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Let it flow!

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Look, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!  It is like the precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes.  Psalm 133:1-2

Let it flow!

It was the perfect treat for a hot summer day.  I had a scoop of Culver’s Flavor of the Day, the Andes Mint Avalanche.  My wife had a scoop of their Lemon Ice with added raspberries.  We highly recommend them.  But because it was a hot summer day, as your family has undoubtedly learned, one needs to eat their frozen treats before they melt.  Otherwise ice cream has a way of flowing down over the hand and dripping down onto whatever clothes (or newsletter article) one happens to be wearing or working on at the moment.  It is a good problem to have.

In the same way, our psalm writer paints a messy sounding picture when describing the blessings found in Christian unity.  He speaks about the anointing of the High Priest, Aaron, and of how that precious oil flows off his head and down his beard and onto his robes in abundance.  And it’s a unity that the author, King David, did not always have the luxury of experiencing during his lifetime.  From his interactions with King Saul to his rebellious son Absalom, David did not always experience unity within the kingdom or within his own family.  Here in Psalm 133, he pauses to reflect on the pleasantness that comes from God and rejoices in the true peace he can bring to believers.  These moments were made extra special as the people gathered together in fellowship for worship in God’s house.

Such unity must begin with our God.  As Jesus is the head of the church, heavenly blessings originate through him and are thanks to him and to his saving work.  The devil despises our closeness to God and does all he can to disrupt Christ-centered fellowship.  And on our own, our sins would disqualify us from any unification with a holy and righteous God.  But thanks to Jesus’ payment for the cross, we have forgiveness.  Thanks to the Father’s plan we have a place with him now and eternally in his family of believers.  And thanks to the Holy Spirit’s work he helps us grow in our faith and better understand our lives within God’s kingdom.  

Such unity is ours thanks to a shared faith in Jesus.  We may not as a church have the same shared political beliefs, degrees of gifts, or opportunities for service.  But we do have the same faith based upon Christ.  And with him as our collective head, we the members of his body receive great blessings from our God in heaven as his love, help, and encouragement freely flow down to us from heaven.

What does such unity in Christ look like with his church?  As believers we find fellowship together in worship, we want to preserve God’s truth, and we look to apply his words in love so that more souls are saved.  While the church will not be perfect on this side of heaven, it means that as we have opportunities we will embrace grace over grumbling, forgiveness over frustration, and Christ over conflict.  It means that we celebrate the shared gifts and abilities in serving Jesus together.  Think of it!  You share in the work of the pastor who visits the precious persons in prison or who are hospital-bed-bound with God’s words of peace.  You share in the long hours of love and care that go into the service of parents and teachers as we value the gift of Christian education.  You share in the unique abilities and special opportunities of the many members who are active in serving Jesus.  Our service situations might be different, but in Jesus our faith is united, our abilities shared, and our mission is the same!     

So this summer, go ahead and enjoy that tasty treat or extra scoop of custard.  Let it flow!  And as you scramble to keep up with the melting goodness, think about the picture we are given in this psalm – and rejoice!  Thanks be to God who has unified us in the love of Jesus, given us the fellowship of faith, and causes his blessings in Christ Jesus to flow freely upon us.

Psalm 118

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Pastor Nate Walther

17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord… 22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118)

Perhaps those words made you do a double take.  It’s not that the words are unfamiliar, we hear them every year in church, but usually we hear these words around Easter.  So why now?

Why not!  The thing about these words is that they weren’t written on Easter either – they were written nearly thousand years beforehand.  Granted, they picture the certain victory that God provides to us over the grave.  They make it clear that this victory is found in the “stone which the builders rejected”, Jesus!  And they highlight that it is entirely a work of the Lord and not a matter of our own works (or lack thereof). 

But if you read the remainder of the Psalm—and take some time to do so during the week—the Psalmist talks about all the pressure he faces from life and from people around him, replete with references like being “hard pressed”, “surrounded” and “swarmed like bees”, or “chastened severely”.   He doesn’t quite describe a festive occasion to celebrate. Yet, still, he proclaims Easter joy…  Why?

It’s because Easter makes every day a day on which we can proclaim, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it!”  Because of Easter, every day has hope.  Because of what Jesus accomplished at the cross & empty tomb, we know that every problem will be resolved – even the problems we cause by our own sin.  Because he is our cornerstone, God has built for us an eternal structure that will withstand every storm we face.

It’s not just true on Easter.  It’s true every day of our lives. It’s true every Sunday, which is why we treat every worship service like a mini-Easter Sunday, filled with references to forgiveness, resurrection, and new life.  It’s true even on random weekdays in July.   It’s true if you’re sick & suffering today, and equally true if you’re enjoying a day of vacation with family and nice weather. 

So—in reference to our recent Pentecost series—say it out loud!  (Maybe it would even be a good idea to get into the habit of saying this every morning when you wake up to properly ground yourself…)  “This is the day the lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

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