Psalm 121: "My Help Comes from the LORD"

This psalm is part of the collection known as the “Songs of Ascent,” a collection (120-134) contained in Book 5 which parallels Deuteronomy in the Pentateuch or the “return from exile” in Israelite history.  The “Songs of Ascent” were traditionally used in what are known as the pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) and were often sung as the congregation approached the Temple in Jerusalem.

This particular “Song of Ascent” is known also as a “Song of Trust,” a psalm that declares trust in God.  This trust, which is a relational component, has been formed through the peaks and valley of life, those times of disorientation and re-orientation that chart their way through the Psalms.  This psalm opens with a call-and-response structure.  The opening verse (v. 1) is the question posed by the poet and the liturgist.  Springing up from a lifetime of memories, the poet asks the congregation if they ascent to his question, hoping they hold trust in the same God that he does.  Thus, the natural expression is that “My help comes from YHWH!”

The remaining verses of this “Song of Trust” proclaims three elements of God’s nature that have served as the foundation for that trust.  In these verses, the poet notes that he trusts God’s direction.  The imagery in the first line (v. 3a) is that of God “keeping” the steps of the worshipper, much like a parent who helps a toddler take steps by clasping their hands around the child’s ankles and helping her learn the motion of walking.  The imagery of the remaining three lines (v. 3b-4) is that of God carrying the worshipper while the worshipper slumbers, much like the tales of mythical beasts carrying their wards in their arms or on their backs.

In v. 5-6, the poet notes that he trusts God’s provision.  In the New Revised Standard Version, the phrase “keeps” is repeated in each elemental passage.  Whereas the previous passage focused on God “keeping” the poet’s feet on the correct path, this passage focuses on God “keeping” the poet provided for.  Generally we think of provision as dealing with food or drink, however the tale of Jonah seems to hint in the background here as the poet trusts God to provide shade in the heat and shelter during the night (cf., Jonah 4:6).

In v. 7-8, the poet notes that he trusts God’s protection.  Here we see a more intimate nature of God’s “keeping.”  Drawing from more pastoral imagery, God is the worshipper’s shepherd, laying down in the gateway of the sheep pen, “keeping” the sheep in and “keeping” the thief out.  It is this imagery that inspired Jesus’ “I am the gate” teaching in John 10:7-10.  God does not simply nurse the wounds of the worshipper; God risks God’s own life to “keep” the worshipper safe.  In concluding his words here, the poet articulates that God is worth our trust because God directs, provides and protects us.

Articulating trust in God is easy when times are good and plentiful, yet harder when times are difficult and lean.  This psalm provides a structure for prayer in times when our trust in God is low, when our guilt rises and our faith wanes.  Begin by asking yourself the call of the opening verse: “From where does my help come?”  If you can honestly state that your help comes from God, remind yourself of why you trust God by thanking God for God’s direction, provision and protection.

Writing is...

Writing is one of those processes that, I think, just about everyone thinks they can accomplish.  I mean, you go to any bookstore and see all those glorious books on display?  "Surely, I can do that," you may think to yourself.

Or, thanks to the Internet, almost anyone with a computer can post an essay within a matter of minutes.  (Wait a minute...)  There are, depending on who you ask, over 150 million active blogs readily available for your reading.  (Compare this to over 28 million podcasts, whose numbers are growing at exponential rates.)  There are, literally, blogs or websites about everything.

Yet, what does it mean to be a writer?  And, more deeply, how does one go about writing?  These are fundamental questions, questions that I had not asked myself when I first began writing.  However, after nearly a decade of writing essays, articles, book chapters and a book, here is some advice that I have learned that I hope will encourage or challenge you in your writing.

1. Writing is a craft that must be nurtured.  One of the things about writing is that is an activity that must be worked at.  Even someone who might be "gifted" at writing cannot survive on talent alone.  I have a book project on the Gospel of Mark that I have been working on for over fifteen years.  I am not sure if it will ever see the light of day.  It, like many other pieces, has become a workshop piece that challenges we as a writer.  In another case, one of my first articles was a simple page piece that sought to share a teaching tactic.  It was abysmal.  Looking back now, as I did the other day, I am both ashamed that I submitted the piece for publication yet also grateful that that particular journal gave me a second chance at publication.
2. Just because I can, does not mean that I should.  Most writers are creative types.  Most creative types are almost always coming up with ideas.  Inspiration hits without warning.  This can be great for the writing process, or it can send us down the rabbit hole into distraction.  Some time ago, I pitched an idea an idea about theological themes in dystopian literature to my friend David Congdon (@dwcongdon), an editor with the University Press of Kansas.  His advice was quite simple: While the idea had merit, did I have the credentials to write it.  He was correct.  I love dystopian literature, however I am not a literature guy.  To date, I have submitted four book proposals that, I assume, have been rejected.  As difficult as it is to accept, there is wisdom in "staying in your lane."
3. What about what works (and what does not and why).  I once proposed an article to a journal on mediating divorces in the congregational setting.  I had written the paper for a graduate class and had received a good grade.  I submitted the paper...and it was rejected.  It was rejected for one reason -- I didn't have any evidence that it would work.  I had never implemented it.  When writing, especially when writing practically, write out of your actual experience.  As I started on my dissertation, I discovered that I was regularly using my developing theory in my preaching.  I just had not named how the process worked yet.  In other articles, I have talked about things that worked and things that have not.  In doing so, it shows that a writer has credibility to speak about this issue.  And in today's marketplace, credibility is everything.

I hope this advice helps you as your develop as a writer.  It is a frustrating yet rewarding craft, one that advances thought and action with simple words and passionate minds.

Book Review: "The Witness of Preaching" (3rd edition) by Thomas G. Long

Thomas G. Long, The Witness of Preaching, 3rd ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016).  280 pp.  $35.00.

[Caution...that 4/5 is a bit misleading.]

To be honest, this is a book in which I agree with about 90% of the content. I have an infinite amount of respect for Tom Long, and reference him repeatedly in my multiple preaching classes. His passion for preaching and depth of wisdom has advanced the study and practice of homiletics in many ways.

That being said, and for as high of a rating that I gave this third edition (which really is the best edition, given the updating on issues like technology, plagiarism and the preacher's spiritual life), I ultimately do not accept Long's concept of "witness" as the paradigm for understanding the preacher's task.

I think to ignore the other paradigms that he discusses (and then dismisses) -- herald, storyteller and pastor -- seriously limits our ability to preach the gospel in a post-Christian society. Yes, this sounds counter-intuitive, given the theological nature of "witness." 

The issue, I have long thought, is two-fold: 

1. Preaching must be about more than what we have simply "seen and heard" but also point towards transformation, a concept that Long finds deeply problematic to his Reformed approach to the Christian faith.
2. Preaching must, therefore, employ various models and methods in order to effectively preach the gospel in a distracted culture. Heralds (prophets, John the Baptizer), storytellers (Qoheleth, the Gospel writers, Jesus) and pastors (Paul, Peter, Jude) have long advanced the gospel through a variety of communicative forms. Why, then, should contemporary preachers do any less?

If only witness was promoted as a "best practice" among a variety of best practices, much like Robert Stephen Reid's "four voices." Then, to me, this would be the homiletics textbook that we both need and deserve.

Note: This review was not solicited.  It was originally posted on my Goodreads page.