Proper 21/Pentecost 19/Ordinary Time 26
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
Object:
(See Lent 1, Cycle C, for an alternative approach to vv. 1-2 and 9-16.)
The writer of this psalm deftly employs a striking image, that at once offers us hope in times of trouble -- but at the same time, redefines for us what it means to be a human being in the world.
The writer begins by comparing our situation in life to that of a captured bird. We are victims of our own weakness, as well as the crafty wiles of the "fowler" (v. 3). We are so gullible. The snares out there are legion. From get-rich-quick schemes, to amazing diets, to the lure of drugs and alcohol, to the temptations of illicit sex -- there are traps everywhere, and we, like mindless birds, walk right into them.
But the "fowlers" who set the traps know us pretty well. They know just how to package their traps, to make them seem enticing. They know just how to market their snares to convince us we can't live without them. How ironic and sad it is to discover that what was sold to us as necessary to make life meaningful becomes a trap that makes life miserable. (Anyone making monthly payments on a multi-function exercise machine knows exactly what I am talking about!)
There is a subtle subtext to all this: not from the psalmist, but from the depths of our own being. It's bad enough to live in the trap we find for ourselves, but we compound the problem by despising our bird-brained existence. There is a tendency, fueled by a judgmental religious and political culture, to condemn ourselves relentlessly for the stupid things we do. We are just dumb birds and deserve whatever trap we fall into.
That's our mistake. The psalmist does not take us there. Our birdlike vulnerability is simply part of the human situation. It is something to be aware of and learn from, it is not a matter for self-loathing. In fact, it is as a bird that the psalmist offers us the gracious help of God. "Under his wings you will find refuge" (v. 4).
We are little birds with big problems. Every predator on the block has a trap waiting for us. Because we are weak and vulnerable, and sometimes not too smart, we fall into those traps.
But God is a big bird, smart and cunning. God is able to thwart the fowler's snare by sharing wisdom and experience with us. God helps us overcome some of our stupidity. And for our weakness, for those aspects of our bird-brained existence that we cannot school away, God offers us refuge.
There is a certain theological elegance in all this. We speak freely, and correctly, of being created in God's image. That idea points to lofty possibilities for our existence as humans. But according to the psalmist, sometimes God takes on our image, becomes like us. When we act like birds, for instance, God becomes a bird and dwells among us, and we behold God's glory as we find shelter beneath wings of grace.
-- J. E.
The writer of this psalm deftly employs a striking image, that at once offers us hope in times of trouble -- but at the same time, redefines for us what it means to be a human being in the world.
The writer begins by comparing our situation in life to that of a captured bird. We are victims of our own weakness, as well as the crafty wiles of the "fowler" (v. 3). We are so gullible. The snares out there are legion. From get-rich-quick schemes, to amazing diets, to the lure of drugs and alcohol, to the temptations of illicit sex -- there are traps everywhere, and we, like mindless birds, walk right into them.
But the "fowlers" who set the traps know us pretty well. They know just how to package their traps, to make them seem enticing. They know just how to market their snares to convince us we can't live without them. How ironic and sad it is to discover that what was sold to us as necessary to make life meaningful becomes a trap that makes life miserable. (Anyone making monthly payments on a multi-function exercise machine knows exactly what I am talking about!)
There is a subtle subtext to all this: not from the psalmist, but from the depths of our own being. It's bad enough to live in the trap we find for ourselves, but we compound the problem by despising our bird-brained existence. There is a tendency, fueled by a judgmental religious and political culture, to condemn ourselves relentlessly for the stupid things we do. We are just dumb birds and deserve whatever trap we fall into.
That's our mistake. The psalmist does not take us there. Our birdlike vulnerability is simply part of the human situation. It is something to be aware of and learn from, it is not a matter for self-loathing. In fact, it is as a bird that the psalmist offers us the gracious help of God. "Under his wings you will find refuge" (v. 4).
We are little birds with big problems. Every predator on the block has a trap waiting for us. Because we are weak and vulnerable, and sometimes not too smart, we fall into those traps.
But God is a big bird, smart and cunning. God is able to thwart the fowler's snare by sharing wisdom and experience with us. God helps us overcome some of our stupidity. And for our weakness, for those aspects of our bird-brained existence that we cannot school away, God offers us refuge.
There is a certain theological elegance in all this. We speak freely, and correctly, of being created in God's image. That idea points to lofty possibilities for our existence as humans. But according to the psalmist, sometimes God takes on our image, becomes like us. When we act like birds, for instance, God becomes a bird and dwells among us, and we behold God's glory as we find shelter beneath wings of grace.
-- J. E.
