Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk, has an interesting post up on his blog with a very fascinating comment thread.
He poses the questions, “What is preaching? What is preaching not?”
I highly recommend reading through the comments. They are informative about what people hear each week and what preaching ought to be.
Good stuff!
Photo Credit: Nixie Michelle
Each week, I will give a brief summary of the sermon or homily that I heard in church. I will give the church information, reproduce the text(s), and then provide a brief (~400 words) summary of the sermon/homily. I will attempt to refrain from critique, and you should realize that these are the thoughts of the pastor/priest, not my own. Hopefully, God will use this to edify you, as He used it to edify my family.
Psalm 88: Seeking God in the Thick and Sin.
Rev. Charlie Baile, Shady Grove Presbyterian Church (PCA).
August 23, 2009.
A SONG. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO MAHALATH LEANNOTH. A MASKIL OF HEMAN THE EZRAHITE.
1 O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror(1 to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.
Photo Credit: Christopher Chan
Psalm 88 is not a happy Psalm. It expresses the dark times that many Christians often go through. Often we pray for and desire something, but for whatever reason, God does not bring that about. We may want to be doctors, but we fail out of med school. We may want to play in an orchestra, but we lack enough musical talent. We may want a large family, but we are unable to have children. And so on.
It is highly important to realize that not all desire is sinful. Not all shame that we feel is sinful. And not all suffering is because of our sin. It is even more important to realize when our experiences are due to sin and when they are not. Jesus Christ Himself was “the man of sorrows,” and yet, surely His faith did not need to be increased.
In today’s Evangelical culture, we tend to associate Christianity with joy and joy. If we only accept Jesus, then life will be OK. Even our music is too cheesy and happy-clappy. We want this, but our lives often don’t reflect this.
Indeed, there is joy in Christ, but this does not mean that life will be perfect, happy, and easy. It is OK to groan in this life as we experience pain, death, frustration, and disappointment, even as we wait and hope for the world to come.
No matter how faithful we are, we must realize that we deserve all the pain and anguish we experience, and we deserve even more. Christ did not deserve to suffer at all, and yet He went through Hell on earth.
The Psalmist here in Psalm 88 is suffering immensely and intensely, but he, unlike us, does not stop praying. He continues to talk with God in the midst of his darkness. This is how we should approach our suffering; go to God and worship, even if this doesn’t “fix” it right away.
Therefore, we should be merciful to those who are suffering. It may not be a lack of faith or a result of sin. Remember that Jesus was in the valley once.
And we should read Psalm 88 through the eyes of the cross. Hear Jesus pray this prayer as He suffers in the garden, is rejected by His closest friends, and feels abandoned by the Father. Our High Priest has been there; He knows what it’s like, and He cares.
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