Psalm 45:10-17
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Here is a woman who is given over to a new "Lord." The advice is clear, even curt. To paraphrase a favorite film of years gone by, it amounts to this. "Honey, you ain't in Kansas anymore!" The family and focus of old no longer applies in the courts of this new Lord. It's time to deal with the reality that is right in front of us. Certainly the psalm here could be read through twenty-first-century eyes, which take a dim view of women being portrayed as chattel. With that perspective, who could argue?
However, if one looks past the almost irresistible impulse to judge ancient text from contemporary context, there is a larger message to be heard. Could it be that each person, regardless of the path they take, comes to a point where it's important to acknowledge that things have changed? Whether it's the young virgin moving into the household of her new lord, or a Christian community moving into a new century, isn't it important to acknowledge that the landscape is different?
If the young woman who is now under the charge of a new lord continues to act as though her father and her family are her reality, it seems reasonable to assume that things may not go well for her. Similarly, a church community that has moved into a new cultural era needs to acknowledge that things have changed.
It's like the person who grew up in a rain forest. Living in an environment of constant moisture and dampness, it's natural to dress in a way that makes it more comfortable to live in that part of the world. But if one moves to the desert and continues to dress as though he was still in the rain forest, a few eyebrows might be raised in concern, or even mockery.
Yes, the call that emerges today is one for awareness. It's important for everyone to be aware of location, of context, and to not be lulled into thinking that where we used to be is where we are now. It's a word for us as individuals and certainly a word for us as Christian community.
However, if one looks past the almost irresistible impulse to judge ancient text from contemporary context, there is a larger message to be heard. Could it be that each person, regardless of the path they take, comes to a point where it's important to acknowledge that things have changed? Whether it's the young virgin moving into the household of her new lord, or a Christian community moving into a new century, isn't it important to acknowledge that the landscape is different?
If the young woman who is now under the charge of a new lord continues to act as though her father and her family are her reality, it seems reasonable to assume that things may not go well for her. Similarly, a church community that has moved into a new cultural era needs to acknowledge that things have changed.
It's like the person who grew up in a rain forest. Living in an environment of constant moisture and dampness, it's natural to dress in a way that makes it more comfortable to live in that part of the world. But if one moves to the desert and continues to dress as though he was still in the rain forest, a few eyebrows might be raised in concern, or even mockery.
Yes, the call that emerges today is one for awareness. It's important for everyone to be aware of location, of context, and to not be lulled into thinking that where we used to be is where we are now. It's a word for us as individuals and certainly a word for us as Christian community.
