Psalm 126
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
There's nothing quite as wonderful as looking at an old car that's been restored to its former luster. A 1932 Ford Victoria Coupe, rumbling down the road brings a thrill. The rust has been cleaned off, the torn upholstery replaced, and missing windows have been installed. It is a work of art. It is also a work of love. Such restoration projects, as anyone involved in them can attest, are not for the weak of heart. Restoring a classic automobile requires painstaking attention to detail and the patience of Job. After the body has been sanded and repaired, layer after layer of paint must be applied and rubbed down. Then comes polish and more rubbing. Engines, too, need to be rebuilt. Sometimes needed parts aren't available and have to be custom made. This is quite a job indeed!
As the Lenten season draws to a close, we look, as a people, to a time when God will restore our fortunes. Unlike the people in this psalm, however, we don't look to the restoration of a nation, or even of the car we're driving. We look to restoration through new life in Jesus Christ.
Still, though, the question of restoration bears asking. As we look to the restorer of all things to attend to us, what is it that requires fixing or repair? What is it that might need to be replaced? For some, it might be a broken heart. Others might be steeped in anger and find themselves in need of scraping off the rust of resentment. Still others might find the need for a new engine; a new driving purpose. In the pastor business this is called "burn-out." How does God restore a worn out people -- a broken-down church -- a deflated and over-used pastor?
There are, of course, many answers. One, though, that this psalm touches on is the ability to dream (v. 1). When God restored the fortunes, the people were like ones who dreamed. One needs ask, though, which came first -- the chicken or the egg? The dream or the restoration? The ability to dream, to vision, to see a new reality is the beginning of a holy process. It is the ability to see that pile of rust and rot and envision a gleaming Model A in pristine shape. God sees us that way and envisions a new life, a new beginning for us. The trick is for us to catch that vision; for God's people to grow vulnerable to seeing things a new way -- a different way. God plants the dream seed in each heart. God envisions restoration and new life. God leads the way, then as now, into Jerusalem, to Gethsemane and Golgotha, and on to an empty tomb. Again, the trick is to catch the vision.
As the Lenten season draws to a close, we look, as a people, to a time when God will restore our fortunes. Unlike the people in this psalm, however, we don't look to the restoration of a nation, or even of the car we're driving. We look to restoration through new life in Jesus Christ.
Still, though, the question of restoration bears asking. As we look to the restorer of all things to attend to us, what is it that requires fixing or repair? What is it that might need to be replaced? For some, it might be a broken heart. Others might be steeped in anger and find themselves in need of scraping off the rust of resentment. Still others might find the need for a new engine; a new driving purpose. In the pastor business this is called "burn-out." How does God restore a worn out people -- a broken-down church -- a deflated and over-used pastor?
There are, of course, many answers. One, though, that this psalm touches on is the ability to dream (v. 1). When God restored the fortunes, the people were like ones who dreamed. One needs ask, though, which came first -- the chicken or the egg? The dream or the restoration? The ability to dream, to vision, to see a new reality is the beginning of a holy process. It is the ability to see that pile of rust and rot and envision a gleaming Model A in pristine shape. God sees us that way and envisions a new life, a new beginning for us. The trick is for us to catch that vision; for God's people to grow vulnerable to seeing things a new way -- a different way. God plants the dream seed in each heart. God envisions restoration and new life. God leads the way, then as now, into Jerusalem, to Gethsemane and Golgotha, and on to an empty tomb. Again, the trick is to catch the vision.
