[Gen. 1:1-2:3; Ps. 136; Rom. 8:18-25; Mt. 6:25-end]
Grace to you who are one in Christ. Amen.
For his love endures forever...For his love endures forever...For his love endures forever.
Perhaps, instead of a sermon, we should reflect on this very important fact, that God’s love in ongoing, is enduring, it never stops.
Maybe the preacher shouldn’t be talking, or waffling, but instead we should just listen to the Psalm telling us, reminding us of the God we call God.
Ki l-olam khasdo.
His love endures forever.
Perhaps, instead of the preacher expounding on the Scriptures, often showing off what they’ve learned in seminary, the bits they’ve picked up about Hebrew and dogmatics and Church history, offering interpretations and insights, perhaps, we should simply sit in silence, reminding ourselves that God is the God who never stops loving.
Ki l-olam khasdo.
His love endures forever.
It’s repeated 26 times, like the letters in the alphabet, because what more needs to be said?
In the Jewish tradition this psalm is known as the Great Hallel, the great hallelujah, even though the word hallelujah doesn’t actually appear in it.
But sometimes all you need is half a word, just half a phrase to understand, don’t you.
God is the God of commitment, of the covenant, and a covenant goes deeper and further than any contract does.
Khesed in Hebrew also means justice or loyalty, covenantal loyalty.
His mercy, his love is ongoing. It endures, it doesn’t stop, loyal, just, truthful.
Our psalm this morning illustrates this by describing three key passages from the Scriptures, namely from the Books of Moses: Creation, when life began; the Exodus, when the Hebrew people were freed, when they were given back control over their own lives; and the entrance into the Holy Land, when they were settled and commanded to live out their lives in service of their God, according to God’s laws and precepts.
His mercy is ongoing.
Like waves rolling constantly, like time ticking on, like sun and moon following each other.
God doesn’t take a break, God doesn’t press pause on love and mercy, God doesn’t shy away from it, God doesn’t ignore it, God doesn’t falter on his own love and mercy.
God is the God of life, of existence, of all existence, and this life is sustained, nourished by God’s love, by God’s mercy, and we all live in thankful acceptance of this free gift.
We live life, we don’t earn life, we live it out in faith to God and love to the neighbour...or at least, that’s the theory, that’s our calling.
His love endures forever.
Our calling in life is to live.
Sustained and nourished by a mercy which flows through everything God does, and as such should ideally be our purpose and our tool, our ‘working method’, as well.
We’re called to live our lives with all its ups and downs, with all its messiness, and mistakes, and successes, and happiness, tears and laughter.
God didn’t set up our lives for failure, God set up our lives for love.
God is loyal. God is just. God is faithful.
Ki l-olam khasdo.
Give thanks for God gave us life.
Give thanks for God freed us from the bondage of sin, death and the devil (however you interpret the latter).
Give thanks for God leads and accompanies us to the Kingdom, to paradise, to heaven, and God does so in person, and all of us together.
Give thanks for God is the living God and his mercy endures forever, his love gives life, and whatever may happen, God is committed, God respects the covenant, and God will free us, forgive us, pick us up when we’re down, comfort us when darkness and grief and anxiety hit us, and God will put us back on track, to the Promised Land.
And we’re all called, commanded to do the same for others.
When life’s a commodity to be traded.
When people are being trafficked and tricked into a life of slavery.
When the politics of arrogance and war kill and maim and force people to leave their lives behind.
When refugees drown at sea.
When people describe their lives as merely survival.
When hopelessness is the only emotion that’s left.
When consumerism and luxury and human greed put a massive strain on our economy and on our environment.
When on the streets of some of the richest countries on earth people are sleeping rough, rummaging through bins for food.
When health is just another merchandise.
When gender, or sexual orientation, or creed, or colour, or ethnicity, or financial status, or political convictions, or academic achievements are easy, lazy excuses for exclusion.
When religion equals hatred.
When the Church isn’t a safe place.
When clergy become predators.
When we give thanks to God on Sunday and forget about the covenant on Monday.
If we proclaim a just God and don’t commit to justice we’re lying, we’re making a mockery of God, and we’re blaspheming.
Then we condemn others to slavery.
Our lives, all of existence, began in love, if there’s one thing we do -so to speak- let it be love.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
He has created us to love.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
We’re called to let mercy flow through our lives.
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
Each day, on and on, never stopping.
The great God of the universe, who spoke and all existence exists,
who alone does great wonders,
who by his understanding made the heavens,
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
who made the great lights.
This is the God who in sheer love commits to us little, puny humans.
Who or what will we commit to?!
Ki l-olam khasdo.
(Silence, then play https://youtu.be/7ixvBlSOFUA without further explanation)