Sermon for August 1st, 2021

Psalm 130:1-8

A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2     Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my supplications!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
    so that you may be revered.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
    more than those who watch for the morning,
    more than those who watch for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
    from all its iniquities.

Psummer of Psalms: 130 - What Are You Waiting For?

Psalm 130 is a psalm about (among other things) waiting. I'm reminded of the story about the two young brothers who were waiting at breakfast time, and arguing over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson, and told them, "If Jesus were sitting here, he would say 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'"

The boys thought about this for a moment, and then the younger boy turned to his older brother and said, "Ok... you be Jesus."

We aren't very good at waiting, are we? We live in a world of instant gratification--if you want to watch a movie, you can find it streaming "on demand." If you have a random question, you can ask Siri, or Google, or Alexa, and get an immediate answer. If you want to go talk to a friend in another country, you can send an email or a text message and get an instantaneous response. If you want to go somewhere, you can take a car or even an airplane and go faster and farther than anyone could have dreamed just two hundred years ago. And if, God forbid, you do actually have to wait in a line, or in that speedy car or airplane, there are plenty of diversions to occupy your time while you wait.

Interestingly, Psalm 130 may have been something kind of like that, too. The ascription right at the beginning of the Psalm tells us that it is a "Song of Ascents" or in Hebrew, a שִׁ֥ירהַֽמַּעֲל֑וֹת (sir ha ma-alot) which literally means a song of "going up." There are 15 of these going-up songs in the Book of Psalms, and they were probably sung by ancient travelers while making an annual pilgrimage up to the Holy City of Jerusalem, up to the Temple on Mount Zion.

But where we often use our songs, our games, and our movies to distract us from the long journey, these ancient songs (and especially Psalm 130) would have worked to focus the travelers on their destination, and the reason for their journey: To come into the presence of God.

A preacher went into his church and he was praying to God. While he was praying, he asked God, “How long is 10 million years to you?” God replied, “1 second.” The next day the preacher asked God, “God, how much is 10 million dollars to you?” And God replied, “A penny.” Then finally the next day the preacher asked God, “God, can I have one of your pennies?” And God replied, “Just wait a sec.”