heavens are telling the glory of God." The word "glory" is the Hebrew kabod and literally means weight or heaviness. The derived meaning is something akin to "reputation." God's reputation is evident in the heavens.
But reputation for what?
Herein lies the difficulty of relying only on nature for our understanding of God. The message of nature is not clear, and in fact may contradict what we believe about God from other sources of revelation. For instance, we can infer from the sheer magnitude of creation, especially as we now understand the universe, that God is magnificent, capable of enormous creative and life-giving power. From the great variety of life forms, not to mention their sheer numbers and the ingenious way in which our world supports this life, we realize that God is a great nurturing presence. All of this seems to point to a God who cares deeply for both creature and creation.
But there is a dark, violent underside to creation. In the billions of years since the formation of the universe, there has been tremendous violence in the heavens and on earth. In the course of the development of life on our planet there have been innumerable losses. Entire species have appeared and then disappeared forever. Even among the existing life forms there is a "dog-eat-dog" quality to life that seems to suggest something violent and dangerous. What does this reveal about God?
The psalmist helps us by pointing us to the law. The law provides the content of God's character. The law is the lens through which the psalmist sees the glory of God in the heavens. God's reputation for order, for mercy, for caring, is learned in the law and is only then discernible in the heavens.
The appearance of Jesus allows us to take this process one step further. As the fulfillment of the law, Jesus fills in the parts of God's character that even the law was incapable of making known to us. For what the law could not do, and what nature cannot do, Jesus did fully. The appearance of Jesus makes clear the character and purpose of God not only in the heavens, but also in the law. In the incarnation, heaven and earth come together perfectly to proclaim the glory of God in the face of the Son.
-- J. E.
The first part of the psalm calls our attention to the presence of God in nature -- "The heavens are telling the glory of God." The word "glory" is the Hebrew kabod and literally means weight or heaviness. The derived meaning is something akin to "reputation." God's reputation is evident in the heavens.
But reputation for what?
Herein lies the difficulty of relying only on nature for our understanding of God. The message of nature is not clear, and in fact may contradict what we believe about God from other sources of revelation. For instance, we can infer from the sheer magnitude of creation, especially as we now understand the universe, that God is magnificent, capable of enormous creative and life-giving power. From the great variety of life forms, not to mention their sheer numbers and the ingenious way in which our world supports this life, we realize that God is a great nurturing presence. All of this seems to point to a God who cares deeply for both creature and creation.
But there is a dark, violent underside to creation. In the billions of years since the formation of the universe, there has been tremendous violence in the heavens and on earth. In the course of the development of life on our planet there have been innumerable losses. Entire species have appeared and then disappeared forever. Even among the existing life forms there is a "dog-eat-dog" quality to life that seems to suggest something violent and dangerous. What does this reveal about God?
The psalmist helps us by pointing us to the law. The law provides the content of God's character. The law is the lens through which the psalmist sees the glory of God in the heavens. God's reputation for order, for mercy, for caring, is learned in the law and is only then discernible in the heavens.
The appearance of Jesus allows us to take this process one step further. As the fulfillment of the law, Jesus fills in the parts of God's character that even the law was incapable of making known to us. For what the law could not do, and what nature cannot do, Jesus did fully. The appearance of Jesus makes clear the character and purpose of God not only in the heavens, but also in the law. In the incarnation, heaven and earth come together perfectly to proclaim the glory of God in the face of the Son.
-- J. E.
