Greetings my friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcome as we continue our journey through the Psalms of Ascent.
Joining these pilgrims as they head to Jerusalem.
As we begin today,
As always,
Let's just find some space to allow ourselves to become still.
Find a comfortable position and just gently close your eyes if it feels right and safe.
Take a slow deep breath in.
.
.
And then out.
To allow your breathing to become unhurried.
Notice the gentle rhythm.
Of each inhale and exhale.
As you bring yourself into this moment,
Mind,
Body and heart.
May your breath be a quiet reminder that life itself is sustained by the gracious presence of God.
Our pilgrimage has brought us some distance now.
We've longed for peace,
Lifted our eyes in trust,
Rejoiced in God's presence,
Learned to wait with attentive hearts.
We've remembered God's faithfulness and discovered a trust that grows deep roots.
Today,
However,
The pilgrim discovers something that every traveler eventually learns.
That the journey of faith is rarely a straight line.
Joy and sorrow often walk together.
Hope and grief aren't opposites because sometimes they share the same road and Psalm 126 is one of the most beautiful expressions of this mystery in all of scripture.
It remembers great joy,
It acknowledges present pain and it dares to hope again.
So let's listen to the words of Psalm 126 and as we do just notice what they awaken within you.
And whether there's a phrase or word that stands out to you.
As we hear them.
And spend some time in silence with them.
Psalm 126.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion.
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter.
And our tongue with shouts of joy.
Than it was said among the nations.
The Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us.
And we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes,
O Lord,
Like the watercourses in the Negev.
May those who sow in tears reap.
With shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping.
Bearing the seed for sowing.
Shall come home with shouts of joy,
Carrying their sheaves.
So I wonder what stirred within you as you heard those words and what phrases or words found its way into your heart.
Maybe it was we were like those who dream,
Or the Lord has done great things for us.
Or those who sow in tears.
Just let those words stay with you.
And allow them become your prayer as we reflect on the psalm together.
Now this psalm holds together something that we often try to separate.
Memory.
Sorrow.
The Pilgrims remember a time when God's restoration seemed almost unbelievable.
They say it was like a dream.
Their hearts overflowed with gratitude,
But then.
.
.
Without warning the prayer changes.
Suddenly we hear,
Restore our fortunes.
Our Lord.
The restoration that they celebrate.
Is,
Strangely,
Also the restoration that they're still longing for.
And how true is that?
Of our own lives.
There's seasons where we can look back with gratitude and say,
God has been so faithful and yet in the same breath.
We find ourselves praying,
Lord,
We still need you.
So understand that faith isn't pretending that yesterday's blessings take away today's struggles.
No,
No,
No,
No.
Nor is it allowing today's struggles to erase yesterday's grace.
Both belong.
Both are true.
The spiritual life makes room for laughter.
And tears.
For Thanksgiving.
And longing.
Let's listen again and afterwards,
As you rest in the silence,
Notice the extraordinary image at the heart of the psalm.
That talks about the farmer walking into the field carrying seed.
Psalm 126.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion.
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter.
And our tongue with shouts of joy.
Than it was said among the nations.
The Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us.
And we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes,
O Lord,
Like the watercourses in the Negev.
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping.
Bearing the seed for sowing.
Shall come home with shouts of joy,
Carrying their sheaves.
Now I don't know if you noticed.
.
.
The image of the farmer walking into the field carrying seed has a very point in.
I guess the image.
Where we see that the seed is watered with tears.
Every act of sowing.
Requires hope.
A farmer can't guarantee a harvest.
All they can do is sow their seed and entrust it to the earth.
And so much of our lives is just like this.
Every act of forgiveness is a seed.
Every quiet prayer is a seed.
Every unseen kindness is a seed.
Every choice to love when love feels costly,
More seed.
Every faithful step taken when the outcome's still hidden.
Even more see.
We sow without knowing exactly how God's going to bring life.
From what we've entrusted to him.
And maybe this is why Jesus spoke about seeds so often.
The kingdom of God grows quietly,
Patiently.
Often beneath the surface.
Long before we can see the harvest.
Well,
If today you find yourself sowing in tears,
Don't lose heart,
Friend.
God sees every seed,
Nothing offered in love.
Is ever wasted.
Now let's listen one final time.
And this time allow these ancient words to become a prayer for every place in your life where hope still waits beneath the soil.
Psalm 126.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion.
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter.
And our tongue with shouts of joy.
Than it was said among the nations.
The Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us.
And we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes,
O Lord,
Like the watercourses in the Negev.
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping.
Bearing the seed for sowing.
Shall come home with shouts of joy,
Carrying their sheaves.
As we close,
Will you pray with me?
God of restoration.
Thank you for the ways that you've already been faithful.
Thank you for the laughter that you've placed within our lives.
Thank you for every unexpected gift,
Every quiet mercy.
Every glimpse of your goodness and today we entrust to you the places where tears still remain.
Receive the seeds that we continue to sow in faith,
The prayers that seem unanswered,
The hopes that we still carry,
And the acts of love whose fruit we can't yet see.
Teach us to trust that your grace is always at work,
Even beneath the surface,
Even in the hidden places,
And even when the harvest hasn't yet appeared.
As we continue this pilgrimage,
Give us the courage to keep sowing.
The patience to keep trusting and the hope to believe that your joy will have the final word.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with us and remain with us today and always.
Amen.
Remember,
Friend.
Christ entered into our sorrow.
And the resurrection of that same Christ reveals that love is never wasted.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
