Easter 2
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
This little gem of a psalm celebrates the joy of unity among comrades in the faith. While unity is a theme anyone can appreciate, the cultural setting of the psalm sounds strange to modern ears. A good bit of cross-cultural translation is needed to enable modern listeners to enter into the experience.
The chief homiletical obstacle is the presence of fragrant anointing-oil -- and lots of it. Apart from olive oil's culinary uses in salad dressings or to grease a frying pan, most of our people have scant familiarity with the many ways oil was used in ancient times, including anointing the human body. The psalm vividly portrays the greasy, pungent stream being poured profusely upon Aaron's head and over his ears, coursing down his beard to form a puddle near the collar of the robe. The sheer abundance of valuable oil demonstrates that this, truly, is an occasion of deep gladness. Money is no object. (Aaron, of course, is the prototypical priest of ancient Israel; the psalmist, here, is perhaps thinking of the anointing of a priest as Aaron's liturgical successor -- see Exodus 29:7.) The oil functions, here, as a symbol of celebration -- although, to most of our listeners, the whole scene sounds more like a laundry nightmare.
In ancient times, the anointing of a guest with oil was a cherished act of hospitality. We read of this practice in Psalm 23:5. Anointing with "the oil of gladness" is also mentioned in Psalm 45:7; Isaiah 61:3; and Hebrews 1:9. Because the man referred to as "Aaron" is anointed with such a profusion of oil, it is clear that there is an excess of joy in this place.
One of the most difficult circumstances some families experience is a public worship service at which not everyone is at peace with one another. Weddings and funerals, for example -- milestone occasions that ought to be characterized by peace, beauty, and solemnity -- can be marred by conflict, if two or more family members are feuding or estranged. How good and pleasant it is when family members can sit side-by-side in unity!
There are few more important tasks for Christians than seeking to become agents of reconciliation. C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, wisely observes that this unity is not found in positive emotions, but rather in hard work:
Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor -- act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.
If the church as a whole could manage to accomplish this hard work of reconciliation more often, this would -- as Christian Century editor John Buchanan suggests -- make a world of difference in our evangelism efforts:
Wouldn't it be something if we could show the world the transforming power of a gospel that turns ideological opponents into brothers and sisters who love one another, who can't stop enjoying ... praying ... caring for ... protecting one another? If we did that, the world might even find us interesting again.
-- C. W.
The chief homiletical obstacle is the presence of fragrant anointing-oil -- and lots of it. Apart from olive oil's culinary uses in salad dressings or to grease a frying pan, most of our people have scant familiarity with the many ways oil was used in ancient times, including anointing the human body. The psalm vividly portrays the greasy, pungent stream being poured profusely upon Aaron's head and over his ears, coursing down his beard to form a puddle near the collar of the robe. The sheer abundance of valuable oil demonstrates that this, truly, is an occasion of deep gladness. Money is no object. (Aaron, of course, is the prototypical priest of ancient Israel; the psalmist, here, is perhaps thinking of the anointing of a priest as Aaron's liturgical successor -- see Exodus 29:7.) The oil functions, here, as a symbol of celebration -- although, to most of our listeners, the whole scene sounds more like a laundry nightmare.
In ancient times, the anointing of a guest with oil was a cherished act of hospitality. We read of this practice in Psalm 23:5. Anointing with "the oil of gladness" is also mentioned in Psalm 45:7; Isaiah 61:3; and Hebrews 1:9. Because the man referred to as "Aaron" is anointed with such a profusion of oil, it is clear that there is an excess of joy in this place.
One of the most difficult circumstances some families experience is a public worship service at which not everyone is at peace with one another. Weddings and funerals, for example -- milestone occasions that ought to be characterized by peace, beauty, and solemnity -- can be marred by conflict, if two or more family members are feuding or estranged. How good and pleasant it is when family members can sit side-by-side in unity!
There are few more important tasks for Christians than seeking to become agents of reconciliation. C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, wisely observes that this unity is not found in positive emotions, but rather in hard work:
Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor -- act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.
If the church as a whole could manage to accomplish this hard work of reconciliation more often, this would -- as Christian Century editor John Buchanan suggests -- make a world of difference in our evangelism efforts:
Wouldn't it be something if we could show the world the transforming power of a gospel that turns ideological opponents into brothers and sisters who love one another, who can't stop enjoying ... praying ... caring for ... protecting one another? If we did that, the world might even find us interesting again.
-- C. W.
