15/04/2020
๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐
WEDNESDAY, 15TH APRIL 2020
๐ฃ๐๐ฎ๐น๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฏ: ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ
๐๐ด๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ 23
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting all of usโboth as individuals and communities. The very fabric of everyday life is changing before us; these are unprecedented times. In the midst of this, we're invited to find God. We reflect on Psalms 23 and its implications for our livesโnow, more than ever. As we read the passage today, it is easy to feel that we are now indeed walking through the โdarkest valleyโ and that there is no end in sight. But, as everything with God, we are invited towards greater trustโand in the process experience more hope, peace, and beauty in the midst of suffering. Walter Brueggemann, in his book, ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ด๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ด, categorizes all 150 psalms into one of three movementsโorientation, disorientation, and reorientation. Each of these movements exemplify a fragment of the human experience:
๐. ๐ข๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: when everything feels right and content in our lives.
๐๐. ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: when life feels difficult, dark, and broken. There is lament. There is despair.
๐๐๐. ๐ฅ๐ฒ-๐ข๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: when God pulls us out of the brokenness of life and we are brought to a deeper sense of awareness and gratitude.
Brueggemann argues that we go through rhythms of orientation to disorientation to re-orientationโit is part of the natural human experience. This is the beauty of Psalms 23, and perhaps why it has become one of the most famous passages in human history. In this single passage all three movements exist; Psalms 23 is a compilation of the entire rhythm of the human experience. The first three verses are of orientation: โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฅ; ๐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต.โ Life is good, happy, blessed. The Lord provides us with lush green pastures and refreshing waters. God is known to be reliable and a source of all our needs. Verse four suggests disorientationโthe โ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ท๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐บโโa description of the trauma and suffering we go through as humans and communities. And, later in verse four, there is re-orientation. The psalter declares, โ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ฆโ. There is an expression of trust and confidence in the presence of God in spite of suffering. These are uncertain times. The future feels out of our control. In many ways, we have just moved from orientation to disorientation. But, as a community, we are invited towards re-orientation. We are invited into the natural rhythm of the human experienceโto move from disorientation to re-orientation and to declare โ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ฆโ. And so, this means we should do our part in our communitiesโpractice social distancing, wash our handsโbut it also means we should pray and recall โ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ.โ May it be so. Amen. Have a blessed day as you keep taking precaution and you immerse your life in prayer and the Word of God. Shalom!
๐๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ต-๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ป ๐ฒ:๐ฎ๐ฎ-๐ฐ๐ฐ