The Days of My Life
A sermon by Pastor Darrell Reeck, Ph.D.
Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 2, 2004
Psalm 23:6 ". . .all the days of my life and. . .forever."
Prayer for Enlightenment
"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer."
Our lives are shaped by the Psalms.
There are the rhapsodic verses of the Islamic Sufis, the canticles and songs of early Christianity, and the stately hymnody of the Wesleys. And now we have simple but biblical praise songs.
But among Christians at least, no scripture, no poetry is more important, more frequently recited, than the Psalms.
An example:
In the abbeys at Mt. Angel, Oregon or in Lacey, Washington, as in every Benedictine abbey since 500 a.d., the entire book of psalms is sung in a pattern. Five times a day they gather to sing. The daily cycle begins with Matins as early as 3 a.m. "Early in the morning my song ascends to thee." The daily cycle ends with Compline in the evening.
The monks and nuns think of themselves as "praying the psalms," not just saying the psalms.
Imagine the meaning your life would gain if you could pray the psalms five times a day for life.
A second example:
When we meet on Sunday, we sing or say the Psalms. If this becomes mere routine, then we fail to glimpse the glory. Today, we glimpsed the glory of all the days of our lives with Psalm 23.
Let the Psalms sanctify your life, all the days of your life.
I have an old Bible. I bought it in 1962. The corners, the entire cover, and the pages themselves show wear. But no pages show more wear than the Psalms, and no pages are more marked up than those of Psalm 23.
Why is Psalm 23 the most read, well-known, and frequently memorized of all the Psalms?
Last Thursday I asked college students why Psalm 23 is so popular. They had several answers, and the one that sticks out in my mind is: it promises security.
Normally we face challenges in a group. Soldiers fight in battalions. Basketball centers play in teams.
But when it comes to fighting habits, addictions, and even death, you're face to face with the enemy. Maybe this verse is famous because it works for so many: "I fear no evil, for thou art with me."
You're not alone if you walk with the Good Shepherd.
Earlier that day I asked elders why this psalm is so popular and meaningful. Again, they too had several answers.
They said, "Psalm 23 is deeply personal. The writer uses the first person throughout." "I shall not want." "I fear no evil." This psalm elevates our aspiration for a personal and eternal relationship with the God of the universe.
- You may be forfeiting much of your potential if you don't read and pray the psalms.
- You're probably under-achieving the benchmark for holy emotional fulfillment if you don't dwell in the green pastures, beside still waters, in the house of the Lord.
- You may be missing your full moral development if you don't walk in the paths of righteousness, and if goodness doesn't follow you from year to year.
- If you're in crisis and you fail to turn to the Shepherd of Psalm 23, you may be missing what will work for you.
I appeal to you to consider the Psalms all the days of your life, so that you may dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Amen.
Copyright by Darrell Reeck, 2004. All rights reserved.
Feedback invited at dreeck@msn.com
Previous Sermons
- Sermon from April 25, 2004: The Beginning of Christian Community
- Sermon from April 18, 2004: Human Law and Divine Law
- Sermon from Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004: The Goal of the Pilgrim
- Sermon from Palm Sunday, April 4, 2004: The Universe Proclaims
- Sermon from March 28, 2004: Extravagant Love