One Way

Old Mystic, May 24, 2009
Psalms 1

Summary

May our lives be rooted in the incomparable richness of a relationship with God in whom we can delight day and night. We will be happy and prosper as we relate to God and we cultivate that relationship with discipline.

Sermon

My choice of title goes a little against the grain. Most commentators, when dealing with the first Psalm, tend to title their analysis “The Two Ways.” Now, I am not attempting to challenge the fact that this didactic poem—or prose—clearly shows two paths of behavior and exposes the contrast between the lives of the righteous and the wicked. Yet, my contention is that we need to focus on the one way to true happiness and prosperity. Focusing on the “other way” or the “way of the wicked” as we look into the world, our society, and human relationships in this 21st century, we may fall into the pits of becoming judges of who is who in the drama of life in the “pursuit of happiness.” As we learn in Family System Theory, a system can be changed only by a choice of differentiation, changing what we can change in us and about us and not imposing our views on others. Our choice of the One Way can change things.

I also want to focus on the One Way, the way of the righteous, because the pursuit of happiness and prosperity is at the heart of human existence. I must say as a warning, that the whole body of the Psalms and the book of Job portray how happiness can be elusive for the person of faith, lest we go along with the tendency in many Christian circles to relate prosperity mostly to material possessions. Do I need to say that happiness and prosperity are beyond owning houses, and cars, and land, or fat bank accounts? Faith is a key to a relationship with God, not the power to “name it and claim it”—an approach too popular in many Christian churches who proclaim a gospel of prosperity.

The first Psalm, as a sort of introduction to the book, speaks about being happy and prospering. “Happy are those… (The righteous)… They are like trees planted by streams of water… In all that they do, they prosper.” Now, saying that happiness and prosperity are found (and founded) in righteousness may seem encumbering to many. It sounds like we have to be some sort of saints, confined in a monastery, and living an ascetic life in order to stay in the right path. Yet, on the contrary, Jesus’ call to discipleship in this world, being in the world, and building a better world, is a radical call. And it is a call to be righteous wherever God has placed us—something that we know can be difficult, sacrificial, and even elusive.

Being righteous could be elusive because we all struggle with “the other way” as depicted in the passage. Often times, the contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked is not that clear. Aren’t we hearing the dubious advice and confusing use of language about the use torture (enhanced interrogation methods) to protect our security? Are we going to do what the wicked do (torture) arguing that the end justify the means? What is righteous? Many of the challenges of these days are courting us to accept the devaluation of human life and that—to me, at least—is tantamount to treading the path of sinners and scoffers. Yet many of us are confused. Happiness and prosperity are not about surviving a nuclear holocaust, or a terrorist attack, or an economic downturn. They are about being righteous and are found and founded in a personal, profound, and transforming relationship with the Living God. This is the One Way!

The happiness and prosperity of the righteous have two marks in the text that I want to point out. First, happiness is delighting in that relationship with the Living God. “Happy are those who… their delight is on the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.” For the Jewish audience, the law or the Torah was the medium to connect with God. The law was God’s covenant with them and through that covenant God called them his people. The law was the realm of their spirituality, where they experienced an encounter with God. But Paul expands this realm for Christianity. “The law was our disciplinarian until Christ came… now… we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian… God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.” We have more that the law—which he also calls a rudiment—we have the Spirit of God and we can delight in that relationship through prayer, meditation, worship, study and other spiritual disciplines.

Happiness is found and founded in our delight of spending time with the Living God. It is an every day thing; as the Psalmist says, it is delighting “night and day.” But this delighting is not just a personal, individual experience we enjoy in private. It is that to a great extent, yet it is also more than that. And for that reason we meet as a congregation, as God’s people, and as a community. “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity... for there the Lord ordained his blessing for evermore.” When we gather God is in our midst and we delight in his presence. When we worship, and pray, and study together, we are making strides toward righteousness.

The second mark of the happiness and prosperity of the righteous is that they bear fruit. The Psalm has a very powerful simile, the happy and prosperous righteous “are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” Those who delight in the Lord will discover more easily what it means to bear fruit. We bear fruit through relationships, work, service, and practice. When we speak, when we write, and when we communicate; in times of busyness and in times of leisure. At all times we can delight in what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit: “…Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” All these things can be part of any practice; in the marketplace, in the business world; in the public arena; in the global world of politics.

In a day and night relationship with God and with the desire to bear fruit, we will prosper—and I’m convinced God will honor the Psalmist’s statement. The righteous are the ones who build things that are good and permanent. Prosperity is about building relationships, performing good deeds, fulfilling a duty, and creative work. Prosperity is not about abundance; it is having our needs met. It is not about the stuff we have or we want to have; it is about the stuff we are made of.

It is also important to remember that the Psalms in themselves offer no guarantees. Unfortunately, from a perspective, the wicked do prosper—I don’t personally believe they are ever happy in the true sense of the word—and the righteous do suffer. Paul reminds us that, “…we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” We are not free from afflictions, illnesses, and losses. We know that! Yet, the claim of the author of the first psalm stands as an introduction to the whole body of the Psalms which in the laments so much depict human foibles and agonies. The leaves of the righteous shall not wither. And as long as the connection with the creator remains; if there is a relationship with the Living God, then happiness and prosperity are possible.

Our challenge as a congregation goes perhaps beyond choosing one of two ways. Who among us would desire to follow the “path of the wicked”? Our call is to focus in the One Way, the way of the righteous, who finds happiness, and who prosper. In this day and age we hear so much about what is right and how to be right. And we are told that we must follow “the rules” otherwise we do not belong to what the psalmist calls “the congregation of the righteous.” We hear judgment pronounced on people all the time; the focus is too often on what is wrong with our neighbor. That is not exactly the One Way. Our call is to delight on the Lord; to experience God; to love God and to build a relationship with him. God is the source of our happiness and the one who prospers all we do.