Musical Prelude and Service.

Psalm 139:7-12
It can be useful to understand a little bit about the world view of the time and place that this psalm
was written. Psalm 139 is one of those attributed to King David, and scholars suggest that if it was
written by him, it can be dated to the 10th century BCE. So it is safe to say, this song of prayer is
about 3000 years old.
In that time and place, the world was seen and understood in a very different way from our
contemporary understanding. For the psalmist, the world was a flat plane supported by pillars.
Under the earth could be found the underworld, known as Sheol. The heavens were a dome held
above the earth. And God created it all and, as the psalmist argues, inhabits it all.
If we presume King David wrote this psalm, it is very likely the King is despairing over his many sins;
the ways in which he has failed to live up to God’s desires for his life and his rule. He has made a
mess of things. He is experiencing grief and despair. Toward the end of David’s reign there is a great
deal of conflict, and there are many challenges to his rule.
He suggests in this psalm that he wishes to hide his face. He wishes to escape from God’s gaze and
God’s possible judgment. But alas there is no place to hide. Furthermore, God is fully capable of
searching his heart to see clearly his desires, his guilt, his scheming.
In Jewish midrash there is some writing contemplating that the writer is compared to Adam as he is
formed from clay. This psalm is an interesting choice for a reflection on land. The only reference
specifically to land is the mention of being woven in the mystery of clay. But at the same time, the
writer makes clear that the world on which we live is created by and intimately known by our creator
God. As is the world beneath the earth and the heavens that surround us. We may not perceive of
creation in the same way in the 21st Century, but we still understand creation; or the cosmos as
crafted by God and inhabited by God. That there is nowhere where we are not in the presence of
God. That God knows u, understands us and sees us for who we truly are.
And the implications for this song or poem, this prayer that describes an ever-present and allknowing God is that we are part of a carefully and intricately created world that has tied everything
together in intimate and powerful ways.
The psalmist starts this prayer by lamenting that there is no escape from God. God knows all, sees
all. Even if he was to hide in a hole in the soil, God would be there with perfect understanding of who
he is. But as is so often the case in the psalms and the lamentations, the prayer or song takes a turn.
That sense of not being able to escape the all-knowing gaze of God stops being a burden and
becomes a gift.
“Your eyes saw my substance taking shape. In your book my every day was recorded,
all my days were fashioned, even before they came to be.
How deep your designs are to me, O God! How great their number!
I try to count them, but they are more than the sand. I come to the end – I am still with you.
Search me, O God and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts.
Watch closely, lest I follow a path of error and guide me in the everlasting way.”
God sees me and knows me. God will guide me also. God’s love is steadfast.
We are connected to this land because we come from it. We are connected.
We are connected to the land.
We are connected to the forest.
We are connected to one another since all of us come from this soil, but we are also connected to
God who fashioned it all.
I was reminded last week that I didn’t note the destruction of the landslide in Nepal. No, I didn’t.
That’s unfortunate. The people who are suffering as a result of those landslides certainly need our
attention. Whether It is prayers, resources, other material support. People have died; they have
suffered injury. A great, great many are displaced or have lost everything. But beyond prayer and
support, we should be asking how this happened. We should be seeking a greater understanding of
our world. Scientists are pretty much in agreement that this is a consequence of climate change.
Glaciers in the Himalayas are melting, just like they are here in North America. The glaciers are
collapsing, and ice, mud and water are sliding down the mountain and causing unspeakable
destruction as they descend.
And, let’s be honest, climate change is something we all need to contend with and take responsibility
for. The planet is getting warmer and that means hotter summers, more frequent weather disasters
like hurricanes typhoons. It means more frequent droughts leading to more intense forest fires.
And no matter where on this globe you reside, you can’t escape one consequence or another. Be it a
flood, a landslide or even the smoke from numerous fires. The climate does not recognize your
borders.
We have taken God’s good earth; this land on which we live and move and have our being, for
granted for far too long. We have wounded the planet. We have exploited God’s creation of which we
are a part.
This is not a call to abandon so much of what we have, but to remind ourselves to be more mindful.
To give back in the form of tree planting.
Of working to preserve land and forests.
To give time and resources to rehabilitating rivers and lakes and coral reefs.
To ask questions about all the development projects that are proposed.
Who benefits and who is asked to make another sacrifice in the name of progress?
It is beyond my knowledge, it is a mystery, I cannot fathom it.
We learn more about our world all the time. We learn more about how it works, but also the way so
much of it is connected. How interconnected our bodies are remains a wonder and a mystery. That
remains the case whether it was 1000 years before the common era or today in the 21st century.
Our world: God’s creation, remains a mystery. As we answer many questions, more mysteries arise.
But we keep learning all the same. We keep learning how interconnected we are to one another and
to the rest of creation.
So as we reflect on this ancient song of prayer and its understanding of our place in God’s world, let
us be moved to gratitude. Let us develop a greater appreciation of how we are connected and what
our responsibility to this world is in fact.
I want to close with our New Creed.
So much that I read in this document seems to apply to today’s scripture and my reflection:
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God;
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Rev. Warner Bloomfield

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789