Psalm 50:1-6
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Object:
How do we feel about judgment? Buoyed up by thin interpretations of New Testament scripture, our relativistic culture has decided that we don't feel good about it. Truthfully, no one likes to be judged. We especially don't like to be judged by other people. But here, we're talking about a higher power. Here, we come face-to-face, not with judgmental finger wagging zealots, but with God.
God calls upon the people with some rather dramatic fanfare. The "perfection of beauty," does not come subtly or quietly, but with a "devouring fire" in the lead and a "mighty tempest" surrounding [him].
It turns out that this is the real deal, and we are called to receive God's judgment upon us. Of course there are several possible reactions to all this. Some might strengthen an already healthy sense of denial and say, "Bring it on." Others, already wracked with self-doubt and insecurity, might simply quake where they are and wait, frozen in abject terror. Still others might get lost trying to weigh a lifetime of moments and decisions made long ago.
The summons issued in these verses implies a coming onetime thing. It could be referred to as the "big bang" of judgment. Indeed, the text suggests this, but what if God's judgment doesn't cohere to our sense of time? What if God's judgment isn't waiting around for some unknown, unmentioned appointed moment? What if God's judgment is already here? More than that, what if God's judgment is ongoing? An always thing?
How would things change if judgment were not off in some vague future, but here and now? Imagine the politician who is keenly aware that God is not only watching, but also judging his or her actions. Conjure up a vision of a church with a crystalline awareness that God is very much present and very concerned with how we are representing God's interests.
This God who summons us to hear the indictment against us is the same God who walks with us each and every moment of our lives. This God who is about to announce judgment is the same God who has numbered the hairs on our heads, who has known us, even in our mother's wombs. And, as almost anyone can tell you, judgment from someone who knows you is a lot tougher than the opinion of a stranger.
Yes, this God who comes accompanied by fire and storm to announce judgment upon us doesn't have a real big commute. So maybe it would be a good idea to try to shape up now. Where would you begin? Where would our church communities begin? Where should our nation begin? Because God's not merely on his way. God's here now. And God's judgment is an always thing.
God calls upon the people with some rather dramatic fanfare. The "perfection of beauty," does not come subtly or quietly, but with a "devouring fire" in the lead and a "mighty tempest" surrounding [him].
It turns out that this is the real deal, and we are called to receive God's judgment upon us. Of course there are several possible reactions to all this. Some might strengthen an already healthy sense of denial and say, "Bring it on." Others, already wracked with self-doubt and insecurity, might simply quake where they are and wait, frozen in abject terror. Still others might get lost trying to weigh a lifetime of moments and decisions made long ago.
The summons issued in these verses implies a coming onetime thing. It could be referred to as the "big bang" of judgment. Indeed, the text suggests this, but what if God's judgment doesn't cohere to our sense of time? What if God's judgment isn't waiting around for some unknown, unmentioned appointed moment? What if God's judgment is already here? More than that, what if God's judgment is ongoing? An always thing?
How would things change if judgment were not off in some vague future, but here and now? Imagine the politician who is keenly aware that God is not only watching, but also judging his or her actions. Conjure up a vision of a church with a crystalline awareness that God is very much present and very concerned with how we are representing God's interests.
This God who summons us to hear the indictment against us is the same God who walks with us each and every moment of our lives. This God who is about to announce judgment is the same God who has numbered the hairs on our heads, who has known us, even in our mother's wombs. And, as almost anyone can tell you, judgment from someone who knows you is a lot tougher than the opinion of a stranger.
Yes, this God who comes accompanied by fire and storm to announce judgment upon us doesn't have a real big commute. So maybe it would be a good idea to try to shape up now. Where would you begin? Where would our church communities begin? Where should our nation begin? Because God's not merely on his way. God's here now. And God's judgment is an always thing.
