In the opening sermon last week, I reflected on my personal scriptural foundation for ministry. The Great Commandment informs my approach to ministry. It speaks to mission, discipleship, even spiritual formation.
The remaining sermons in this series will touch on the areas of responsibility to which deacons are ordained in The United Methodist Church -- Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice. Today we take a look at Word, and the lectionary was kind enough to give me Psalm 119:105-112 to work with.
Before I moved to Chicago to go to seminary almost 20 years ago, I was a member of Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Macon, GA. After being there a while, I joined the choir. There were a couple of other guys who sat in the back row with me. We felt a little out of place, and none of us could quite figure out how we got talked into joining the choir, but there we were.
In addition to Sunday School and other activities, the church was also involved with Pioneer Clubs. The Pioneer Clubs is a program that focuses on Bible, spiritual growth, and life skills. It is kind of like Scouting, but explicitly Bible-based and typically without the emphasis on outdoor skills and activities. I volunteered with the program the last year before I went to seminary. I got to work with some great kids that year.
The overall theme verse for the Pioneer Clubs is Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” We repeated this line each week. So it felt so familiar to be reading these words again this week.
It is also an important part of my journey into ministry. It was a formative part of my final year before attending seminary, and it relates in part to my understanding of ministry as a United Methodist deacon.
Last week, I shared a little about myself and how the Great Commandment is my primary grounding for ministry. That Bible story is central to my call to ministry and a key reason why I became ordained as a deacon. Over the next few weeks, I will be reflecting a bit more on what it means to me to be ordained as a deacon, and what that means for the ministry I will share with the members of the congregation to which I am appointed.
While deacons have been a part of the Methodist tradition from the beginning, prior to 1996 deacons in the UMC were basically provisional pastors that had not yet been ordained as elders. Pastors were ordained as deacons on the road to becoming an elder in full connection in the annual conference. In 1996, General Conference created the order of deacons as a fully ordained order alongside elders. Those wishing to become ordained ministers now choose to become either an elder or a deacon, and each order has different responsibilities in the life of the church.
Deacons are ordained to a lifetime ministry of Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice. Today I reflect a bit on the Word part of this ministry. Specifically, those of us who are deacons are ordained to teach and proclaim the Word. The Word is such an important part of our life together as church that Elders are also ordained to a ministry of Word. In fact, even Local Pastors are set apart for ministries of the Word. The Word of God is of vital importance to us as the church.
Our reading today helps us think about the importance of the God's word in our lives. Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. At 176 verses long, it is written as a devotional poem and prayer to the beauty of God’s word. In the original Hebrew, the Psalm is made up of 22 stanzas, one stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The 8 lines that make up each stanza begin with the corresponding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, in the original Hebrew, all 8 lines in the first stanza begin with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, all 8 lines in the second stanza begin with the second, and so on.
If you read through the entirety of the Psalm, you can easily see the writer’s devotion to God’s word. “Happy are those who walk in the ways of the Lord.” “I treasure your word in my heart.” And, of course, the opening to today’s reading, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
The Bible as we know it is the story of humanity’s relationship with God, first through the Hebrew people, then through Jesus and his disciples. In the Hebrew texts, we see a people struggling with identity and place as they escape from bondage and seek a home for themselves. As they journey to a new land and settle in that place, they try to be true to God, who has delivered them. They struggle with what makes them distinctive from the other peoples around them. They seek ways to honor God and to live in community with each other. They struggle with faith in the midst of defeat and bondage as well as victory and strength.
For the writer of this Psalm, this is the word of God. All the stories in the Hebrew scriptures about their journey and relationship with God over generations.
As we think about the word of God in the Hebrew scriptures, we are especially reminded of Genesis and the creation stories found there. In the opening poetry of Genesis 1, God speaks creation into being. It is literally the word of God that creates, bringing about everything that exists.
John picks up on this Genesis story and connects Jesus to the creative word of God. John tells us that the light that came into the world as the person of Jesus is the same word that God spoke at creation. Jesus is God’s word made flesh. In Jesus, we see the fullness of all that God’s word is supposed to be.
So we have a word from God that is instructive. It tells a history and shows us a way to live in relationship with God. We have a word from God that is creative. It builds things up and brings everything that exists into being. We have a word from God that shows us what it means to be the people of God. Jesus shows us what that relationship with God and each other is meant to look like. Jesus shows us what it means to build up a world together.
As we think about the section of Psalm 119 that we read today, what does it mean to us to say that God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path?
For me, I look to the Word of God for guidance, to help me figure out my way in life. Each morning when I wake up, the very first thing I do is read a brief scripture and devotional. As part of a class I led earlier this year, we were challenged to create new habits for ourselves. One of these was to intentionally start each day with scripture before doing anything else.
I am a little embarrassed to say that is the only one of those habits I have maintained, but it has become an important part of my morning. Rather than waking up and checking work emails or playing games or mindlessly scrolling through facebook, I start each day with God’s word. It sets a different tone for my day than if I had turned on the news or wasted time on social media. Rather than allow the news or social media or even work to set my daily agenda or get me riled up or just absently waste time, I start each day with a reminder of God’s love for me.
This has had a huge impact in my life. I find that I am calmer at the start of each day. I start the day off in a better mood, God’s love for me at the forefront of my thoughts rather than hate or destruction or envy or sadness. God’s word welcomes me into the start of each day.
Then as I go through each day, the pattern continues, whether I am working in the yard, listening to music, scrolling through facebook, or watching something on TV. Where is God’s word for me in that day? Where do I see signs of God’s love in the words that I read, the songs that I hear, or the shows or movies that I watch? Where do I see signs of God’s creative word in our garden, in the trees that surround our yard, even in the weeds that sprout in the grass?
And I teach. Not only as a way to aid others, but as a way to continue my own study and growth. I learn from the experiences of others as much or more as I hope they learn from me.
What about you? What are the ways in which you are able to focus on God’s word in your daily life? Do you have your own devotional practices? Do you see signs of God’s word in other places in your life? Where are the places you see that we could grow together in the study of God’s word?
What does it mean for us to rely on God's word?
Turning back to the text today, you may also recognize the opening of today’s text from an Amy Grant song that was popular in the late 80s. In fact, the song even made its way into The United Methodist Hymnal (#601). Released in 1984, “Thy Word” takes the opening line of this Psalm and then reflects on all the ways we rely on God’s word -- both the words we find in scripture as well as the Word we find in Jesus.
Take a few moments now to reflect on today's text and the ways in which we rely on God's word everyday.
God's word nourishes us.
God's word unites us.
God's word strengthens us to go forth to love God and serve our neighbors. To go forth to serve God and to love our neighbors.