Psalm 127
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Object:
There is a story about a pastor who worked for years to revive and grow a failing downtown church. After endless hours of work and effort, the church actually did begin to come to life. New members came, new ministries were born, and it seemed as if a miracle were taking place. Then the pastor was called to a new congregation. In a few years, after a succession of failed pastorates, the church closed. The pastor who had given so much of himself was devastated. It seemed that his work was "in vain."
Many people in our faith communities could relate stories from their lives about efforts they have made that have felt as though they were made for no purpose or no visible effect. In the folds of these stories lay wounded hearts and burned-out spirits. In the telling of these tales, we feel the exhaustion and frustration and sometimes the resignation of those who have had enough.
It is into such difficulties that the words of this psalm come. How often do we plan, work, and strive to get things accomplished, relying only upon our efforts and our will? How often do we fail to place the results of our work in God's hands? How often do we fail to trust in God's "all sufficient grace" (2 Corinthians 12:9) as we labor for what we believe to be God's work?
The words seem jarring, but they ring true. "Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Unless we place our whole trust in God's grace and love, the chances are that we are "laboring in vain." The interesting thing in all this is that success and effectiveness are really not the point. The psalm doesn't say that if we trust in God we will meet with success. This is a false promise delivered far too often by those in ministry. What the promise of God's grace does offer is the reality that our labors, if they are rooted in trust in God, will not be in vain.
There is no guarantee about how things will turn out in the end. But if our work is rooted in God's love and grace, it will not be wasted. The church in our story may have closed, but the fact that lives were touched, hearts healed, and people brought to Christ cannot be altered. The labor of the years, though not resulting in the pastor's desire for a revitalized and growing church, was not in vain.
The psalmist reminds us, no matter where we labor, we must place the results and the trust in God. Then we can be freed to work hard, to give deeply of time and heart energy, knowing that the labor will not be in vain.
Many people in our faith communities could relate stories from their lives about efforts they have made that have felt as though they were made for no purpose or no visible effect. In the folds of these stories lay wounded hearts and burned-out spirits. In the telling of these tales, we feel the exhaustion and frustration and sometimes the resignation of those who have had enough.
It is into such difficulties that the words of this psalm come. How often do we plan, work, and strive to get things accomplished, relying only upon our efforts and our will? How often do we fail to place the results of our work in God's hands? How often do we fail to trust in God's "all sufficient grace" (2 Corinthians 12:9) as we labor for what we believe to be God's work?
The words seem jarring, but they ring true. "Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Unless we place our whole trust in God's grace and love, the chances are that we are "laboring in vain." The interesting thing in all this is that success and effectiveness are really not the point. The psalm doesn't say that if we trust in God we will meet with success. This is a false promise delivered far too often by those in ministry. What the promise of God's grace does offer is the reality that our labors, if they are rooted in trust in God, will not be in vain.
There is no guarantee about how things will turn out in the end. But if our work is rooted in God's love and grace, it will not be wasted. The church in our story may have closed, but the fact that lives were touched, hearts healed, and people brought to Christ cannot be altered. The labor of the years, though not resulting in the pastor's desire for a revitalized and growing church, was not in vain.
The psalmist reminds us, no matter where we labor, we must place the results and the trust in God. Then we can be freed to work hard, to give deeply of time and heart energy, knowing that the labor will not be in vain.
